Finance & terrorismSEC’s Increasing Focus on Terrorism May Limit Financial Oversight Published 1 July 2021 When SEC asks companies about potential ties to terrorism, it catches fewer reporting errors. The SEC’s shift of attention to firms’ financial ties to states sponsoring terrorism (SSTs) began at Congress’s behest in 2003, leading to a shift in the

Energy securityBetter Method to Predict Offshore Wind Power Published 1 July 2021 Offshore wind is maturing into a major source of renewable energy, and is projected to grow 15-fold by 2040 to become a $1 trillion industry. Researchers have developed a machine learning model using a physics-based simulator and real-world meteorological data to better predict

RansomwareThe Ideal Responses to Ransomware Attacks Published 1 July 2021 A ransomware attack is like a cyber hijacking, with criminals infiltrating and seizing an organization’s data or computer systems and demanding a payment or ransom to restore access.What is the best strategy to decrease the risk of digital extortion? A pair of College of Business professors

Heat waveMore Than 100 Deaths Tied to Heat Wave in Pacific Northwest Published 1 July 2021 More than 100 deaths in Oregon, Washington, and y British Columbia may have been caused by hyperthermia, authorities say, as the region continues to experience record-shattering high temperatures. More than 100 deaths in the Pacific Northwest of North America may

Search & rescueAn Expert on Search and Rescue Robots Explains the Technologies Used in Disasters Like the Florida Condo Collapse By Robin R. Murphy Published 30 June 2021 Different types of robots may be used to search and rescue victims of disasters, such as the condo collapse in Surfside, Florida. A robotics experts says that

Cloak & daggerIntel Agencies in an Age of “Nuclear” Cyberattacks, Political Assassinations By Christina Pazzanese Published 30 June 2021 Even without the kind of network of global partners that many larger nations have, Israel manages to punch far above its weight in intelligence with the CIA as a partner. At a recent talk at Harvard,

ARGUMENT: China & the surveillance stateMatt Hancock and the Problem with China’s Surveillance Tech Published 30 June 2021 Matt Hancock, Britain’s Health Secretary, resigned last week – and informed his wife that he was divorcing her – after CCTV footage emerged of him snogging his assistant outside his office. Ian Williams writes that the Hancock

ExtremismWhat Do Former Extremists and Their Families Say about Radicalization and Deradicalization in America? Published 30 June 2021 Violent extremism has become a serious and complex threat in the United States. This development raises several questions: Who is at risk of joining violent extremist organizations? How do they find groups of like-minded people to join

Planetary securityData Science Challenge Tackles Asteroid Detection Published 30 June 2021 Asteroids could pose an existential threat to humanity, so a timely identification of a menacing Earth-bound asteroid is a life-or-death issue. The Data Science Challenge allow students to compete in applying deep learning models to optical astronomy data to detect and identify Near Earth Objects.

ExtremismIslamists in Germany: Quiet, but Dangerous By Marcel Fürstenau Published 29 June 2021 A stabbing spree in the German city of Würzburg has renewed focus on the threat of Islamism, even if the attacker’s motive remains unclear. Last week’s knife attack in the Bavarian city of Würzburg left three people dead and seven injured — five of them