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The Cipher Brief: National Security news, analysis and expert commentary.

Tehran’s Espionage Network in the U.S. Is Bigger and Bolder Than You Think

Iran’s spy playbook blends front companies, cyber ops, and diaspora coercion

A drone flies in front of an Iranian flag in southern Tehran, Iran, on December 29, 2024.

DEEP DIVE — Front companies, campus networks, diaspora recruits — Tehran’s espionage push on U.S. soil is bigger, bolder, and harder to track than [...] More

AmericasIranMiddle EastEspionage
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The Open Source Report

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his speech at the 20th anniversary celebration of the Russian state TV-station Russia Today at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow on October 17, 2025.

Report for Global Intelligence Friday, October 24, 2025

Putin Calls U.S. Sanctions ‘Unfriendly Act’ and Says Russia Won’t Bend

Lithuania says Russian warplanes violated its airspace

Vance calls Israel’s parliament vote on West Bank annexation an ‘insult’

Donald Trump to meet with China’s Xi Jinping next Thursday in South Korea

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Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

‘Show Us the Video’: Lawmakers Seek Transparency in Anti-Drug Boat Strikes

Walter Pincus

OPINION / FINE PRINT — “We have asked the Mexican government to also step up their involvement in stopping these cartels and stopping the huge amount of drugs that are coming across. If the Mexican navy saw a group of [...] More

AmericasLatin AmericaWalter PincusFine Print

AI-Powered Adversaries Require AI-Driven Defenses

John Hultquist

OPINION — The use of artificial intelligence by adversaries has been the subject of exhaustive speculation. No one doubts that the technology will be abused by criminals and state actors, but it can be difficult to [...] More

Tech/Cyber
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News & Analysis

The Caribbean Emerges as a Test of U.S. Power

The Caribbean Emerges as a Test of U.S. Power

DEEP DIVE — U.S. military forces this week carried out yet another strike on a vessel in Caribbean waters off Venezuela, marking the sixth such [...] More

AmericasLatin America

Opinion

The Hidden National Security Risk in Smart Cities

Anna Gielas

The Hidden National Security Risk in Smart Cities

OPINION — It is worryingly easy to get hold of personal and sensitive data on American military and intelligence personnel. Earlier this year [...] More

Tech/CyberAlternative Perspectives

What’s on The Cipher Brief’s Digital Channel

Tapping a China Vibe in South Koreaplay icon

Tapping a China Vibe in South Korea

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Book Reviews

The Nuclear Age: How the Quest for the Bomb Redefined Power — and Still Shapes Today’s Global Order
The Nuclear Age: How the Quest for the Bomb Redefined Power — and Still Shapes Today’s Global Order

High On Hype – A Tabloid Take On Delta Force and Drugs
High On Hype – A Tabloid Take On Delta Force and Drugs

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The Best National Security Gossip

INCONVENIENT ANALYSIS: An article in The Wall Street Journal claims that the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) disagreed with their counterparts at the Central Intelligence Agency over whether Vladimir Putin was ready to end the war in Ukraine. By the WSJ’s account, CIA analysts reportedly wrote optimistically about Vlad’s eagerness to seek peace – while INR took a gloomier view. Several INR analysts were subsequently fired – but State Department officials dispute that the firings were because of their inconvenient (and, at the moment, seemingly accurate) views. If all this is true, the rosy [...] More

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Events

Live Events

Threat Conference

Threat Conference

The Cipher Brief Threat Conference is the nation’s premier forum for non-partisan discussion of global threats and solutions as well as high-level [...] More

Previous Event: 19 October, 2025

Podcasts

State Secrets

Shawn Chenoweth has one of the most fascinating titles in government, Director of Cognitive Advantage at the National Security Council. Sean explains the concept of cognitive advantage, the challenges of measuring success, and talks about the 'Kill Web' concept, which highlights the interconnectedness of information and cognitive processes in modern warfare.

Cover Stories: Spies, Books & Entertainment


David McCloskey, former CIA Analyst turned novelist is out with his fourth book, The Persian, about an Iranian dentist who is recruited by Mossad to take on a dangerous mission inside Iran. Cover Stories Host Suzanne Kelly digs in on how McCloskey’s real-life Intelligence background fueled his latest novel, and discovers a few of McCloskey’s own secrets along the way.