The Unraveling of Russian Spies
OPINION — Last Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated the illegal intelligence department [Division S] of his Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) on its 100th anniversary in […] More
FBI
The Battle the FBI is Waging Every Day
OPINION — FBI Director Christopher Wray’s talk at the Reagan Library on January 31 was titled “Countering Threats Posed by the Chinese Government Inside the […] More
First New Steps to Combatting Domestic Terrorism
Javed Ali held senior counterterrorism positions at DHS, the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the National Security Council. He is […] More
A Worldwide Threats Hearing Guide from the Bleachers
As US Worldwide Threats hearings get underway in Washington after a two-year hiatus, experts will be watching to see how the Biden Administration’s new senior […] More
The Latest
Declassification of Unverified Information becomes Election Talking Point
OPINION — Last Tuesday, Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe promised, or maybe threatened, “Additional declassification and public disclosure of related intelligence remains under consideration.” […] More
Are We on the Brink of an Encounter with China?
OPINION — On the morning of Tuesday, July 7, FBI Director Christopher Wray told a Hudson Institute audience, “The greatest long-term threat to our nation’s […] More
We Need to Reposition to Better Address the Disinformation Threat
The Cipher Brief Threat Conference has been re-scheduled for September 13-15, 2020. This special series of national security briefings has been launched to keep our […] More
China Focuses Espionage on U.S. Colleges and Universities
Bottom Line Up Front China has long engaged in a spying campaign against the United States—from cyber espionage and stealing intellectual property to subtle […] More
How Will Investigations Into Russian Interference Move Forward?
OPINION — President Trump is actively trying to excise the criminal fallout from investigations into Moscow’s 2016 covert support for his presidential election and have […] More
Sorting Facts from Propaganda
OPINION — “The function of truth is to bring to light the hidden facts, to set them into relation with each other, and make a […] More
Disinformation and Terrorism
Bottom Line Up Front While much of the discussion around disinformation focuses on the role of nation-states, violent non-state actors have also developed fairly […] More
White Supremacy Extremists Extend Reach From Ukraine to U.S. Military
Bottom Line Up Front As outlined in a new report by The Soufan Center on the nature of transnational white supremacy extremism, the U.S. […] More
Strzok Case Looks at Privacy versus Politics
OPINION — The alleged Privacy Act violation by Trump administration officials in publicly disclosing former FBI Special Agent Peter Strzok’s personal text messages without his […] More
El Paso, Texas and the Scourge of Radical Right-Wing Extremism
Bottom Line Up Front On Saturday, a terrorist allegedly motivated by anti-immigrant and anti-Hispanic beliefs murdered 20 people and injured dozens more in a […] More
Back to Basics in Cyber Amid Recent Warnings
Earlier this week, The Cipher Brief brought you expert insights into How Iran Targets U.S. Businesses, after a warning last weekend by DHS’ Cybersecurity and […] More
Memorial Day: How it has Changed for All of Us
Rob Lively retired after 28 years of military service, as the Command Sergeant Major of a Special Missions Unit within The United States Army Special […] More
Christchurch and the Globalization of Right-Wing Terrorism
Bottom Line Up Front A right-wing extremist is accused of committing a devastating act of terrorism in New Zealand last week, attacking two mosques […] More
Why Protecting Sources and Methods Really Matters
In my thirty-four years in law enforcement, I met with many confidential human sources working against terrorism, counter intelligence and violent crime targets. I met […] More
The Rule of Law Is Under Attack
As a former Department of Justice detailee to the National Security Council, I fully appreciate the value that rule of law brings to this country. […] More