• Quantum Technology for Mobile Phone Encryption Nears

    In a few years, protection of communication with quantum encryption may become a permanent fixture in mobile phones and thus protect communication from hacking. The technology has already been demonstrated in large data transfers in the financial sector.

  • How Can Congress Regulate AI? Erect Guardrails, Ensure Accountability and Address Monopolistic Power

    A new federal agency to regulate AI sounds helpful but could become unduly influenced by the tech industry — instead, Congress can legislate accountability.Instead of licensing companies to release advanced AI technologies, the government could license auditors and push for companies to set up institutional review boards. The government hasn’t had great success in curbing technology monopolies, but disclosure requirements and data privacy laws could help check corporate power.

  • Can Quantum Computing Protect AI from Cyberattacks?

    AI algorithms are everywhere. They underpin nearly all autonomous and robotic systems deployed in security applications. This includes facial recognition, biometrics, drones and autonomous vehicles used in combat surveillance and military targeting applications. Can we prevent malicious attacks and improve the cybersecurity of algorithms powered by artificial intelligence (AI)? Quantum machine learning may hold the key.

  • AI Model Aims to Plug Key Gap in Cybersecurity Readiness

    There are more than 213,800 available known “keys”—unofficial entry points into computer systems, better known as vulnerabilities or bugs—and they’re already in the hands of criminals. There are likely many more that are not known. How can all the threats and attacks be tracked, prioritized and prevented? Scientists link resources to improve prioritization, spot attacks more quickly.

  • State-Sponsored Chinese Hackers Targeting U.S., Western Critical Infrastructure: Microsoft

    Microsoft says that Chinese government-sponsored hacking group Volt Typhoon has been attacking critical infrastructure targets in the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and UK, and possibly many more countries. The affected targets span various sectors, including communications, manufacturing, utilities, transportation, construction, maritime, government, information technology, and education. The attacks began in mid-2021 and appear to be aimed at undermining the US in the event of a regional conflict.

  • Bolstering Cybersecurity in Navigation Systems

    Interference such as jamming and spoofing that targets critical infrastructure has the potential to cause widespread delays and cascading failures across multiple modes of transportation including ships, trains, trucks, and cars—and the problem is only getting worse. New project aims to enhance resilience of transportation infrastructure against cyber threats, developing advanced countermeasures for GPS spoofing and jamming.

  • New Program Will Harness AI to Bolster Cybersecurity

    Researchers will work across disciplines to develop new approaches to artificial intelligence that is informed by and works with security experts. The AI tools developed by the new program will perform security tasks quickly and accurately while anticipating potential moves made by adversaries. The AI will counteract the possible attacks in a way that protects computer network security and ensures people’s safety.

  • Bringing Better IT Security on Board

    Cyberattacks on industry and critical infrastructure are on the rise across the globe. Targets also include ships, which, by transporting billions of tons of goods around the world each year, form part of international supply chains — yet their on-board IT systems often lack secure protection.

  • NIST Updates Guidelines for Protecting Sensitive Information

    NIST has updated its draft guidelines for protecting sensitive unclassified information, in an effort to help federal agencies and government contractors more consistently to implement cybersecurity requirements. Draft Revision 3 aligns the publication’s language with NIST’s 800-53 catalog of cybersecurity safeguards.

  • Making the Power Grid More Reliable and Resilient

    The U.S. power grid comprises nearly 12,000 power plants, 200,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines, 60,000 substations and 3 million miles of power lines. It may well be the most massive and complex machine ever assembled. Argonne National Labs’ researchers help keep this machine working in the face of daunting challenges.

  • Six Pressing Questions We Must Ask About Generative AI

    The past twenty-five years have demonstrated that waiting until after harms occur to implement internet safeguards fails to protect users. The emergence of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) lends an unprecedented urgency to these concerns as this technology outpaces what regulations we have in place to keep the internet safe.

  • Lessons from ‘Star Trek: Picard’ – a Cybersecurity Expert Explains How a Sci-Fi Series Illuminates Today’s Threats

    Sometimes Hollywood gets it right by depicting reality in ways that both entertain and educate. And that’s important, because whether it’s a large company, government or your personal information, we all share many of the same cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities. As a former cybersecurity industry practitioner and current cybersecurity researcher, I believe the final season of “Star Trek: Picard” is the latest example of entertainment media providing useful lessons about cybersecurity and the nature of the modern world.

  • Making Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Cybersecure

    As more electric vehicles (EVs) hit the road, charging stations are popping up across the United States. The benefits go beyond curbing carbon emissions from road travel. These systems can also link to the electric grid through smart charging, drawing power when overall demand is low and feeding it back to the grid when needed.

  • Research Shows How Terrorism Affects Our Language and Voting Patterns

    Following the series of terrorist attacks between 2015 and 2017, German twitter users shifted their language towards that of the far right AfD party. Eventually voters rewarded the party at the 2017 election.

  • Quantum Cryptography Applications

    The development of quantum computing means that the use of classic cryptography for secure communications is in danger of becoming obsolete. Quantum cryptography, on the other hand, uses the laws of quantum mechanics to ensure total security. One example of this is quantum key distribution, which enables two parties to secure a message via a random secret key.