Science & Tech

Energy Dept. Is Updating Its Cyber Defense Assessment Tool

Created in 2012 to help protect the nation's electrical grid, the tool helps government and industry compare their preparations to established standards.

Science & Tech

Nuclear-Powered Cruise Missiles Are a Terrible Idea. Russia’s Test Explosion Shows Why

A flying unshielded nuclear reactor would spew massive amounts of radiation, and that’s if it’s working correctly.

Science & Tech

NIST Has a Roadmap to Develop Artificial Intelligence Standards

NIST also calls for tools to help agencies better study and assess the quality of AI-powered systems.

Science & Tech

New Tool Reveals Big Vulnerabilities In Mobile Apps That Use Multiple Clouds

The remote servers that power thousands of popular apps harbor a rats’ nest of vulnerabilities.

Science & Tech

US Plans Face Recognition on ‘All Passenger Applications’

Customs and Border Protection is pressing ahead despite a recent backlash to federal law enforcement's use of such technology.

Science & Tech

3-Star General: Tomorrow’s Troops Need Controversial JEDI Cloud

Days after the new SecDef put a hold on the massive cloud program, two Pentagon leaders went on the record to defend it.

Science & Tech

A Supercomputer Will Help the US Air Force Predict the Weather

The $25 million contract will provide a system that supports the military’s complex weather prediction workloads.

Science & Tech

A Small Texas City Will Become the Country’s ‘Hypersonics Research Capital’

The Army Futures Command will test missiles and autonomous vehicles some 100 miles east of Austin.

Science & Tech

'Zero Trust' Lab Will Explore the Future of Pentagon Data Security

Once upon a time, U.S. Cyber Command and DISA could act like no one got past their passwords. Those days are over.

Science & Tech

DARPA Is Taking On the Deepfake Problem

The agency wants to teach computers to detect errors in manipulated media using logic and common sense.

Science & Tech

How Dissidents Are Using Shortwave Radio to Broadcast News Into China

Pro-democracy forces are locked in a cat-and-mouse game with the Chinese government, playing out on the airwaves, the internet and across the globe.

Policy

Why Trump Cares About the Pentagon’s Mega-Cloud — and Why That Terrifies Those Who Want It

Breaking up the $10 billion JEDI network project will hurt the U.S. military’s effort to speed data to troops, its fans argue.

Science & Tech

Military-Style Surveillance Technology Is Being Tested in American Cities

In the eyes of the law, there’s no difference between a smartphone photo taken through an airplane window and one taken by an ultra-powerful camera in a helicopter hovering over your backyard.

Science & Tech

Esper Puts JEDI Contract on Hold for Review

It’s unclear whether the new defense secretary's review will affect the contract’s timeline.

Science & Tech

Facial Recognition Is Hard to Make Useful, Police Find

The Orlando Police Department ended a pilot program, saying they ran out of time and money to make it work.

Science & Tech

CBP Wants Technology To Spot Everything Crossing the US Border

The single solution should be able to detect anything crossing the northern or southern borders between ports of entry and immediately alert border patrol agents.

Science & Tech

Facial Recognition is Changing CBP Operations

The tech is freeing up Customs and Border Protection employees—once they learned to trust it.

Science & Tech

When Trump Threatens Google, Here’s What He Doesn’t Get

Days after the Treasury Secretary cleared the U.S. tech giant of national security concerns, the president was rage-tweeting again.