• Safer Web Surfing with a New Method for Detecting Malicious Code Patterns

    With the ever-increasing importance of the Internet in our lives, there are growing attempts to exploit software vulnerabilities in our PCs for personal benefit. One way to do so is by infecting the victim’s PC with a malicious code injected through a website. A fast and reliable detection approach can analyze distribution patterns of malicious codes in websites.

  • Protecting Computer Vision from Adversarial Attacks

    Advances in computer vision and machine learning have made it possible for a wide range of technologies to perform sophisticated tasks with little or no human supervision — from autonomous drones and self-driving cars to medical imaging and product manufacturing. Engineers are developing methods to keep these autonomous machines and devices from being hacked.

  • The Chinese Military’s Access to AI Chips

    The Chinese military has made rapid progress in artificial intelligence. This progress largely depends on continued access to high-end semiconductors designed by American companies and produced in Taiwan and South Korea. The aggressive moves by the Trump and Biden administrations to limit technology exports to the Chinese military notwithstanding, China continues to order large quantities of American-designed advanced semiconductors from manufacturers in Taiwan and South Korea.

  • Cyberproofing Small and Medium Businesses -- a Small Step with a Big Impact

    Small businesses are not immune to cybersecurity incidents. In fact, they’re often more vulnerable because they lack the time, resources and sometimes the skills to prepare for and defend against an attack, or to mitigate and remedy any consequences. In Australia, they created a tool to help businesses quickly and easily test the security of their websites.

  • How Does the U.S. Power Grid Work?

    Responsible for powering the country and its economy, the U.S. energy grid has come under increasing strain due to climate change, and the threat of cyberattacks looms. The U.S. electric grid brings power to millions of homes and businesses via a vast network of transmission and distribution lines. Experts say the grid is increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather events, such as the February 2021 Texas winter storms, and cyberattacks. President Biden has proposed overhauling the grid, but his plans could face legal and political hurdles.

  • Insights into Blockchain Vulnerabilities

    Distributed ledger technology, such as blockchains, has become more prevalent across a variety of contexts over the past decade. The premise is that blockchains operate securely without any centralized control and that they are immutable or unsusceptible to change. New report details how centralization can be introduced, affecting security.

  • A Simple Tool Curbs Hacking, Makes Websites More Secure

    Researchers have developed a scanning tool to make websites less vulnerable to hacking and cyberattacks. The black box security assessment prototype is more effective than existing web scanners which collectively fail to detect the top 10 weaknesses in web applications.

  • “Hacking” Solutions for Pressing Cybersecurity Challenges

    When people think about the game capture the flag, memories of gym class or family trips likely come to mind. Researchers are participating in a slightly different version of this childhood favorite, where teams face off against opponents across the world to tackle real-world cybersecurity issues. 

  • Cybersecurity Tools to Protect Solar, Wind Power on the Grid

    Solar panels and wind turbines are projected to produce 44% of America’s electricity by 2050, but they present cybersecurity challenges. They have sensors, controllers, actuators or inverters which are directly or indirectly connected to the internet using insecure connectivity to legacy electric grid systems. They have complex physics. They’re subject to advanced persistent threats. And there will be more and more of them going online.

  • Stronger Security for Smart Devices

    Researchers are pushing to outpace hackers and develop stronger protections that keep data safe from malicious agents who would steal information by eavesdropping on smart devices. The researchers have demonstrated two security methods that efficiently protect analog-to-digital converters from powerful attacks that aim to steal user data.

  • Five Cybersecurity Challenges Beyond Technology

    The data are clear: cyberattacks have been on the rise in recent years and the cybersecurity situation is increasingly complex. More than 90% of cyberattacks are made possible, to a greater or lesser extent, by human error.

  • Keeping Web-Browsing Data Safe from Hackers

    Studying a powerful type of cyberattack, researchers identified a flaw in how it’s been analyzed before, then developed new techniques that stop it in its tracks.

  • Who Cares about a Midterm Election? Comparing Russia, Iran, and China’s Electoral Interference from Past to Present

    Midterm elections present a complicated target environment for foreign manipulators because, unlike presidential elections, there is no single candidate who can significantly alter U.S. foreign policy. But interference opportunities remain, and adversaries have the potential to advance their strategic objectives through a campaign meant to create further turbulence within U.S. democracy.

  • Operational Protection of Water Infrastructure Against Cyber-Physical Threats

    As the water supply system becomes more digitalized, cyberthreats are increasing. It is time for an all-hazard risk management and mitigation system.

  • A Quarter of World's Internet Users Rely on Infrastructure Highly Vulnerable to Attack

    About a quarter of the world’s Internet users live in countries that are more susceptible than previously thought to targeted attacks on their Internet infrastructure. Many of the at-risk countries are located in the Global South.