A New Standard for Surfing the Dark Web
The perspective: Chad Brockway is a former program manager for the Special Technologies and Applications Section (STAS) at the FBI, and also served as the […] More
The Cipher Brief
Protecting Sovereignty of U.S. Telecommunications Backbone
Cipher Brief Expert and former Senior Director for Cyber Operations at the National Security Council, Thomas Donahue, provides critical perspective on the strategy needed to […] More
Dispatches from Hanoi
After much anticipation of a signing ceremony between the U.S. and North Korea, President Donald Trump and North Leader Kim Jong-un left Hanoi with no […] More
Taking Down Russian Trolls is My Kind of Cyber Attack
The debate on cyber conflict has gotten so locked into deterrence, escalation, coercion, and signaling we pundits often forget that conflict is sometimes straightforward and […] More
5 Key Things About 5G
Last week, The Cipher Brief told you how and why the U.S. has been working to convince its allies to ban Chinese vendors from contributing […] More
The Captains are Confused in Syria
The recent announcement of plans to keep 200 U.S. “peacekeepers” in Syria has been met with a mixture of relief and confusion. Relief, as the […] More
The Definition of Success in Hanoi
Expectations are high for the second summit of President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jung-Un. Most people assume that there wouldn’t be a second summit […] More
Hanoi Summit Success Likely to Come at a Cost
The world is watching Hanoi this week as President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hold their second summit meeting in less than […] More
The Global Divide Over the 5G National Security Risk
Fresh off the heels of the Munich security conference, a rift remains between the U.S. and its allies over their approach to 5G networks and […] More
Four Big Takeaways from the Munich Security Conference
The Cipher Brief asked expert and retired four-star General David Petraeus for his big takeaways after attending last weekend’s Munich Security Conference. First, the wedge between […] More
President Trump’s Real Emergency
OPINION — Prior to President Trump, only two Presidents have initiated use of the special emergency authority [U.S. Code Title 10, Section 2808] to transfer […] More
I Was in the CIA. Trump’s Petty Fights and Insults Will Make Us All Less Safe.
Steven Hall spent more than 30 years in the CIA, the bulk of them running and managing intelligence operations in Eurasia and Latin America. He […] More
False Flags in Cyberspace: Targeting Public Opinion and Political Will
Bottom Line: In the digital age, determining the origins of cyberattacks is already difficult, but cyber actors can further muddy attribution by diverting blame for […] More
The Special Operations Mission: A View from the Hill
It’s been a busy national security week in DC. Congressional lawmakers and the President managed to reach a deal that would fund the government but […] More
The Serious Trust Deficit Between Washington and Pyongyang
OPINION — Two senior U.S. military commanders in the Indo-Pacific area this week questioned whether North Korea would ever denuclearize, just 12 days before the next […] More
The Iran Brief
As part of The Cipher Brief’s special coverage in the run up to our 2019 Threat Conference in Sea Island, GA March 24-26th, we will […] More
A State Without Territory
Bottom Line Up Front On February 10, U.S.-backed forces surrounded the Syrian town of Baghouz Al-Fawqani, the ‘last’ remaining stronghold of the so-called Islamic […] More
SOF Leader’s Advice For Reaching Full Potential
The Cipher Brief’s new Friday column, ‘Cipher Select’ talks with retired Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Rob Lively, who spent 28 years in the U.S. Army, […] More