• Disk containing secret defense-contract details sold in Ghana for $40

    Journalism students buy a hard-drive containing secret information on multi-million dollar contracts between Northrop Grumman and the Pentagon; they bought the drive at Ghana “digital dump” for $40

  • U.K. appoints a new "C"

    Outsider Sir John Sawers appointed new head of MI6, the U.K. Secret Intelligence Service; by tradition, the head of MI6 is called “C” (for “Chief”), and he writes all internal memos in green ink

  • Worries in the U.K. over Chinese-made phone equipment

    BT is engaged in a massive upgrade of its 21CN network backbone; trouble is, at the core of this upgrade is equipment acquired from Chinese networking giant Huawei, a company Western intelligence services have long suspected of being a front for Chinese intelligence; fear of an undetectable “kill switch” that could disable critical communications

  • Tensions arise over White House reorganization plan

    President Obama plans to merge the staffs of the White House National Security Council and Homeland Security Council — while stipulating that John Brennan, his homeland security adviser, will still be reporting directly to the president; tensions rise

  • Parliamentary committee: 7/7 bombings might have been stopped

    A Parliamentary committee finds that MI5’s operational decisions prior to the 7/7 attacks in London were “understandable and reasonable”; MI5 had to plot leader and some of his followers in its sights, but could not connect the dots for lack of information and resources

  • China deploys secure computer operating system

    China has installed a secure operating system known as “Kylin” on government and military computers designed to be impenetrable to U.S. military and intelligence agencies

  • F-35 project hacking case highlights need for tighter contractor security

    Hackers managed to download terabytes of information about one of the Pentagon’s most prized weapons systems; experts say this latest breach highlights the need for stricter security requirements for contractor networks

  • Hackers steal several terabytes of data on U.S. fighter-jet project

    Hackers — in all likelihood Chinese operatives — breach Pentagon’s security and download several terabytes of data on the $300-billion Joint Strike Fighter project (the F-35 Lightning II) which may make it easier to defend against the futuristic aircraft

  • Dennis Blair ousts ONI Inspector General

    Last November, the Inspector General (IG) at the U.S. Office of National Intelligence issued a report in which he highlighted ongoing problems inside ONI and the intelligence community, including poor communication, turf battles, incompatible computer systems, and mission confusion; last Friday, Dennis Blair, director of ONI, fired the IG

  • Their brothers' keepers: Spy satellites spy on each other

    If you thought spy satellites in the sky only look down at what is going on on Earth, think again; the United States admits two covert inspection satellites got real close to a failed geostationary satellite to see what was wrong with it; experts worry this is the beginning of anti-satellite arms race

  • Pair behind Chinese counterfeit computer components arrested

    Two California men arrested for illegally exporting sensitive technology to China; pair also accused of conspiring to purchase counterfeit electronic components for distribution in the U.S.

  • China bravely denies space espionage charges

    China has been engaged in a vast, well-coordinated, and resourceful espionage campaign against U.S. and and European governments and companies; the systematic stealing of Western military, scientific, and industrial secrets aims to help China short-cut its path to global political and economic hegemony