Our picksCyber Threats & Airports | China’s Scientists Hunt | Realistic School Shooter Drills, and more

How Russia Weaponized Social Media, Got Caught and Escaped Consequences (Meg Kelly and Elyse Samuels, Washington Post)

U.S. Struggles to Stem Chinese Efforts to Recruit Scientists (Aruna Viswanatha and Kate O’Keeffe, Wall Street Journal)
Officials see indictment against University of Kansas professor, who says he is falsely accused, as a possible prosecution blueprint

The West’s Obsession with Border Security Is Breeding Instability (Ruben Andersson and David Keen, Foreign Policy)
In the name of fighting illegal immigration, the EU, the United States, and Australia are emboldening authoritarian regimes, fueling abuses and corruption, and stoking intolerance at home.

Judge Restricts Searches of Electronic Devices at Border (Matthew Vadum, Epoch Times)
Officials at U.S. ports of entry may not search international travelers’ electronic devices in the absence of suspicion that they have committed a crime, a federal judge has ruled.

Realistic School Shooter Drills: Necessary Today or Too Traumatizing? (Katie Wedell, Dayton Daily News)
Some parents and experts question use of intense training, but others say students must be prepared.

Android Users’ Security At Risk; Pre-Installed Android Apps Riddled With Security Holes (Nica Osorio, International Business Times)
A new smartphone comes with pre-installed apps that sometimes users do not like. These apps are not only annoying to remove; they are also clunky and, if not updated, could turn into a virus. A new report claims that these pre-installed apps on Android devices are riddled with security holes that could put users at risk.
Security firm Kryptowire created a tool that could automatically scan a massive number of Android devices for possible signs of security flaws. In research funded by the US Department of Homeland Security, the security firm tested the tool on 29 various vendors. While the majority of these vendors are not that popular, some of the big names in the smartphone industry make appearances, including Sony, Asus, and Samsung.

How the Cyber Threat Landscape of Airports Has Evolved (DQIndia)
Airports need a new and improved approach towards cybersecurity as there is an urgent need to counter ever changing security challenges

Africa’s Sahel Is the World’s Latest Frontline against Terrorism (Neil Munshi and Michael Peel, Ozy)
Across the Sahel — a semiarid zone south of the Sahara including parts of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger — a combination of porous borders, intercommunal tensions and ill-equipped domestic armies have exacerbated a problem that regional and international forces are now struggling to contain.