National Security

An analyst looks at code in the malware lab of a cybersecurity defense lab at the Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls, Idaho, Sept. 29, 2011.

National

In Cyberwar, Software Flaws Are A Hot Commodity

8:50am February 12, 2013

by Tom Gjelten

In the past, security researchers who stumbled on a software flaw would typically report the flaw to the software's manufacturer. But that changed when cyberweapon designers started looking at these flaws as vulnerabilities that could serve as a back door into a computer network.

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National

Procedure Expected To Bog Down Hearing For Alleged Sept. 11 Planners

11:44am February 11, 2013

by Dina Temple-Raston

Pretrial hearings resume Monday for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other men accused of helping plot the Sept. 11 attacks. There will be two competing narratives in the courtroom, however, with the prosecution focusing on the attacks, and the defense stressing the defendants' treatment after they were captured.

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Egyptian soldiers cross to the eastern side of the Suez Canal during the 1973 war. Egyptian forces initially broke through the Israeli forces on that side of the canal.

The CIA And The Hazards Of Middle East Forecasting

8:48am February 10, 2013

by Tom Gjelten

As Arab-Israeli tensions grew in the fall of 1973, the CIA offered its analysis to President Nixon's administration: War was highly unlikely. The agency kept making that case right up to the time the war began.

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Blocking Iran With A Global Game Of Nuclear 'Keep Away'

7:27pm February 07, 2013

by NPR Staff

Obtaining the materials to make weapons-grade uranium or separated plutonium is harder than making a nuclear weapon, experts say. That's why the U.S. is engaged in a global effort to try to keep the specialized products out of hands it deems dangerous, like Iran.

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Brennan Objects To Use Of Waterboarding In CIA Confirmation Hearing

5:28pm February 07, 2013

President Obama's nominee to run the CIA has his confirmation hearing Thursday afternoon. The hearing of White House counterterrorism chief John Brennan comes as lawmakers are studying a memo on drone strikes overseas. Robert Siegel talks to Tom Gjelten.

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A Preview Of Brennan's Confirmation Hearings

3:12pm February 07, 2013

John Brennan, the CIA director nominee, faces questions about the use of drone strikes and torture during his confirmation hearings. In particular, questions will focus on how the U.S. justifies targeted killings in countries where we're not engaged in warfare.

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Obama's Pick For CIA Chief To Face Senate Scrutiny

3:07pm February 07, 2013

by Tom Gjelten

As Obama's chief counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan has been associated with some controversial policies, including the use of armed drones. It's unlikely his appointment as CIA director is in trouble, but he's likely to face questions on drones as well as the agency's interrogation policies.

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U.S. May Build Base For Drones In Northwest Africa

2:29pm February 04, 2013

The United States is looking to base surveillance drones in the African nation of Niger. The base there will allow the U.S. unmanned vehicles to conduct operations in northern Africa, including in Mali, where France has intervened to fight Islamist militants. Tom Bowman talks to Melissa Block about the latest on the increasing U.S. military role in Africa.

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National

What The 'New York Times' Hack Tells Us About China

2:27pm January 31, 2013

The New York Times announced late Wednesday that they have been warding off cyber attacks from Chinese hackers since September. Wired senior reporter Kim Zetter explains who the hackers target, how they do it, and why.

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President Obama shakes hands with his nominee to head the Defense Department, former Sen. Chuck Hagel, at the White House on Jan. 7. John Brennan, Obama's choice for director of the CIA, looks on.

Cabinet Picks Show A Shift In How U.S. Wages War

8:34am January 31, 2013

by Ari Shapiro

The White House has emphasized that incoming Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel — both Vietnam veterans — understand the full cost of war. President Obama says that makes them the right choice for their jobs, as the U.S. moves away from big wars to a targeted approach.

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