Hacker News with Generative AI: National Security

National security adviser Michael Waltz reportedly conducted business via Gmail (theguardian.com)
Michael Waltz, the embattled national security adviser to Donald Trump, and other members of the national security council have reportedly used personal Gmail accounts to conduct government business.
National Security, Politics, Gmail, Email Security, Government
34 points by beardyw 20 hours ago | 9 comments
Mike Waltz Used Personal Gmail for Government Communications: Report (newsweek.com)
National security adviser Mike Waltz used his personal Gmail account for government communications, The Washington Post reported, citing documents it reviewed and interviews with three U.S. officials.
Government, National Security, Security Breaches, Politics, Email
31 points by ndsipa_pomu 2 days ago | 14 comments
Fix U.S. National Security (github.com/signalapp)
This pull request introduces a COMSEC (communications security) advisory banner to chat threads, reminding specific pool of users that Signal—despite its robust encryption—is not an appropriate venue for discussing classified information, coordinating military operations, or engaging in off-the-books foreign policy.
National Security, Encryption, Messaging, Security
30 points by Y-bar 3 days ago | 2 comments
White House says it's 'case closed' on the Signal group chat review (npr.org)
The White House has concluded its review of how Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg was inadvertently included on a Signal message group chat of high-ranking officials discussing impending strikes in Yemen.
Politics, Government, Media, National Security
65 points by doener 3 days ago | 51 comments
UK's GCHQ Intern Transferred Top Secret Files to His Phone (bbc.com)
A former GCHQ intern has admitted risking national security by taking top secret data home with him on his mobile phone.
Cybersecurity, National Security, Espionage, Government, Data Security
20 points by m463 3 days ago | 6 comments
Why does US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth have a Russian email address? (twitter.com)
Something went wrong, but don’t fret — let’s give it another shot.
Politics, US Government, National Security, Russia
13 points by belter 7 days ago | 1 comments
Even If Those Weren't War Plans in Hegseth's Signal Chat, They Were War Crimes (techdirt.com)
When the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg revealed this week that senior White House officials had accidentally added him to their Yemen bombing planning session on Signal, he did something remarkable: he actually protected operational security better than the officials themselves did.
National Security, War Crimes, Surveillance, Journalism, Politics
15 points by hn_acker 7 days ago | 6 comments
Elon Musk's SpaceX Allows Investment from China (propublica.org)
As a U.S. military contractor, SpaceX sees allowing Chinese ownership as fraught. But it will allow the investment if it comes through secrecy hubs like the Cayman Islands, court records say. “It is certainly a policy of obfuscation,” an expert said.
SpaceX, China, Investment, National Security, Business
62 points by danso 8 days ago | 9 comments
CIA Director Reveals Signal Comes Installed on Agency Computers (theintercept.com)
For years, U.S. officials villainized end-to-end encrypted messaging apps like Signal as the domain of criminals and terrorists and a threat to national security.
National Security, Government Surveillance, Cybersecurity, Messaging Apps, Encryption
117 points by jbegley 9 days ago | 99 comments
NSA warned of vulnerabilities in Signal app a month before Houthi strike chat (cbsnews.com)
The National Security Agency sent out an operational security special bulletin to its employees in February 2025 warning them of vulnerabilities in using the encrypted messaging application Signal, according to internal NSA documents obtained by CBS News.
National Security, Cybersecurity, Encryption, Messaging Apps, Government
27 points by jasoncartwright 9 days ago | 5 comments
White House Reviewing Signal Use After War Plans Chat Leak (newsweek.com)
The White House is reviewing the use of messaging service Signal after a journalist was accidentally added to a group chat with senior national security team members discussing the United States' sensitive plans for air strikes on Yemen, CNN reports.
National Security, Government, Communication, Privacy
17 points by turtlegrids 10 days ago | 11 comments
Jeffrey Goldberg on being added to the group chat by Trump Administration (theatlantic.com)
The Trump administration planned its strikes on the Houthis using a group chat—and accidentally included The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg:
Politics, Journalism, Trump Administration, National Security, Group Chat
122 points by lighttower 10 days ago | 10 comments
Trump's national security adviser added journalist to chat on Yemen strike (cnn.com)
Politics, National Security, Journalism, Yemen
33 points by nradov 10 days ago | 1 comments
U.S. national-security leaders included me in a group chat (theatlantic.com)
The Trump administration planned its strikes on the Houthis using a group chat—and accidentally included The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg:
National Security, Politics, Media, Trump Administration
2280 points by _tk_ 10 days ago | 1288 comments
U.S. Finds China Building Giant Fusion Laser During Aerial Survey (wecb.fm)
In a development that has raised eyebrows worldwide, recent satellite images have revealed that China is constructing a massive fusion laser complex that could potentially surpass America’s National Ignition Facility (NIF). This new infrastructure, located in Mianyang, China, has sparked concerns about its dual-purpose potential—could it be aimed at providing clean energy, or does it also signal advancements in nuclear weapons technology? The U.S. is closely monitoring this project, which could have far-reaching implications for both energy and national security.
China, Fusion Energy, Nuclear Weapons, National Security, International Relations
6 points by bentobean 10 days ago | 0 comments
Sticking Starlink in the House Definitely Isn't a Major National Security Risk (jalopnik.com)
In a move that absolutely everyone could have seen coming, the White House now has Starlink.
National Security, Space Exploration, Technology, Government
8 points by TheAlchemist 16 days ago | 0 comments
Trump to declare 'illicit' fentanyl as 'weapon of mass destruction' per draft EO (thehandbasket.co)
The heads of the US Departments of Commerce, Defense, Justice and State received a copy of a draft executive order (EO) likely sometime last week stating that President Trump would be designating “illicit” fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, The Handbasket is first to report.
Politics, Drugs, National Security
39 points by anigbrowl 16 days ago | 34 comments
UK wants dirt on data brokers before criminals get there first (theregister.com)
The UK government is inviting experts to provide insights about the data brokerage industry and the potential risks it poses to national security as it moves to push new data-sharing legislation over the line.
Data Privacy, Government, National Security, Data Brokerage
45 points by rntn 17 days ago | 21 comments
Repealing the CHIPS Act risks US national security (ft.com)
Repealing the Chips Act risks US national security
National Security, Politics, Semiconductors, Government
43 points by jhunter1016 17 days ago | 61 comments
Drones swarming sensitive national security sites (cbsnews.com)
Last month – the head of NORAD and NORTHCOM – the military commands that defend North America – told Congress some of those mysterious drones seen flying inside the United States may indeed have been spying. He did not say for whom. 60 Minutes has been looking into a series of eerily similar incidents – going back years – including those attention getting flyovers in New Jersey recently.
Drones, National Security, Government, Military, Surveillance
10 points by worik 17 days ago | 4 comments
Doge Cuts Reach Key Nuclear Scientists, Bomb Engineers and Safety Experts (nytimes.com)
Firings and buyouts hit the top-secret National Nuclear Security Administration amid a major effort to upgrade America’s nuclear arsenal. Critics say it shows the consequences of heedlessly cutting the federal work force.
Nuclear Weapons, Government, Politics, National Security
20 points by pmags 18 days ago | 1 comments
FCC stands up Council on National Security to fight China – like CISA used to (theregister.com)
United States Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr has unveiled plans to form a Council on National Security that will combat foreign threats to American tech and telecommunications infrastructure.
National Security, Cybersecurity, Telecommunications, China, United States
5 points by mikece 18 days ago | 0 comments
Back to cash: life without money in your pocket is not the utopia Sweden hoped (theguardian.com)
Nordic countries were early adopters of digital payments. Now, electronic banking is seen as a potential threat to national security.
Sweden, Digital Payments, National Security, Financial Systems
19 points by domofutu 18 days ago | 8 comments
The US Has Invoked Alien Enemies Act (whitehouse.gov)
Tren de Aragua (TdA) is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization with thousands of members, many of whom have unlawfully infiltrated the United States and are conducting irregular warfare and undertaking hostile actions against the United States.
National Security, Terrorism, Immigration, Foreign Policy
40 points by tomohelix 19 days ago | 15 comments
Musk makes secret visit to NSA after saying agency needs overhaul (gizmodo.com)
Politics, National Security, Technology, Elon Musk
16 points by anigbrowl 21 days ago | 0 comments
Email tells USAID workers to destroy classified docs, court asked to intervene (apnews.com)
A union for U.S. Agency for International Development contractors asked a federal judge Tuesday to intervene in any destruction of classified documents after an email ordered staffers to help burn and shred agency records.
Government, Classified Information, Lawsuits, US Government, National Security
29 points by petethomas 23 days ago | 13 comments
US Army soldiers accused of selling military secrets to buyers in China (cnn.com)
National Security, Military, China, Espionage, Crime
7 points by inverted_flag 27 days ago | 2 comments
Ex-NSA boss warns job cuts will have 'devastating effect' (theregister.com)
Video Looming staffing cuts to America's security and intelligence agencies, if carried out, would "have a devastating effect on cybersecurity and our national security," former NSA bigwig Rob Joyce has told House representatives.
National Security, Cybersecurity, Government, Intelligence Agencies, Staffing
6 points by rbanffy 28 days ago | 0 comments
Superintelligence Strategy (nationalsecurity.ai)
Rapid advances in AI are beginning to reshape national security.
Artificial Intelligence, National Security, Strategy
33 points by stygiansonic 29 days ago | 62 comments
America's National Security Wonderland (americanaffairsjournal.org)
The twenty-first century was supposed to be the new American century. The Soviet Union had been defeated, and the Western model of liberalism and free markets now stood without any serious ideological or political challengers. Yet today, a mere quarter into this once promising century, the wheels are coming off the wagon.
National Security, Politics, USA
44 points by yo_yo_yo-yo 42 days ago | 43 comments