Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

cipherbrief

Welcome! Log in to stay connected and make the most of your experience.

Input clean

Gray Zone

Ukrainian artillerymen of the 152nd Separate Grenadier Brigade operate on October 16, 2025 near Pokrovsk, Ukraine.

Global Intelligence Report for Sunday, November 2, 2025

10:28 America/New_York Sunday, November 2 [...] More

The Latest

The Hidden Leverage of Digital Chokepoints

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — When we think about the arteries of global power, images of oil pipelines or shipping lanes often come to mind. They are [...] More

Seizing a 21st Century Cognitive Advantage

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — In 1943, a body washed up on a beach in Huelva, Spain. It was the body of a Royal Marine officer, Major William Martin. Martin [...] More

Europe Must Prepare for the Long War

OPINION — Russian drones are forcing airports to close and fighter jets are breaching NATO airspace – clear signals of Moscow’s widening hybrid [...] More

China’s Gray War on America

OPINION — In early 2024, the American public received a stark warning from top U.S. security officials. Chinese state-sponsored hackers, known as [...] More

Expert Q&A: Undersea Cables Under Attack, from Outside and Within

EXPERT Q&A — Reports of damage to undersea cables across the world are on the rise, with suspected foul play in many of these incidents. These cables [...] More

Expert Q&A: The Silent Chinese Spy Threat Under the Waves

EXPERT Q&A — There is increasing focus on the vulnerability of undersea cables — a critical infrastructure which is key to much of global [...] More

I Sat Across the Table from China’s Spies. Here’s How They Operate in Fragile States

OPINION — In 2016, I sat across the table from China’s Director of Operations for the Ministry of State Security (MSS). Their visit to Kabul was [...] More

Are Undersea Cables a “Backdoor for Espionage” Against the U.S.?

Are Undersea Cables a “Backdoor for Espionage” Against the U.S.?

CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING — The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and members of Congress are warning that China may be engaged in underwater [...] More

When States Go Mob: The Criminalization of Modern Statecraft

OPINION — In the fall of 2021, an FBI informant received a chilling offer: $300,000 to assassinate former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton. [...] More

Expert Q&A: Taiwan Prepares for China’s Next Move

EXPERT Q&A — Taiwan’s recent Han Kuang military exercises tested the island’s responses to a potential full-scale Chinese invasion. The drills not [...] More

Sabotage Without Warning: ​Why the Gray Zone Could Be America’s Biggest Blind Spot

Sabotage Without Warning: ​Why the Gray Zone Could Be America’s Biggest Blind Spot

EXPERT BRIEFING — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced this week that 32 people have been detained since the start of Moscow’s war with [...] More

Battered but Not Broken: Why NATO Still Fears a Weakened Russia

Battered but Not Broken: Why NATO Still Fears a Weakened Russia

CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING – President Donald Trump announced new arms shipments for Ukraine on Monday and threatened Russia with “very severe tariffs” [...] More