• How AI Bots Spread Misinformation Online and Undermine Democratic Politics

    By Sophia Melanson Ricciardone

    As we navigate this era of digital discourse, awareness of blind spots in our social psychology is our best defense. Understanding how cues or triggers affect us can reduce their influence over time. The more aware we are of bots and how they work, the more able we are to protect ourselves from misleading rhetoric, ensuring our democratic processes remain robust and inclusive.

  • Q&A: If You’re Seeing This, Is It Meant for You?

    By Mary Fetzer

    Thanks to algorithms, social media platforms can generate content that feels like it’s made just for you. Some TikTok users acknowledge the technology underlying personalized content online but can’t deny sometimes feeling that a higher power is involved, according to Penn State researchers.

  • It Is Time to Act

    There is, in a basic sense, nothing new to be said about the global computer outage of the week just pas, Dan Geer writes, so the time to act is now. “If we choose to act on what we know, then we also know that security policy and competition policy are henceforth conjoined. We cannot and will not have zero cascade failures if any tech is allowed to become universal, to become a monopoly in its sphere.”

  • Are Mass Layoffs and Data Breaches Connected?

    Layoffs create conditions where disgruntled employees face added stress or job insecurity, so they are more likely to engage in risky behaviors that heighten the company’s vulnerability to data breaches.

  • Illinois DARPA Quantum Proving Ground

    A new federal- and state-funded Quantum Proving Ground (QPG) promises to combine scientific rigor with industry and academic expertise to design the future of quantum computing

  • Far-Right Influencers on X Promote Anti-Zionism, Hate and Conspiracy Theories

    An analysis identified five influencers on X whose engagement spiked in the days and weeks after Hamas’s attack on Israel, with content that included virulent anti-Zionism alongside antisemitic tropes, disinformation and other forms of hateful or harmful rhetoric.

  • Massive IT Outage Spotlights Major Vulnerabilities in the Global Information Ecosystem

    By Richard Forno

    The global information technology outage on July 19, 2024, that paralyzed organizations ranging from airlines to hospitals and even the delivery of uniforms for the Olympic Games represents a growing concern for cybersecurity professionals, businesses and governments.

  • From Iron Dome to Cyber Dome: Defending Israel’s Cyberspace

    By Rohit Kumar Sharma

    In response to growing attacks against its infrastructure by formidable adversaries like Iran and its proxies, Israel recently announced that they are building a ‘cyber-dome’ or a digital ‘Iron Dome’ system to protect Israel’s cyberspace to defend against online attacks.

  • Get Ready for AI-supercharged Hacking

    By Niusha Shafiabady and Mamoun Alazab

    Artificial intelligence can supercharge the effect of hacking attacks. As use of AI widens, people and organizations will have to become much more careful in guarding against its malicious use. So far, the only answer to all this is increased vigilance, by individuals and their employers. Governments can help by publicizing the problem. They should.

  • Evaluating Cybersecurity Risks Associated with EV Fast-Charging Equipment

    Engineers have identified cybersecurity vulnerabilities with electric vehicles (EVs) using direct current fast-charging systems, the quickest, commonly used way to charge electric vehicles. The high-voltage technology relies on power line communication (PLC) technology to transmit smart-grid data between vehicles and charging equipment.

  • Russian Election Meddlers Hurting Biden, Helping Trump, U.S. Intelligence Warns

    By Jeff Seldin

    Russia is turning to a familiar playbook in its attempt to sway the outcome of the upcoming U.S. presidential election, looking for ways to boost the candidacy of former President Donald Trump by disparaging the campaign of incumbent President Joe Biden, according to American intelligence officials.

  • To Guard Against Cyberattacks in Space, Researchers Ask ‘What If?’

    By Patrick Lin

    If space systems such as GPS were hacked and knocked offline, much of the world would instantly be returned to the communications and navigation technologies of the 1950s. Yet space cybersecurity is largely invisible to the public at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions.

  • UN’s Global Digital Compact Is Looking Like an Authoritarian Dream

    By Mercedes Page

    This week, global representatives to the United Nations in New York will review the latest draft of the UN Global Digital Compact (GDC). The latest draft of the GDC is concerning. It would consolidate power within the UN, expand the reach of both the UN and national governments over digital matters and ultimately threaten the openness of the global internet.

  • Supreme Court Rules Platforms Have First Amendment Right to Decide What Speech to Carry, Free of State Mandates

    The Supreme Court last week correctly found that social media platforms, like newspapers, bookstores, and art galleries before them, have First Amendment rights to curate and edit the speech of others they deliver to their users, and the government has a very limited role in dictating what social media platforms must and must not publish.

  • New Report Advises How Ransomware Victims Can Be Better Supported

    By Olivia Miller

    A new report aims to shed light on the experience of victims of ransomware and identify several key factors that typically shape these experiences.