Espionage

International Partnership Focuses on Insider Threats
Insider threats can take many forms. They are real, and if not identified, they can be costly and damaging.
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Fewer U.S. College Students Are Studying a Foreign Language − and That Spells Trouble for National Security
In 1958, following the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik, the National Defense Education Act authorized funding to strengthen U.S. education in language instruction, in addition to math and science. More than six decades later, a new Modern Language Association report is raising concerns about America’s foreign language capabilities anew. Having fewer U.S. college students who learn a foreign language creates greater risks for national security.
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Want to Prevent Misinformation? Present Data with an Interactive Visual
Getting readers of a news story interested in numbers can be a challenge. But the benefits of engaging readers in data can lead to a better understanding, preventing misinformation, and misrepresentation in the news. New research explores a solution using interactive data visualization to inform and engage readers.
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AI Should Be Better Understood and Managed – New Research Warns
AI and algorithms are not just tools deployed by national security agencies to prevent malicious activity online, but can be contributors to polarization, radicalism and political violence - posing a threat to national security.
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Study of Wartime Deepfakes Reveals Their Impact on News Media
Deepfakes are artificially manipulated audio-visual material. A new study, the first empirical analysis of the use of deepfakes in wartime misinformation and propaganda, examined tweets about deepfakes during the Russo-Ukrainian war, demonstrating that deepfakes undermine peoples trust generally in news media.
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Even War Has Rules, So Why No Rules for Espionage?
There are even rules for war, which is why it makes little sense that there are none for espionage during times of peace. Espionage is “the second oldest profession,” says one expert, but it is often overlooked at law schools.
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AI Disinformation Is a Threat to Elections − Learning to Spot Russian, Chinese and Iranian Meddling in Other Countries Can Help the U.S. Prepare for 2024
Elections around the world are facing an evolving threat from foreign actors, one that involves artificial intelligence. Countries trying to influence each other’s elections entered a new era in 2016, when the Russians launched a series of social media disinformation campaigns targeting the U.S. presidential election. But there is a new element: generative AI and large language models. These have the ability to quickly and easily produce endless reams of text on any topic in any tone from any perspective, thus making generative AI and large language models a tool uniquely suited to internet-era propaganda. The sooner we know what to expect, the better we can deal with what comes.
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U.S.-China “Tech War”: AI Sparks First Battle in Middle East
The U.S. has restricted exports of some computer chips to the Middle East, to stop AI-enabling chips from getting to China. But there’s no information on which countries are affected, or how chips would get to China. What is becoming clear is that AI could well become a new source of friction between democratic and autocratic states.
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Tech War: Is Huawei's New Chip a Threat?
The US-China chip war is heating up after Huawei launched a new phone featuring technology that Washington was hoping to keep out of China’s reach: China’s largest chipmaker SMIC has surprised the West by creating a homegrown 7nm chip. Will the United States respond with more sanctions?
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What Might We Learn from the Nijjar Affair and the Breakdown in Canada–India Relations?
Khalistani activism overseas—not just in Canada, but also in the United Kingdom, United States and Australia—is a major concern for New Delhi, not a marginal one, as some governments might think. And whatever has occurred in this particular case, India has long since shed its earlier adherence to “strategic restraint”: it is clear that India is willing to use force and take risks to defend its interests. Moreover, this muscularity is popular within India and segments of the Indian diaspora overseas.
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Canada-India Tensions Over Killing of Sikh Separatist: What to Know
Canada’s stunning allegations of an India-directed plot to kill Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar has stirred frictions between two major democracies and raised questions about India’s global actions to protect its interests.
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Increase in Chinese-Language Malware Could “Challenge” Russian Dominance of Cybercrime: Report
For decades, Russian and eastern European hackers have dominated the cybercrime underworld. These days they may face a challenge from a new contender: China. Researchers have detected an increase in the spread of Chinese language malware through email campaigns since early 2023, signaling a surge in Chinese cybercrime activity and a new trend in the global threat landscape.
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Walking the Artificial Intelligence and National Security Tightrope
Artificial intelligence (AI) presents nations’ security as many challenges as it does opportunities. While it could create mass-produced malware, lethal autonomous weapons systems, or engineered pathogens, AI solutions could also prove the counter to these threats. Regulating AI to maximize national security capabilities and minimize the risks presented to them will require focus, caution and intent.
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Deepfake Threats Advisory from NSA, U.S. Federal Agencies
The National Security Agency (NSA) and U.S. federal agency partners have issued new advice on a synthetic media threat known as deepfakes. This emerging threat could present a cybersecurity challenge for National Security Systems (NSS), the Department of Defense (DoD), and DIB organizations.
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Apple and Google Are Introducing New Ways to Defeat Cell Site Simulators, But Is it Enough?
Cell-site simulators (CSS)—also known as IMSI Catchers and Stingrays—are a tool that law enforcement and governments use to track the location of phones, intercept or disrupt communications, spy on foreign governments, or even install malware.
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