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RANSOMWARERansomware Attacks: Death Threats, Endangered Patients and Millions of Dollars in Damages
A ransomware attack on Change Healthcare, a company that processes 15 billion health care transactions annually and deals with 1 in 3 patient records in the United States, is continuing to cause massive disruptions nearly three weeks later. The incident, which started on February 21, has been called the “most significant cyberattack on the U.S. health care system” by the American Hospital Association. It is just the latest example of an increasing trend.
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AUTONOMOUS VEHICLESAutonomous Vehicle Technology Vulnerable to Road Object Spoofing and Vanishing Attacks
Researchers have demonstrated the potentially hazardous vulnerabilities associated with the technology called LiDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging, many autonomous vehicles use to navigate streets, roads and highways. The researchers have shown how to use lasers to fool LiDAR into “seeing” objects that are not present and missing those that are – deficiencies that can cause unwarranted and unsafe braking or collisions.
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THREATS TO INFRASTRUCTUREHouthi Attacks in Red Sea Threaten Internet Infrastructure
The recent attack on the cargo ship Rubymar by the Iran-backed Houthis caused the crew to drop anchor, which damaged undersea internet cables, the US has said. Could the vital infrastructure now become a regular target?
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CONSPIRACY THEORYAnti-Vaccine Conspiracies Fuel Divisive Political Discourse
Heightened use of social media during the coronavirus pandemic brought with it an unprecedented surge in the spread of misinformation. Of particular significance were conspiracy theories surrounding the virus and vaccines made to combat it. New analysis shows conspiracy theories gain political weight due to social media.
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ELECTION INTERFERENCEArtificial Intelligence Is Game Changer for Election Interference: FBI
U.S. security officials are bracing for an onslaught of fast-paced influence operations, from a wide range of adversaries, aimed at impacting the country’s coming presidential election. FBI Director Christopher Wray issued the latest warning in a meeting with security professional Thursday, saying that technologies such as artificial intelligence are already altering the threat landscape.
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ELECTION SECURITYTop Lawmaker Warns U.S. 'Less Prepared' for Election Meddling
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner said that the prevalence of artificial intelligence could also make Russia’s interference with the 2016 presidential election look “like child’s play.”
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MISIONFORMATIONAI and the Spread of Fake News Sites: Experts Explain How to Counteract Them
With national elections looming in the United States, concerns about misinformation are sharper than ever, and advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have made distinguishing genuine news sites from fake ones even more challenging.
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CYBERSECURITYCybersecurity Software Wins a 2024 Federal Laboratory Consortium Excellence in Technology Transfer Award
Lincoln Laboratory–developed Timely Address Space Randomization (TASR) was transferred to two commercial providers of cloud-based services.
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PORT SECURITYShoring Up Ports to Withstand Cyberattacks
There are more than 300 ports in the United States, employing an estimated 31 million Americans, and contributing about $5.4 trillion to the country’s economy The White House is moving forward with reforms aimed at shoring up cybersecurity at U.S. ports, some of which may already be in danger of falling under the sway of hackers linked to China.
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AIAI and Election Integrity
We don’t yet know the full impact of artificial intelligence-generated deepfake videos on misinforming the electorate. And it may be the narrative around them — rather than the deepfakes themselves — that most undermines election integrity.
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CYBERSECURITYCybersecurity and Data Protection: Does ChatGPT Really Make a Difference?
Cybersecurity and data privacy have become central concerns, affecting business operations and user safety worldwide. A new analysis has looked at the various approaches to cybersecurity and data protection taken by key global players, namely the European Union, the United States, and China.
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CYBERSECURITYCollegiate Cyber Defenders Shine in Inaugural Conquer the Hill — Command Edition Competition
Seventy-five college students competed to test their skills in the fundamentals of IT and cybersecurity infrastructure. The DOE’s CyberForce Program aims to help develop a pipeline of skilled cyber defenders for the energy sector through competitions, webinars, career fairs, and resources for building skills.
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DISINFORMATIONDisinformation Threatens Global Elections – Here’s How to Fight Back
With over half the world’s population heading to the polls in 2024, disinformation season is upon us — and the warnings are dire. Many efforts have focused on fact-checking and debunking false beliefs. In contrast, “prebunking” is a new way to prevent false beliefs from forming in the first place. Polio was a highly infectious disease that was eradicated through vaccination and herd immunity. Our challenge now is to build herd immunity to the tricks of disinformers and propagandists. The future of our democracy may depend on it.
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ELECTION SECURITYFeds Deliver Stark Warnings to State Election Officials Ahead of November
Federal law enforcement and cybersecurity officials are warning the nation’s state election administrators that they face serious threats ahead of November’s presidential election, as AI, ransomware attacks, and malicious mail could disrupt voting.
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CYBERSECURITYUsing AI to Develop Enhanced Cybersecurity Measures
Using artificial intelligence to address several critical shortcomings in large-scale malware analysis, researchers are making significant advancements in the classification of Microsoft Windows malware and paving the way for enhanced cybersecurity measures.
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More headlines
The long view
TRUTH DECAYTruth Decay and National Security
By Heather J. Williams and Caitlin McCulloch
The line between fact and opinion in public discourse has been eroding, and with it the public’s ability to have arguments and find common ground based in fact. Two core drivers of Truth Decay are political polarization and the spread of misinformation—and these are particularly intertwined in the national security arena. Exposure to misinformation leads to increased polarization, and increased polarization decreases the impact of factual information. Individuals, institutions, and the nation as a whole are vulnerable to this vicious cycle.