Science & Tech

Trump Team Seems to Stay the Course With the Last Administration’s Cyber Efforts

Two recent moves suggest the White House isn’t seeking a sea change in international cyber policy.

Science & Tech

Why You Can’t Shoot Terrorists With Lasers, Yet

Military leaders are eager to have the precision of a directed-energy weapon — yet plenty of legal and practical obstacles remain.

Science & Tech

Border-Guard Dogs to Get Health-Monitoring Collars

K-9 units will test out high-tech sensors that keep tabs on dogs’ vital signs in hot working conditions.

Science & Tech

DHS Looks to Reboot Relationship with Election Officials

Local and state officials decried January's designation of election systems as critical infrastructure. Now DHS is trying to get everyone on the same page.

Science & Tech

DHS Cyber Strategy Delayed for Trump Team Review

The department sees a "generational" opportunity for security in IT modernization, cyber lead says.

Science & Tech

Facial-Recognition Tech May Turn Life into a Perpetual Police Lineup

Combined with policy body cameras, it could redefine the nature of public spaces.

Science & Tech

The Next Big War Will Turn on AI, Says US Secret-Weapons Czar

William Roper says the military must get better at feeding the voracious learning algorithms that will fight future battles.

Science & Tech

Russia Joins US in Race to Field Gun-Launched Swarmbots

A pair of Russian programs hastens the day that drone swarms may meet each other over the battlefield.

Science & Tech

Software Used to Predict Crime Can Now Be Scoured for Bias

Predictive-policing startup CivicScape published its code online, allowing anyone to help ensure that the algorithm doesn’t unfairly target certain groups of people.

Science & Tech

Why Fake News Spreads: A Neurological Explanation

The logical part of your brain really, really likes listening to the social part, which just wants to fit in.

Policy

GOP Lawmaker to FBI: Stop the Leaks in Russia Probe or Lose A Key Surveillance Tool

After top cop confirms investigating the Trump campaign, a House member threatens to hold investigatory powers hostage.

Ideas

Cybersecurity’s Human Side: How Can We Solve Our People Problem?

First, stop undermining our own efforts to fill crucial jobs. Second, cast a wide net for useful lessons.

Science & Tech

US Army to Test Powerful New Truck-Mounted Laser ‘Within Months’

New solid-state lasers plus ever-more-powerful mobile generators brings directed energy weapons a big step closer to reality.

Science & Tech

Yahoo, Erectile Dysfunction Meds, and the Sloppy Future of Russian Spying

Two hackers hired by FSB agents started running side scams. Now Moscow has account data on half a billion Yahoo users.

Science & Tech

WikiLeaks Dump Shines Light on Government's Shadowy Zero-Day Policy

The documents shed little light on how many unknown vulnerabilities the intelligence agency retains and how well it vets the damage they might cause.

Science & Tech

As Missile Defense Technology Improves, So Do Odds of an Arms Race in the Pacific

Next year, the U.S. plans to deploy a shipboard interceptor to help protect Japan. China and Russia will not be amused.

Science & Tech

The Government’s Intelligence Wiki Might Be a Lockbox for Russian-Hacking Secrets

Analysts reportedly tucked classified information about Russian election meddling inside Intellipedia for safekeeping.