CybersecurityShadow Figment Technology Foils Cyberattacks Published 3 June 2021 Scientists have created a cybersecurity technology called Shadow Figment that is designed to lure hackers into an artificial world, then stop them from doing damage by feeding them illusory tidbits of success. Scientists have created a cybersecurity technology called Shadow Figment that is designed to lure hackers

RansomwareWhite House Urges US Companies to Protect Against Ransomware Published 3 June 2021 The White House on Thursday urged American businesses to take new precautions to combat disruptive ransomware attacks that have increasingly hobbled companies throughout Western economies. Anne Neuberger, a White House cybersecurity official, said in a statement that the “most important takeaway” from

Data securityThe Weaponized Web: The National Security Implications of Data By Lindsay Gorman, Bret Schafer, Clara Tsao, and Dipayan Ghosh Published 3 June 2021 Open societies have encouraged and promoted rapid technological advancement and market innovation —but both have outpaced democratic governance. Authoritarian powers have noticed the underlying opportunity to exploit the open standards of

CybersecurityFirst Hacker-Resistant Cloud Software System Published 2 June 2021 As the first system to guarantee the security of virtual machines in the cloud, SeKVM could transform how cloud services are designed, developed, deployed, and trusted. Whenever you buy something on Amazon, your customer data is automatically updated and stored on thousands of virtual machines in the

PandemicsThe Next Pandemic Is Already Happening – Targeted Disease Surveillance Can Help Prevent It By Maureen Miller Published 2 June 2021 As more and more people around the world are getting vaccinated, one can almost hear the collective sigh of relief. But the next pandemic threat is likely already making its way through the population

Predictive policingLawmakers Question DOJ Funding of Unproven Predictive Policing Technology Published 2 June 2021 Lawmakers asked the Justice Department to account for how it funds and oversees so-called predictive policing programs, especially whether the programs actually reduce crime, and the potential to amplify biased results that harm marginalized groups. “We ask DOJ to help ensure

CybersecurityFirst Hacker-Resistant Cloud Software System Published 2 June 2021 As the first system to guarantee the security of virtual machines in the cloud, SeKVM could transform how cloud services are designed, developed, deployed, and trusted. Whenever you buy something on Amazon, your customer data is automatically updated and stored on thousands of virtual machines in the

ExtremismThe Evolution of Extremist Groups Published 2 June 2021 Early online support for the extremist antigovernment Boogaloos followed the same mathematical pattern as ISIS, despite the stark ideological, geographical and cultural differences between their forms of extremism, a new study finds. The findings suggest new strategies to limit the growth of groups like the Boogaloo

Climate challengesOffshore Carbon Capture, Storage Published 2 June 2021 Carbon capture and storage is the practice of trapping and disposing of carbon dioxide in rock below the seafloor or earth’s surface to reduce buildup of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Columbia World Projects (CWP) last week released a report identifying key opportunities and challenges in offshore carbon capture and

Infrastructure protectionReframing Infrastructure Security Published 2 June 2021 Infrastructure has always been a target in warfare, says Mikhail Chester, an ASU professor of civil and environmental engineering. “Think about military aircraft dropping bombs on bridges or railroad lines,” he says. Chester points to the recent ransomware attack that shut down one of America’s largest fuel