Defense

Fresh evidence shows Iran’s nuclear program was ‘severely damaged,’ CIA director says

The claim follows reports of a DIA assessment that had determined the program was set back by only a few months.

Defense

US strikes didn’t fully wipe Iran nuclear program, early intel assessment says

A preliminary Defense Intelligence Agency report says Iran’s nuclear program has only been set back by some months, undercutting public claims from the White House that the nation’s nuclear capabilities were obliterated after a bombing run over the weekend.

Cybersecurity

Report: Iranian hackers are trying to create a psychological war in cyberspace

The Iran-linked CyberAv3ngers gang has evolved itself into a digital propaganda machine by combining recycled data leaks and theatrics to manufacture panic about hacks that never happened.

Cybersecurity

DHS expects Iran’s cyber forces will target US networks after strikes on nuclear sites

Iran has often targeted U.S. digital systems. Last year, Iranian hackers pilfered and distributed sensitive documents from inside President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign.

Emerging Tech

G7 nations commit to advancing AI and quantum

The seven member nations agreed to collaborate on both artificial intelligence and quantum technology research and policy.

Emerging Tech

Estonia begins laying the keystone for a great Baltic Drone Wall

The ultimate goal is to fully cover hundreds of miles of the border with Russia so that no drone can pass over the wall without being detected and possibly destroyed.

Emerging Tech

NVIDIA to keep Shanghai operations despite lawmaker concerns

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said that the chip company will continue its longstanding China-based operations, but more chip plants are set to be in the U.S.

Cybersecurity

An 18th-century war power resurfaces in cyber policy talks

An old-world legal concept is seeing renewed interest in the cybersecurity community as a tool to give the private sector more runway to combat hackers, though many agree it’s more metaphor than mandate.

Cybersecurity

US, international and industry partners topple infrastructure of popular info-stealer malware

The collaborative effort worked to seize the takedown of some 2,300 domains that backed the web infrastructure of Lumma Stealer, sold to help hackers steal passwords and deploy ransomware around the world.

Cybersecurity

US should rethink current views of Russia’s cyber might, new report says

A think tank paper argues that Moscow’s network of hackers is more fragmented than U.S. officials once believed — a dynamic that may have led to exaggerated expectations of Russia’s cyber capabilities during its 2022 Ukraine invasion.

Artificial Intelligence

Commerce rescinds Biden-era AI export controls

The controversial rule on what countries can receive and use U.S. artificial intelligence technology and components will be replaced with a new rule and new AI export control guidance.

Cybersecurity

US and Netherlands seize network providers that helped hackers mask activities

The Justice Department and Dutch law enforcement shuttered 5socks and Anyproxy, services with Russian ties that sold proxies to cybercriminals. Lumen provided internet backbone data to the agencies.

Cybersecurity

Top intelligence lawmaker fears China may exploit DOGE’s changes to government

Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., also called out the Trump administration on the recent firing of NSA Director Timothy Haugh, a move he viewed as “puzzling.”

Policy

US urging allies to cease talks with Chinese satellite industry

Internal talking points also give State Department officials guidance on how to respond to allies’ concerns about SpaceX’s Starlink.

Cybersecurity

User with Russian IP address tried to log into NLRB systems following DOGE access, whistleblower says

The blocked login attempts, detailed in an extensive whistleblower complaint filed to the Senate Intelligence Committee and others, may indicate foreign adversaries have begun leveraging DOGE inroads into sensitive federal systems.

Cybersecurity

Chinese police say NSA hacked networks of Asian Winter Games

The accusations, which name three supposed NSA operatives, come amid escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and China.

Cybersecurity

China is trying to recruit current and former feds, intelligence document warns

The notice is one of the first public acknowledgements from the U.S. intelligence community showing how adversaries are leveraging DOGE-led layoffs to target the government.

Artificial Intelligence

US needs to fast-track AI to counter China, DOD’s former AI lead says

When it comes to continued U.S. leadership in the AI space, former Pentagon chief digital and artificial intelligence officer Radha Plumb said “I worry sometimes that it’s passing us by.”

Ideas

The need for collaborative global cyber diplomacy is growing

COMMENTARY | Strengthening global cyber collaboration is needed now more than ever.

Cybersecurity

Tariffs create more volatile environment for cyberattacks, industry executive warns

Tenable Co-CEO Steve Vintz told Nextgov/FCW that the potential trade wars stoked by the Trump administration’s tariffs facilitate conditions that incentivize hacking activity around the globe.