Syria, ISIS and the Long War

March 25, 2019 | Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt

On 23 March, the Syrian Democratic Forces announced the capture of Baghouz, the last remaining ISIS stronghold in Syria. This may arguably mark the end of the physical caliphate, but ...

March 25, 2019 | Mark Kelton

The Cipher Brief is engaging with dozens of Cipher Brief experts, government speakers and private industry executives this week on the national security challenges that are impacting the public and ...

March 22, 2019 | Anonymous

PRESIDENTIAL PRAISE FOR CIA:  Well, not THAT president. AP reported that Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (AKA the “Trump of the Tropics”) visited CIA headquarters on Monday.  It is very unusual for foreign heads ...

March 21, 2019 | Michael Brown

The Department of Defense launched an experiment in 2015 aimed at making it easier for the government to benefit from commercial technology.  It was called the ‘Defense Innovation Unit Experimental’ ...

March 20, 2019 | Brian Raymond

Every morning, analysts, operators, and policymakers arrive at their desks to read the latest news and intelligence reporting that has come in during the past day. The daily rhythm of ...

March 20, 2019 | The Cipher Brief

Negotiations have wrapped up between the U.S. and the Taliban, with both sides citing ‘progress’ but nothing groundbreaking in terms of a settlement.  These are the longest talks of their ...

March 19, 2019 | The Cipher Brief

Under/Cover is constantly probing for insights that will help readers (and writers) understand how to gauge demand, and how to know if that story they have burning inside of them, ...

March 19, 2019 | Dr. Stacey Dixon

Dr. Stacey Dixon took over as Director of the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA)  in September of last year.  Her specific task is to advance innovative research programs that ...

March 18, 2019 | Tim Willasey-Wilsey

It needs no more than 4 bad decisions for India and Pakistan to go to war; and 5 for that war to go nuclear. So how did the Pulwama crisis ...

March 17, 2019 | Nick Fishwick

At least 50 people were killed and another 50 wounded in Friday’s Christchurch attacks.  New Zealand authorities worked through the weekend to identify the victims as quickly as possible in ...

March 15, 2019 | Ariel E. Levite and Lyu Jinghua

The U.S. and China are rapidly sliding into a full-court confrontation in and over cyberspace. This portends serious risks and disadvantages for both sides in light of their economic and ...

March 14, 2019 | Emile Nakhleh

Cipher Brief Expert and former member of the CIA's Senior Intelligence Service, Emile Nakhleh  was recently interviewed by the Bahrain Mirror.  The Cipher Brief is reprinting that conversation with permission. ...

March 13, 2019 | Nils Puhlmann

The Cipher Brief spoke with Nils Puhlmann, a co-founder of the Cloud Security Alliance, about the security challenges he sees ahead as demand for Cloud services increases. The Early Days ...

March 13, 2019 | The Cipher Brief

Predicting the future of Cloud computing is a bit like predicting the weather:  there are certain knowns that you can set a clock by, but there are unknowns about the ...

March 12, 2019 | The Killer Collective

BOOK REVIEW: The Killer Collective   By Barry Eisler Reviewed by Daniel Hoffman In Barry Eisler’s new novel The Killer Collective, half-Japanese and half-American assassin John Rain leads a ruthless ...

March 12, 2019 | Walter Pincus

OPINION -- Set aside for a moment how you feel about building the wall. There is a more immediate issue in controlling the flow of illegal traffic and drugs on the ...

March 11, 2019 | The Cipher Brief

When DHS was established shortly after 9/11, terrorism was the focus. But in the 16 years since the Agency’s creation, the threat landscape has changed dramatically and cyber now plays ...

March 06, 2019 | The Cipher Brief

Bottom Line: The dark web has long been a place where stolen personal data is bought and sold in staggering numbers, criminals run lucrative drug and pornographic businesses and terrorists ...

March 04, 2019 | Thomas Donahue

Cipher Brief Expert and former Senior Director for Cyber Operations at the National Security Council, Thomas Donahue, provides critical perspective on the strategy needed to protect the sovereignty of the ...

March 04, 2019 | Frank Kramer, Bob Butler, and Catherine Lotrionte

(Ed note: Follow co-author Dr. Catherine Lotrionte's sessions at RSA this week: Nation States Behaving Badly: The Evolving Rules of the Game in Cyberspace March 6, 8:00am and Engaging Internationally ...

February 27, 2019 | Rick Ledgett

Last week, The Cipher Brief told you how and why the U.S. has been working to convince its allies to ban Chinese vendors from contributing to the development of 5G ...

February 25, 2019 | Tim Willasey-Wilsey

The world is watching Hanoi this week as President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hold their second summit meeting in less than a year.  Critics worry that ...

March 25, 2019 | Mark Kelton

The Cipher Brief is engaging with dozens of Cipher Brief experts, government speakers and private industry executives this week on the national security challenges that are impacting the public and ...

March 22, 2019 | Anonymous

PRESIDENTIAL PRAISE FOR CIA:  Well, not THAT president. AP reported that Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (AKA the “Trump of the Tropics”) visited CIA headquarters on Monday.  It is very unusual for foreign heads ...

March 20, 2019 | The Cipher Brief

Negotiations have wrapped up between the U.S. and the Taliban, with both sides citing ‘progress’ but nothing groundbreaking in terms of a settlement.  These are the longest talks of their ...

March 19, 2019 | The Cipher Brief

Under/Cover is constantly probing for insights that will help readers (and writers) understand how to gauge demand, and how to know if that story they have burning inside of them, ...

March 18, 2019 | Tim Willasey-Wilsey

It needs no more than 4 bad decisions for India and Pakistan to go to war; and 5 for that war to go nuclear. So how did the Pulwama crisis ...

March 13, 2019 | The Cipher Brief

Predicting the future of Cloud computing is a bit like predicting the weather:  there are certain knowns that you can set a clock by, but there are unknowns about the ...

March 11, 2019 | The Cipher Brief

When DHS was established shortly after 9/11, terrorism was the focus. But in the 16 years since the Agency’s creation, the threat landscape has changed dramatically and cyber now plays ...

March 06, 2019 | The Cipher Brief

Bottom Line: The dark web has long been a place where stolen personal data is bought and sold in staggering numbers, criminals run lucrative drug and pornographic businesses and terrorists ...

March 04, 2019 | Thomas Donahue

Cipher Brief Expert and former Senior Director for Cyber Operations at the National Security Council, Thomas Donahue, provides critical perspective on the strategy needed to protect the sovereignty of the ...

March 04, 2019 | Frank Kramer, Bob Butler, and Catherine Lotrionte

(Ed note: Follow co-author Dr. Catherine Lotrionte's sessions at RSA this week: Nation States Behaving Badly: The Evolving Rules of the Game in Cyberspace March 6, 8:00am and Engaging Internationally ...

February 27, 2019 | Rick Ledgett

Last week, The Cipher Brief told you how and why the U.S. has been working to convince its allies to ban Chinese vendors from contributing to the development of 5G ...

February 25, 2019 | Tim Willasey-Wilsey

The world is watching Hanoi this week as President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hold their second summit meeting in less than a year.  Critics worry that ...