Disinformation and the Threat Posed by Conspiracy Theories
The Cipher Brief is running a special series on disinformation – in all of its forms – ahead of the 2020 U.S. Election. This week, […] More
The Dangerous Business of Exfiltrating Spies – Part Two
When someone decides to spy on their own country for the U.S., they know they’re taking a risk. But when news broke recently that the […] More
The Dangerous Business of Exfiltrating Spies – Part One
When news broke recently that the U.S. had extracted a high-level Russian official in 2017 who had close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, it […] More
The Drone Attack on Oil and the Larger Iran Problem
When a series of drones were used to attack a key Saudi oil facility over the weekend, the impact on oil production was noted by […] More
Dr. Shakil Afridi: How a Valuable U.S. Intelligence Asset Became a Liability
EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY — The house had been watched for quite some time. The home in Abbottabad was just about a mile from the Pakistani Military Academy […] More
What Future Threats Look Like in a Climate Change World
In the 1979 film Mad Max, Mel Gibson played a police officer who navigated an apocalyptic world plagued by a scarcity of resources. Sixteen years […] More
Disinformation Series: Hostile Social Manipulation
The Cipher Brief is running a special series on disinformation over the next several months. We’ll introduce you to experts in the field who will […] More
Disinformation 101
As protesters filled the streets of Hong Kong calling for democratic rights, agents of influence were operating behind the scenes to affect the way the […] More
After Persistent Cyber Engagement Comes Gates, Guards and Guns
This Cyber Viewpoint comes from James Van de Velde, Associate Professor at the National Intelligence University as well as Adjunct Faculty at Johns Hopkins and […] More
Signs of Iranian Strategy
It was a busy weekend of activity for Iran, much of it rooted in its desire to seek ways around U.S. sanctions that are targeting […] More
The Real Threat Posed by EMPs
The national security threat posed by an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) is not the kind of thing you hear talked about often in Washington’s national security […] More
National Security Science: Earthquake or Nuclear Test?
With ongoing and often frustrating nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea and heightened tensions between nuclear neighbors India and Pakistan over Kashmir, having a […] More
Countering Violent Extremism in the United States
The U.S. has been fighting a global network of violent Islamic extremist organizations like ISIS and Al-Qaeda for close to 20 years, but as the […] More
Cipher Brief Experts Weigh in on Gordon’s Departure
The resignation of both Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and his deputy Susan Gordon, both taking effect on August 15th, mean big changes are […] More
India’s Dangerous Move in Kashmir
The Indian-administered area of Kashmir has been on lockdown since the Indian government said earlier this week that it was revoking the region of its […] More
Where Will Protests Lead Hong Kong?
The director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs office says the city is experiencing its worst crisis since the colony returned to China from […] More
Stopping Violent Extremism
This weekend’s back to back shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio highlight, in the deadliest way, growing concerns that the U.S. is fighting […] More
Keeping NYC Connected and Safe: A CIG Conversation with NYC’s CISO
The Cyber Initiatives Group is a group of public – private and academic thought leaders who share their unique expertise with the greater cyber community through […] More