The Cipher Brief

Moscow and Beijing’s shadow war: How Russia and China are keeping Iran lethal

From satellite imagery to MANPADs and BeiDou navigation, Moscow and Beijing are quietly sustaining Tehran’s ability to threaten U.S. forces.

The ceasefire between the United States and Iran is barely holding. Pakistani mediators are still shuttling between capitals, fighting has flared in [...] More

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Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

When a Charismatic and a Machiavellian Meet

ANALYSIS -- President Trump will visit Beijing later this month for the first time in almost a decade. As a former CIA clinical psychologist, I have [...] More

From Socialist Surge to Regional Realignment- Latin America’s Pink Tide Is Receding

Latin America’s Pink Tide Recedes as Economic Reality Fractures Socialist AllianceLatin America’s leftist front is hitting a wall. The momentum that [...] More

Man in a fur hat speaks at a podium with microphones, North Korean flag in the background.

That Other Nuclear Nightmare: North Korea Sounds New Alarms

DEEP DIVE – As the U.S. grapples with the still-unsolved problem of Iran’s nuclear program, another American adversary is expanding its nuclear [...] More

The Pakistani General Running Washington’s Backchannel to Tehran

The Pakistani General Running Washington’s Backchannel to Tehran

OPINION -- As Washington and Tehran edge closer to escalation, the most critical line of communication keeping the crisis from spiraling is being run [...] More

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NOT EXACTLY ETERNAL JOY: The ping-pong defense didn't work. On May 3rd when Dead Drop last checked in on Lu Jianwang, AKA: "Harry Lu," he was on trial in Brooklyn federal court. His attorney was arguing that the six-story Chinatown building he ran was just a spot for Chinese diaspora members to renew their driver's licenses and play mahjong and table tennis. But a jury decided otherwise and convicted him of acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government. They also convicted him of obstruction of justice for deleting WeChat messages that prosecutors said contained orders from Beijing to silence and harass [...] More

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State Secrets

Former Australian Signals Directorate Director-General Rachel Noble joins State Secrets with Suzanne Kelly for a rare insider’s look at the cyber battles shaping modern national security. From China’s targeting of critical infrastructure to Russia, Iran, AI-enabled threats, offensive cyber operations and the power of the Five Eyes alliance, Noble explains why the next conflict may already be underway - inside our networks.

In this episode:

Why the Australian Signals Directorate is one of the Five Eyes’ most important cyber and intelligence partners
How China is pre-positioning inside critical infrastructure and telecommunications networks
Why cyber criminals and state-backed actors are increasingly blurring together
What Russia, Iran and China are teaching the world about cyber conflict
How AI is accelerating both cyber defense and cyber offense
Why private sector companies may now be the first line of defense in modern conflict
What citizens can do to strengthen national cyber resilience
Why intelligence agencies need to better explain their mission to the public

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