Science & Tech

US Gets Serious about Portable Nuke-Detector Prototypes

Homeland Security spends $20M to develop devices to find bombs being transported in ships, on metro systems, or in public places.

Science & Tech

Cargo Shorts at the Pentagon: Inside DoD's Digital Service Team

Matt Cutts, a Google employee on temporary leave, says his job is less about AI and more about getting "basic, fundamental things" to work right now.

Science & Tech

Pentagon Opens Boston Tech Outreach Office, With an Eye to BioTech

The East Coast Defense Innovation Unit-Experimental, or DIUx, joins the Pentagon’s other DIUx office, based in the Silicon Valley area and unveiled in 2015.

Science & Tech

Is Your Network Acting Odd? DARPA’s Latest Tool Aims to Sound the Alarm

The system is intended to track activity across an entire network over long periods of time, seeking out deviations from normal activity.

Science & Tech

White House Slates $19B for Cyber Defense. Next Step: Find Contractors to Help

The Cybersecurity National Action Plan seeks a 35% increase over last year's proposed budget.

Science & Tech

Federal Background Checks Will Soon Involve Your Life on Facebook

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper signed a policy Thursday allowing investigators to scan public social media posts when deciding whether to issue a security clearance.

Science & Tech

The Military Is Pouring Money into Smart Fabrics, But There's a Holdup

A lead researcher explains why high-tech cloth could help the Pentagon with everything from solar-powered tents to sniper-detecting uniforms.

Science & Tech

DHS Seeks Advice on Building a Cyber-Attack Database

The Department of Homeland Security admits there could be drawbacks to the idea, including a spike in the cost of insurance.

Science & Tech

DARPA Wants Networks to Find and Fix Security Holes — In Seconds

The Pentagon is seeking an "automation revolution in computer security” in which machines swiftly detect attacks and patch their vulnerabilities.

Science & Tech

Can the Pentagon Ditch the Password and Finally Embrace the 'Internet of Things'?

A new report claims the U.S. Defense Department could save millions using internet-ready devices and sensors. But there's one huge problem before that can happen.

Science & Tech

Your Next Fitbit Should Detect Nuclear Bombs, DHS Hopes

The 'Human Portable Tripwire' program will work to develop wearable tech designed to sniff out radioactive material.

Ideas

DOD's Current InfoSec Strategy Is 'Patch and Pray’

But DARPA Director Arati Prabhakar says that her agency is working to make computing ‘mathematically, provably secure.’

Science & Tech

How NGA Is Turning Disaster-Relief Mapping Into a Game

A Q&A about GeoQ, the open-source disaster mapping system from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

Science & Tech

A Top-Secret Cell Phone Is Just One New Tool the Pentagon Can Expect Soon

In a call with reporters, the Defense Department's chief information officer shared a handful of new developments on the Pentagon's tech horizon.

Science & Tech

The US Military Wants Its Troops To Be Able To See Through Walls

DARPA is looking for ways to extract more information from light than cameras typically do, which could help troops spot hidden enemies.

Science & Tech

VA Blocked More Than a Billion Cyber Threats in March

The VA could become quickly overwhelmed if the threat continues to escalate, the agency's top information officer said.

Science & Tech

Pentagon Intel Analysts May Soon Use a Trick from Amazon's Book

A system copying Amazon's user experience could help coordinate the work of analysts at the Defense Department's National Ground Intelligence Center.