Start your day with intelligence. Get The OODA Daily Pulse.
Informing your decisions with actionable intelligence
Start your day with intelligence. Get The OODA Daily Pulse.
Informing your decisions with actionable intelligence
Home > OODA Analysis and Briefs
We recently contextualized two “ransomware hotspots” – with geopolitical strategic implications in the U.S. and in the Pacific Islands – as battlefields in the Global Cyber War. Ransomware extortions are also at a record high in 2023, with “Big Game Hunting” and geopolitics as drivers. According to a recent report by Cloudfare, add a surge…
Editor’s note: Scott is part of our OODA network. It has been great meeting with him in person and interacting with several of his CEOs as well. Since we clearly have to focus more 0n material’s science here at OODA Loop when we saw him posting on the topic at LinkedIn we asked if we…
The July OODA Network Member call was held on Friday, July 21st, 2023. Part II of the presentation by Dr. Lilly and the OODA Network discussion that ensued at the July meeting is available here.
In July 2023, South Africa hosted a “Friends of BRICS” two-day meeting to discuss various global security challenges affecting their regions with cybersecurity topping the agenda. BRICS is a term to coined by Goldman Sachs to refer to the fast-growing and emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, whose low labor costs, favorable demographics, and…
There is nothing like that one data point, needle in the haystack, kernel of research that sits – and sits – and just does not track (in this case, for well over a calendar year. A post from March 2021 is just such a piece of intelligence – and we have not reviewed or received…
“Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action.” – James Bond More pattern recognition and sensemaking efforts here – following up our recent spotlight on The City of Dallas, Over a Month After A Ransomware Attack, Still not at Full Functionality and the U.S. Turning its Strategic Focus Towards Cyber Threat Vectors…
In an update to our recent analysis of the continued expansion of cyber incidents by non-state actors in the war in Europe, the following are just a sampling of the most recent major cyber incidents and non-state actor activity (mainly centered around the conflict in Ukraine).
Boardrooms face seemingly unending governance, disclosure, regulatory and legal challenges related to digital systems risk (see, for example, the latest SEC requirements for board cybersecurity). This is exacerbated by the rapid adoption of AI; a digital technology that society is just beginning to grapple with and understand. AI is a powerful capability being added to the digital tool arsenal which businesses must employ to compete and win. These tools have evolved…
Connect with top cybersecurity experts from around the world while experiencing the excitement of cybersecurity-oriented esports. Eight teams of cyber athletes ages 18-25 will represent over 65 nations in a final championship. In addition to the 600-700 expected attendees, the games will be live-streamed on Twitch to thousands of fans.
OODA hosts a monthly video call to help members optimize opportunities and reduce risk to discuss items of common interest to our membership. To encourage openness of discussion, these sessions take place with Chatham House rules, where participants are free to use the information in the meeting but are asked not to directly quote or…
“The U.S. Department of Defense and the Indian Ministry of Defense launched the India-U.S. Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X)…against the backdrop of Prime Minister Modi’s [June 2023] State Visit to the White House, [with India poised to take over China and the world’s most populous nation], and at a time of historic momentum for the relationship…
We continue our series on the Future of Blockchain with the adrenaline rush that is a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on Blockchain in Finance:Legislative and Regulatory Actions Are Needed to Ensure Comprehensive Oversight of Crypto Assets. Joking aside, while GAO reports are in fact some of the drier fare that crosses our desk…
A Chinese press has recently published Excerpts of Xi Jinping’s Discourse on Cyberspace Superpower, a book on Xi Jinping’s views on making China into an Internet powerhouse, and how such an endeavor is a necessary component to bolstering the country’s industries, economy, and ideological security. The book is a comprehensive deep dive into Xi’s thinking about cyberspace and…
This report provides insights for corporate directors and the C-Suite including CISOs on the new SEC rules on cybersecurity.
DCVC has released a “report from the front, as seen by our partnership” capturing where they see the future of deep tech – including an additional $1 billion in DCV C investment fund focused on deep tech, including national security (NatSec) investment and American competiveness.
Keytruda, a cancer-immunotherapy medicine, ranks among the most lucrative drugs ever sold. Since its launch in 2014 it has raked in over $130bn in sales for Merck, its American maker, including $29.5bn last year. In September last year an experimental drug did what none had done before. In late-stage trials for non-small-cell lung cancer, it…
Something’s been bugging me about how new devs and I need to talk about it. We’re at this weird inflection point in software development. Every junior dev I talk to has Copilot or Claude or GPT running 24/7. They’re shipping code faster than ever. But when I dig deeper into their understanding of what they’re…
Figure is reportedly in talks with investors to raise $1.5 billion for its work in developing humanoid robots. The startup aims for a valuation of $39.5 billion, though the talks are ongoing and the terms could change, Bloomberg reported Friday (Feb. 14), citing unnamed sources. The company made a breakthrough in reasoning abilities and now…
The South Korean government said on Monday that it had temporarily suspended new downloads of an artificial intelligence chatbot made by DeepSeek, the Chinese company that has sent shock waves through the tech world. On Monday night, the app was not available in the Apple or Google app stores in South Korea, although DeepSeek was…
Chinese leaders meet corporate leaders amid economic challenges. Since coming to power more than a decade ago, Xi has warned against the “disorderly” expansion of the private sector. But reports last week said he was preparing to meet business luminaries. The meeting took place on Monday but state broadcaster CCTV did not immediately give details…
Top U.S. officials are leaving for Saudi Arabia for talks with Russian envoys on how to end the war in Ukraine, signaling that the Trump administration is eager to push for an agreement. The rapid push to convene U.S.-Russian talks followed a Wednesday call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump said the conversation…
Taiwan has detected 24 Chinese military aircraft near the island as a Canadian warship passed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence says. The Chinese aircraft included fighter jets and drones. China’s military radioed the Canadian frigate transiting through the Taiwan Strait and warned it to change course. The US and its…
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has fully endorsed Israel’s war aims in the Gaza Strip, saying Hamas “must be eradicated,” casting doubt on the Gaza ceasefire deal. The second phase of the ceasefire deal, where Hamas is to release dozens of remaining captives in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting truce, and the…
DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence startup, has temporarily paused downloads of its chatbot apps in South Korea because of privacy concerns. DeepSeek’s apps were removed from the local versions of app stores and the company agreed to work with the agency to strengthen privacy protections before relaunching the apps. The South Korean privacy commission found…
Suspected Russian threat actors have been taking advantage of Microsoft Device Code Authentication to trick targets into granting them access to their Microsoft 365 (M365) accounts. The attackers usually impersonate US, Ukrainian, and EU government officials or researchers at prominent institutions, and reach out to the targets via social media or messaging apps such as…
The Trump administration has nominated Sean Cairncross for National Cyber Director. He will replace former CIA/NSA official Harry Coker, who resigned. The National Cyber Director position was created to help ensure a more streamlined strategy and coordinated response to cyberattacks that invariably pull in officials from multiple agencies. Cairncross’ previous experience includes a stint as…
New data from Gartner reveals the productivity gains generative AI is creating among supply chain employees. More than seven-in-10 (72%) of 265 global supply chain executives surveyed by Gartner in August 2024 said their organizations have deployed generative AI. However, survey results indicate that most respondents are experiencing middling results for productivity and ROI. The…
Apple Inc. is working to bring its AI features to China by the middle of this year, accelerating a complex undertaking that has required software changes and deep reliance on local partners. The iPhone maker has several teams in China and the US working to adapt its Apple Intelligence platform for the region, aiming for…
Proteins are the workhorses that keep our cells running, and there are many thousands of types of proteins in our cells, each performing a specialized function. Researchers have long known that the structure of a protein determines what it can do. More recently, researchers are coming to appreciate that a protein’s localization is also critical…
Mattermost, the leading collaborative workflow platform for defense, intelligence, security and critical infrastructure, and Qrypt, a pioneer in cryptographic quantum security solutions, today announced at the 2025 DoD Cybersecurity & SAP IT Summit a partnership to deliver quantum-secure communication capabilities. This collaboration addresses the rising cyber threats from nation-state adversaries, the impending risks posed by…
Newleos Therapeutics has closed an oversubscribed Series A financing round, raising $93.5m to revolutionise neuropsychiatric disorder treatments with new medicines. Goldman Sachs Alternatives spearheaded the funding round which also saw contributions from Longwood Fund, Novo Holdings, Arkin Bio Ventures and DCVC Bio. Newleos in-licensed its clinical-stage pipeline from Roche, which comprises several oral small molecules…
China’s biggest EV maker BYD this week unveiled a leap into driverless systems with its “God’s Eye” system for no extra cost on cars as it continues to rack up market share with less expensive electric vehicle options. BYD unveiled a new car automation system, stepping up from its existing advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) —…
Meta Platforms Inc., after pushing into augmented reality and artificial intelligence, has identified its next big bet: AI-powered humanoid robots. The company is making a significant investment into the category — futuristic robots that can act like humans and assist with physical tasks — and is forming a new team within its Reality Labs hardware…
A US aircraft carrier collided with a merchant ship near Egypt. The USS Harry S. Truman collided with a civilian merchant ship near Egypt. No major injuries or damage was reported. The carrier is part way through a deployment to the Middle East and Medditerian. Read more: https://apnews.com/article/truman-aircraft-carrier-collision-merchant-vessel-50e039f339c4658d246a08ca496a21d9
Syrian officials have begun the process of drafting a new consitution. The HTS backed government in Damascus has begun the process of drafting a new constitution. An initial committee is working to begin collecting ideas from key groups and leaders and will propose next steps to the interim government. The HTS backed government has indicated…
Hamas has announced they will free additional hostages. Hamas has announced that they will release 3 hostages this weekend as agreed to in the ceasefire talks. This comes after the group previously announced they would suspend releases due to US statements on the future of Gaza. Tensions with Israel remain high and several Israeli government…
European NATO members insist the US doesn’t leave them out of peace talks. At a meeting of defense officials at NATO Headquarters, European defense officials insisted that the United States not leave them out of talks over the future of Ukraine. The US insisted it would not leave Europe out of major decisions. The US…
PsiQuantum says it will have a commercially useful quantum computer available as soon as 2027. But whether businesses are ready to take advantage of that accelerated timeline is another story, according to a poll of tech executives at a Wall Street Journal event here. The Palo Alto, Calif., startup is working to build quantum computers…
Microsoft is proposing to hand over industry leadership of the Army’s Integrated Visual Augmentation System program to Anduril, the companies announced Tuesday. IVAS has been one of the service’s highest-priority modernization initiatives, with Microsoft as the prime contractor. The system — which includes ruggedized headgear and software with night-vision, thermal-sensing and augmented reality capabilities, among…
The rise of DeepSeek’s artificial intelligence (AI) models is seen providing some Chinese chipmakers such as Huawei a better chance to compete in the domestic market against more powerful U.S. processors. Huawei and its Chinese peers have for years struggled to match Nvidia in building top-end chips that could compete with the U.S. firm’s products…
OpenAI’s upcoming GPT-5 release will integrate its o3 reasoning model and be available to free users, CEO Sam Altman revealed in a roadmap he shared on X. He said the company is also working to simplify how users interact with ChatGPT. “We want AI to ‘just work’ for you; we realize how complicated our model…
The Atlantic, Politico, Vox and other major publishers are suing AI startup Cohere for copyright and trademark infringement, escalating the news industry’s legal battle over the technology. The publishers are accusing the Canadian company, which they say is valued at over $5 billion, of improperly using at least 4,000 copyrighted works to train its large…
Apple is exploring both humanoid and non-humanoid robotic form factors, according to a new scoop from longtime Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The intel comes on the heels of a research paper from the iPhone maker that explores human interactions with “non-anthropomorphic” robots — specifically a Pixar-style lamp. While Apple’s research paper highlights elements that could…
Chinese search engine leader Baidu said on Thursday it would make its artificial intelligence chatbot Ernie Bot free starting April 1, citing improved technology and reduced costs. The AI service will be accessible at no cost to all users on both desktop and mobile platforms, Baidu said in a WeChat post. Baidu faces growing competition…
Germany has notified the EU that it will extend its border controls for six months. Germany’s out going government has notified the EU that it will extend border controls for six months. The decision comes as the German elections are about to begin later this month. Germany’s main opposition party has called for border controls…
South Sudan’s cabinet reshuffle threatens a long standing peace deal. The firing of several senior government officials including cabinet ministers has threatened a long standing peace deal. The firing have reignited tensions between various factions in the government and society that had until 2018 been engaged in a civil war. The 2018 peace deal has…
Turkey’s president has arrived in Pakistan as part of a visit to boost ties between the two countires. Turkey’s president has arrived in Pakistan in order to begin talks to boost ties between the two countries. The visit will likely culminate in the two country’s signing several agreements. The visit also comes as violence within…
North Korea has shutdown a facility that has hosted family unions for several years. South Korea has said that North Korea has shutdown a facility that has hosted family reunions for years. The facility was located within North Korea and was funded by South Korea. The move comes as relations between the countries have deteriorated…
The UK has imposed sanctions on a Russian group linked to cyber crimes. The UK has imposed sanctions on the Russia group Zservers for its alleged participation in cybercrimes. The US and Australia also imposed sanctions on the group following the UK’s announcement. The group is known to be affiliated with he LockBit network. Read…
International travelers are being targeted by a sophisticated phishing campaign. A phishing group is targeting an international travelers in a phishing campaign that is designed around stealing individual’s personal information. The scam involves the group sending messages to travelers that impersonate immigration authorities and asking travelers to turn over information to process their documents. The…
Scammers have been using deepfakes of Italian government officials to scam business out of funds. A scammer group is using deepfakes of Italian government officials to get business groups to transfer funds to their accounts. Italian police have begun an investigation into the scams and has thus far been able to recover some of the…
Microsoft has said that Russian threat actors are attempting to penetrate critical internet infrastructure. Microsoft has said that known Russian threat actors have begun to attack critical interne infrastructure with the aim of establishing long term control of those systems. The report from Microsoft outlined how these attacks have been on going from several years.…
Microsoft will purchase nearly all of the power generation output generated by three new utility-scale projects developed by EDP Renewables North America. The tech giant, which has long focused on decarbonization in its pursuit of energy, will acquire the equivalent of 389 MW of electricity and renewable energy credits through long-term virtual power purchase agreements…
Artificial intelligence agents, the technology that can perform tasks on behalf of humans, are here. But businesses don’t necessarily trust them, and haven’t yet started using the technology in a widespread way. That’s according to attendees at The Wall Street Journal’s CIO Network Summit in Menlo Park, Calif. on Tuesday, which attracts the country’s top…
Engineers in Japan have switched on the world’s first hybrid quantum supercomputer. The 20-qubit quantum computer, called Reimei, has been integrated into Fugaku — the world’s sixth-fastest supercomputer. The hybrid platform will work to tackle calculations that can take classical supercomputers much longer to process. The machine, which is housed at the Riken scientific institute…
Milrem Robotics, the world’s leading robotics and autonomous systems developer, will launch its highly anticipated 8×8 Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) at IDEX 2025. Representing the pinnacle of next-generation hybrid unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) technology, the new HAVOC RCV is set to revolutionize modern combat operations. “The HAVOC RCV has been engineered to deliver unparalleled agility…
The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) today released its World Robotics R&D Programs 2025 report that analyzes strategies in Asia, Europe, and the U.S. While economies worldwide are increasingly investing in robotics, each government research and development program follows different strategies. “The 4th edition of the World Robotics R&D Programs covers the latest funding developments,…
In the nascent field of AI hacking, indirect prompt injection has become a basic building block for inducing chatbots to exfiltrate sensitive data or perform other malicious actions. Developers of platforms such as Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT are generally good at plugging these security holes, but hackers keep finding new ways to poke through…
Last month, U.S. financial markets tumbled after a Chinese start-up called DeepSeek said it had built one of the world’s most powerful artificial intelligence systems using far fewer computer chips than many experts thought possible. A.I. companies typically train their chatbots using supercomputers packed with 16,000 specialized chips or more. But DeepSeek said it needed…
The Ukrainian Parliament has approved a contentious bill allowing for the government to purchase nuclear reactors. Ukraine will purchase two unused, Russian-made nuclear reactors from Bulgaria, costing at least $600 million. The government has plans to install the reactors in western Ukraine at the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant. The project has faced sharp criticism for…
U.S. allies are condemning President Donald Trump for his decision to put 25% tariff rates on all steel and aluminum imports starting next month. Leaders of several of the U.S.’s main trading partners, including Mexico, Canada, and the European Union are describing the latest move as “reckless” and “counterproductive.” The allies have warned that they…
Following the docking of a U.S. Navy fast-attack nuclear submarine in a South Korean port, North Korea is now warning of a potential confrontation. The USS Alexandria submarine docked in a port in Busan on Monday for supplies. North Korea is accusing the U.S. of “posing a grave threat to its national security.” The country’s…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to resume Israel’s war on Gaza if Hamas does not release its captives by Saturday. The Israel-Hamas ceasefire has been on the brink of collapsing this week after Hamas officials accused Israel of violating parts of the agreement. This prompted Hamas to halt the release of more captives,…
On Tuesday, major chip makers Intel, AMD, and Nvidia published new security advisories informing customers about high-severity vulnerabilities. Intel published 34 new advisories on Tuesday, one of which has a severity rating of “critical.” AMD released 11 new advisories, which is significantly more for the company than in a typical month. Lastly, Nvidia published four…
India is continuing to see a surge in cybercrime against both citizens and businesses. Cyber fraud against citizens has increased by 51% over the past year. Additionally, India is seeing cyberattacks against businesses at much larger volumes than global averages. Cybercrime complaints by Indian citizens increased by over 6 million in 2024. As the country…
On Tuesday, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Zservers, a Russian cybercrime network. The Treasury’s U.S. and Australian counterparts sanctioned the hosting services provider as well. Zservers is a web-hosting service that ignores or evades law enforcement requests. Two Russian nationals who operate the site were sanctioned as well. The Treasury…
Four individuals suspected of being leaders of a ransomware group have been arrested by the Thai police. The individuals are believed to be leaders of the 8Base ransomware group and were involved with stealing around $16 million from over 1,000 victims. The suspects were arrested following the issue of warrants by Interpol, requested by Swiss…
I have personally tracked Quantum Technologies for decades now, publishing my first paper on the topic in 2003. Now at OODA we maintain close tabs on the state of Quantum Computing, Quantum Sensing and Quantum Security (including QKD, Encryption Algorithms and the use of quantum effects for true random). Things are moving so fast in…
The UK and US have not signed an international agreement on artificial intelligence (AI) at a global summit in Paris. The statement, signed by France, China and India among other countries, pledges an “open”, “inclusive” and “ethical” approach to the technology’s development. Downing Street said the UK “hadn’t been able to agree all parts of…
I never thought I’d find myself writing a posting for an “AI Agent,” but here I am, scouring crypto and blockchain forums, Telegram groups, and even personal referrals for the perfect fit. Traditional hires don’t quite cut it in the fast-paced world of digital assets. I need someone—scratch that, something—capable of staying awake 24/7, sifting…
American defense startup XDOWN has introduced a multi-purpose drone that is deployed as easily as a quarterback throws a football. The oval-shaped PS Killer (PSK) is activated with a simple switch and then hurled into action. It boasts a range of over 40 miles (64 kilometers) and reaches speeds of 135 knots (155 miles/250 kilometers…
Elon Musk and a group of investors offered to buy ChatGPT-maker OpenAI for $97.4 billion Monday, a sum far below the artificial-intelligence company’s most recent valuation of $157 billion. OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman immediately shot down the offer in a post on X. “No thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion…
BYD, the Chinese electric vehicle maker that is Tesla’s biggest rival, has unveiled an advanced self-driving system that it plans to install on its entire model line-up including the Rmb70,000 ($9,600) Seagull budget hatchback. Dubbed “God’s Eye”, the driving system was developed in-house by BYD and will equip the carmaker’s mass-market models with features commonly…
Apple does a lot of research into fundamental computer problems, and some of that results in real features of the products we buy. We can only hope the tech featured in the latest report published by their machine learning team is one of them. A new research paper and video posted to Apple’s Machine Learning…
The transformative power of artificial intelligence (AI) is not only helping businesses; it is also bringing about major changes in the world of cybersecurity. Positively, AI is improving automated, real-time cyber threat identification and analysis. Businesses now have improved and faster capabilities for cyber defense, enabling them to monitor system activity, identify anomalies, and identify…
Informing your decisions with actionable intelligence
Copyright © 2025 — All Rights Reserved.
Notifications
Informing your decisions with actionable intelligence