• CYBERSECURITYAre 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.

  • QUANTUM TECHNOLOGYIllinois DARPA Quantum Proving Ground

    By .

    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

  • DEMOCRACY WATCHHow 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.

  • CONSPIRACY THEORIESQ&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.

  • OUR PICKSHow the Proud Boys Are Prepping for a Second Trump Term | What to Know About How Wildfires Form, Intensify and Spread | A North Korean Hacker Tricked a US Security Vendor, and more

    ·  Trump White House Was Warned Sanctions on Venezuela Could Fuel Migration
    The internal debate over the policy underscores how U.S. financial measures can sometimes lead to unintended consequences

    ·  What to Know About How Wildfires Form, Intensify and Spread
    Wildfire season is flaring up in the West and will probably worsen in the months ahead

    ·  F.B.I. Examining Bullet Fragments Found at Trump Rally Site
    The bureau is assessing what caused the former president’s wound during an assassination attempt. The question has turned political

    ·  How Some States Are Making It Harder to Register Voters
    Florida and some other states have put restrictions on voter registration drives, often with stiff fines that are dissuading some civic groups from taking part

    ·  How the Proud Boys Are Prepping for a Second Trump Term
    They led the charge on the Capitol. What next?

    ·  A North Korean Hacker Tricked a US Security Vendor into Hiring Him—and Immediately Tried to Hack Them
    KnowBe4 detailed the incident in a recent blog post as a warning for other potential targets

  • WORLD ROUNDUPThe Kamala Harris Doctrine | Europe Is Pumping Billions into New Military Tech | Is Russia Trying to Poison Finland’s Water?, and more

    ·  Marwan Barghouti, the World’s Most Important Prisoner
    There’s one Palestinian who could help end the conflict. He’s in an Israeli jail

    ·  How to Ensure Africa Is Not Left Behind by the AI Revolution
    Weak digital infrastructure is holding the continent back

    ·  Europe Is Pumping Billions into New Military Tech
    The European Commission is allocating €7.3 billion for defense research over the next seven years. From drones and tanks of the future to battleships and space intelligence, here’s what it funds

    ·  The Kamala Harris Doctrine
    Everything we know about the presumptive Democratic nominee’s foreign-policy views

    ·  Is Russia Trying to Poison Finland’s Water?
    Break-ins at water treatment plants are a prime example of gray-zone aggression. The Finns may never know who did it, but they must resist succumbing to fear

  • PROTECTING THE PARIS OLYMPICSProtecting Major Sporting Events from Terrorism: Considerations for the Paris Olympics and Beyond

    By Alexandre Rodde, David Mcilhatton, John Cuddihy, and Rachel Monaghan

    As France prepares to host the Summer Olympic Games next month, recent developments have highlighted the challenging threat environment that exists for the country’s security services. The scale of the events planned during the Paris Olympics, in a tense terrorist environment, presents a series of unique challenges for French security services under the scrutiny of an international audience.

  • SECRET SERVICEGrassley, Cortez Masto Want Senate Confirmation of Secret Service Directors

    By Kim Jarrett, The Center Square

    Lawmakers filed a bill that would require Senate confirmation of Secret Service directors and impose a 10-year term limit. The heads of the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement and Customs & Border Protection are already confirmed by the Senate.

  • EXTREMISMFar-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.

  • ARCTIC STRATEGYNew U.S. Arctic Strategy Focused on Russian, Chinese Inroads

    By Jeff Seldin

    The United States is looking to boost intelligence collection in the Arctic and enhance cooperation with allies in the region, to prevent Russia and China from exploiting the cold and icy northern region at America’s expense.

  • AI & PRIVACYStates Strike Out on Their Own on AI, Privacy Regulation

    By Paige Gross

    There’s been no shortage of AI tech regulation bills in Congress, but none has passed. In the absence of congressional action, states have stepped up their own regulatory action. States have been legislating about AI since at least 2019, but bills relating to AI have increased significantly in the last two years.

  • CRITICAL MINERALSNot Just Beijing’s Doing: Market Factors Are Also Hitting Rare Earths Prices

    By David Uren

    Have depressed rare earths prices been engineered by the Chinese state to snuff out non-Chinese rivals before they get going? Or do they simply reflect a weak market, with demand rising more slowly than was expected by the promotors of a slew of new projects?

  • FLOODSNationwide Flood Models Poorly Reflect Risks to Households and Properties, Study Finds

    Government agencies, insurance companies and disaster planners rely on national flood risk models from the private sector that aren’t reliable at smaller levels such as neighborhoods and individual properties.

  • OUR PICKSThe Thomas Crooks Conspiracy Theories Aren’t Going Anywhere | The ACLU Fights for Your Constitutional Right to Make Deepfakes | Defining Cyberterrorism, and more

    ·  The Thomas Crooks Conspiracy Theories Aren’t Going Anywhere
    The FBI says Donald Trump’s would-be assassin acted alone; the CIA denies any association with him. But experts say the complex reasons for belief in conspiracies will likely keep people believing

    ·  To See the Future of Urban Warfare, Look at Gaza
    Western armies are studying the horrifying conflict for tactical lessons

    ·  The ACLU Fights for Your Constitutional Right to Make Deepfakes
    States across the US are seeking to criminalize certain uses of AI-generated content. Civil rights groups are pushing back, arguing that some of these new laws conflict with the First Amendment

    ·  Defining Cyberterrorism: How Different Approaches Shape Data Collection
    Amidst rising cyberattacks, there is a growing debate on whether these attacks should be deemed cyberterrorism

    ·  National Security Threats Loom Over American Wheat Power
    What is our resiliency to food disruption in the context of strategic competition with great powers below the threshold of armed conflict?

  • IT INFRASTRUCTUREMassive 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.

  • CYBERSECURITYFrom 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.

  • EXPERTSWhy the Experts Should Answer to the Amateurs

    By Sara Harrison

    Tension between experts and non-experts is an inevitable part of modern organizations and societies. Highly trained experts are necessary to keep things functioning smoothly —but accountability matters. We need specialists to solve hard problems, but they need to be accountable to non-experts.

  • DEMOCRACY WATCHGermany Moves to Protect Top Court Against Far Right

    By Ben Knight

    Several authoritarian governments are trying to curb the clout of their countries’ supreme courts. As far-right populists gain ground in Germany, the government is also working to protect this bastion of democracy.

  • BARRIERSS&T Deploys DETER at the Indy 500

    The DHS S&T, CISA, and ERDC teamed up to deploy a new vehicle barrier at this year’s race. S&T is evaluating DETER in real-world environments like the Indy 500 and last year’s NFL Draft to identify operational requirements for law enforcement.

  • CRITICAL MINERALSQuantifying Global Earthquake Risk to Mineral Supplies

    Earthquakes could impact the supplies of mineral commodities like copper and rhenium around the world. A new scientific mechanism for assessing the potential risk to worldwide mineral commodity supplies from seismic activity has been developed by USGS scientists.

  • MANAGED RETREATClimate Change Has Forced America’s Oldest Black Town to Higher Ground

    By Jake Bittle

    Princeville, North Carolina, is relocating with help from a new federal grant. Hurricane Matthew, which submerged the town under more than 10 feet of water, was the final straw. The town has just received millions of dollars in new funding from FEMA to build a new site on higher ground.

  • OUR PICKSSecret Service Director Resigns | The Pentagon Wants to Spend $141 Billion on a Doomsday Machine | American Fury, and more

    ·  Secret Service Director Resigns After Trump Assassination Attempt
    Kimberly A. Cheatle gave up her post Tuesday after security failures that allowed a gunman to shoot at former President Donald J. Trump at an open-air rally

    ·  American Fury
    For years, experts have warned of a wave of political violence in America. We should prepare for things to get worse before they get better

    ·  How the Trump Rally Gunman Had an Edge Over the Countersnipers
    The Times recreated, in 3-D, the lines of sight for three countersniper teams and the would-be assassin.

    ·  The Pentagon Wants to Spend $141 Billion on a Doomsday Machine
    The DOD wants to refurbish ICBM silos that give it the ability to end civilization. But these missiles are useless as weapons, and their other main purpose—attracting an enemy’s nuclear strikes—serves no end

    ·  Seeking Answers, Lawmakers from Both Parties Ask Secret Service Chief to Quit
    In a hearing on Capitol Hill, Director Kimberly A. Cheatle declined to answer questions about the lapses in protection that allowed a gunman to fire at former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pa.

    ·  FBI Says Two Former WKU Students Were Terrorists
    The university shared the emails with the FBI’s Louisville field office