• Toward a Code-Breaking Quantum Computer

    Building on a landmark algorithm, researchers propose a way to make a smaller and more noise-tolerant quantum factoring circuit for cryptography.

  • Let’s Take a Close Look at How We Protect Our Undersea Cables

    We rely ever more heavily on the connectivity that cables provide and, with capacity-hungry 6G on the horizon, the need will only grow. Yet, little has been done to protect undersea cales from accidental or deliberate disruption.

  • Four Fallacies of AI Cybersecurity

    To date, the majority of AI cybersecurity efforts do not reflect the accumulated knowledge and modern approaches within cybersecurity, instead tending toward concepts that have been demonstrated time and again not to support desired cybersecurity outcomes. 

  • Computer Scientists Discover Vulnerabilities in a Popular Security Protocol

    A widely used security protocol that dates back to the days of dial-up Internet has vulnerabilities that could expose large numbers of networked devices to an attack and allow an attacker to gain control of traffic on an organization’s network.

  • Conspiracy, Fake News, Crime: Why Is Telegram Controversial?

    Telegram has been used by all sides in Russia, both pro-and anti-government groups. The arrest of CEO Pavel Durov in Paris has left Russia’s opposition worried. But the messaging app is well known for its drawbacks.

  • As Tools for Hybrid Threats, Apps Like Telegram Must Be Accountable

    Once celebrated as the ultimate tool for free communication thanks to its encryption and lax moderation practices, Telegram now stands accused by French authorities of facilitating criminal activities and possibly being exploited for hybrid threats, particularly by Russian state actors. Hybrid threats blend military force with non-military tactics including cyberattacks and disinformation.

  • How Smart Toys May e Spying on Kids: What Parents Need to Know

    Toniebox, Tiptoi, and Tamagotchi are smart toys, offering interactive play through software and internet access. However, many of these toys raise privacy concerns, and some even collect extensive behavioral data about children.

  • Vulnerabilities in a Popular Security Protocol

    A widely used security protocol that dates back to the days of dial-up Internet has vulnerabilities that could expose large numbers of networked devices to an attack and allow an attacker to gain control of traffic on an organization’s network.

  • The Hacking of the Trump Campaign Is 2016 All Over Again

    Hackers affiliated with the intelligence service of a foreign county hack the campaign of a candidate for the U.S. presidency, scoop damaging material, and disseminate it to reporters. This describes both the 2016 hacking of the Clinton campaign by Russian hackers, and the 2024 hacking of the Trump campaign by Iranian hackers. But there are differences: In 2016, “The press seized on the hacked emails,” Quinta Jurecic writes, “and the Trump campaign capitalized exuberantly on Russia’s involvement in the election.” Trump called on Russia to do even more. Now, the press has behaved more responsibly, and “Kamala Harris has not yet weighed in on the campaign trail with any winking suggestions that Iran might want to continue rummaging around in the Trump campaign’s systems.”

  • Foreign Actors Could Sow 'Chaos' in the 2024 Presidential Election, Cybersecurity Expert Says

    In a tightly contested election, a “hack and leak” campaigns can be hugely “consequential” at the margins, says an expert.

  • AI Disinformation: Lessons from the U.K. Election

    The record-breaking 2024 figure of about 4 billion voters eligible to go to the polls across more than 60 countries coincided with the full-fledged arrival and widespread uptake of multimodal generative artificial intelligence (AI), which enables almost anyone to make fake images, videos and sound.

  • What Is the Online Safety Act and Why Have Riots in the U.K. Reopened Debates About It?

    Social media played a key role in the widespread coordination of riots in locations across the country. Online platforms have also served as a vehicle through which misinformation and hateful rhetoric has spread.

  • Protecting Our Elections Against Tech-Enabled Disinformation

    Electoral administrators around the world are dealing with a radically changed democratic landscape. Concerns focus on the pervasive presence of disinformation and false narratives, the rise of new technologies such as generative artificial intelligence, occasional madcap conspiracy theories, threats to electoral workers, and the need to maintain citizens’ confidence in electoral outcomes.

  • Study Highlights Challenges in Detecting Violent Speech Aimed at Asian Communities

    A study of language detection software found that algorithms struggle to differentiate anti-Asian violence-provoking speech from general hate speech. Left unchecked, threats of violence online can go unnoticed and turn into real-world attacks.

  • App Helps Users Transition from Doom-Scrolling to Mindfulness

    Do you find yourself doom-scrolling, or spending more time than you should consuming negative news on the internet and social media and want to stop? New app unites principles from art and technology to encourage mindfulness on-the-go.