Science & Tech

Someone At DEF CON Made a Drone That Hacks Computers

You can buy it for $2,500 — and turn it into a flying malware injector.

Science & Tech

Hackers to Military: Replace Us With Robots? Ha!

Next year’s Cyber Grand Challenge event will pit humans against machines in a grand hacking war. DEF CON’s war gamers like their chances.

Science & Tech

The Robots Taking Your Job Could Get You Killed

Automating processes at chemical and pharmaceutical plants could save money, but at what cost to safety?

Science & Tech

The Pentagon Wants a Secretive Cyber Arms Dealer To Hack Its Networks

The company, Endgame, is part of a legal but controversial industry that sells governments hacking tools called 'zero days' to pinpoint vulnerabilities.

Science & Tech

Hacker Cracks Satellite Communications Network

Satellite tracking of people and objects was supposed to make the world safer. If only it was secure.

Science & Tech

The Air Force Wants To Make Its Drones Smarter and Deadlier

The Reaper's next chapter includes better sensors, more autonomy, bigger weapons.

Science & Tech

Hacking Critical Infrastructure: A How-To Guide

Cyber-aided physical attacks on power plants and the like are a growing concern. A pair of experts is set to reveal how to pull them off — and how to defend against them.

Science & Tech

This Isn’t The Death Star Laser You’re Looking For

Japanese scientists have created the world’s most powerful light beam, but its military use is limited.

Science & Tech

US Drone Pilots Are As Skeptical of Autonomy As Are Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk

There are many reasons to be cautious about greater autonomy in weapons like drones, according to the men and women at the joystick.

Science & Tech

The Military Will Test a New Terrifyingly Loud Noise Gun

The Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program is developing lasers that create a screaming ball of plasma on their target.

Science & Tech

What’s Inside the Justice Department’s Secret Cybersecurity Memo?

Despite calls for its release, the government will not make public a memo that Sen. Ron Wyden says is crucial to the Senate’s looming cybersecurity debate.

Science & Tech

An Unexpected Voice Speaks Out Against Backdoored Encryption

Former DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff joins the league of technologists who have come out against the FBI’s push to put holes in privacy technology.

Science & Tech

The Scientists and Technologists Who Want To Keep AI Out of Weapons

Stephen Hawking, Steve Wozniak, and hundreds of others signed an open letter that begged leaders to stop a military robotics arms race.

Science & Tech

In The War of 2050, The Robots Call The Shots

An Army-sponsored workshop on the future of war produces a mashed-up vision of swarmbots, cyborgs, and technology run wild.

Science & Tech

Senators Want Homeland Security To Be a Leading Cyber Defense Agency

After the hack on the Office of Personnel Management, a bipartisan group of lawmakers believes it's time to grant DHS power over government networks.

Science & Tech

How Antimatter Could Stop Iran From Cheating On the Nuclear Deal

Advanced particle detectors could be the key to ensuring the success of the agreement.

Science & Tech

The War On Terrorists’ Tweets

Provisions floating around in both houses leave many tech and security policy questions unanswered.

Science & Tech

What Will Happen To You When You Storm a US Military Checkpoint?

The military has put a lot of effort into making checkpoint encounters less lethal, through the application of some bizarre-sounding technologies.

Science & Tech

How Technology Will Help Enforce the Iran Deal...And Help Iran Cheat On It

The UN’s nuclear monitors have great new sensors, but eavesdropping gear and radioactive residue will make their job harder than ever.

Science & Tech

Suddenly, Everyone Wants the NSA's Cyber Defense Tech

Orders are rolling in, from banks and agriculture companies alike, for the spy agency’s newly available commercial products.