The FBI and Cisco warned that a Russian state-linked group tied to the FSB’s Center 16 has been exploiting an old Cisco IOS/IOS XE vulnerability to compromise thousands of networking devices connected to U.S. critical infrastructure, gaining long-term access for reconnaissance across sectors including telecoms, higher education, and manufacturing. The campaign, active for at least a year and affecting organizations beyond the U.S., aims to extract and sometimes alter configuration files on outdated, unpatched gear.
True Spies
The "Dreams Come True" Business
What does it take to turn an enemy into an ally?
In the 1970s, Barry Broman was a rookie CIA case officer dropped into Cambodia’s civil war. His job was not to spy, but to make spies; to spot potential informants, win their trust, and bring them over to the American side.
It was dangerous work. Phnom Penh was under siege, the embassy was shrinking fast, and the Khmer Rouge was closing in. Broman left on the last plane out. Not everyone was so lucky. One Cambodian radio operator stayed at her post until the enemy broke into her room. Her final words crackled across the radio: “They’re in the room. Goodbye.”
New mission location activated. Come test your skills.
After you complete your debrief you will receive 10 short missions to play on the streets of Covent Garden — time to put what you've learned into action.
In 1962, graphic designer Joe Caroff was paid $300 to create a logo for the first James Bond film, Dr. No. His answer, a pistol built into the “7” of 007, was meant for a press release letterhead. But it became one of cinema’s most recognizable emblems, used in every Bond film since!
Caroff’s career stretched far beyond Bond. He designed the poster for West Side Story, the guitar-twist artwork for A Hard Day’s Night, and title sequences for Rollerball and The Last Temptation of Christ. He also created logos for Orion Pictures and ABC News. The celebrated designer passed away last week, one day before his 104th birthday. Despite shaping global culture, he kept a low profile, never keeping his posters and often leaving his work unsigned.
In Kyoto, the Nijo Jinya guest house once played host to Japan’s most powerful. Some say it was built in the 19th century, others place it in the Edo era, when the Emperor in Kyoto and the Shogun in Edo vied for control. It was an uneasy balance, and Ninja spies were dispatched to keep watch.
The elegant inn near Kyoto Castle provided the perfect backdrop for lords plotting against the Shogun. To outsiders, it looked like a simple wooden building, but it held a network of secrets: concealed staircases, cupboards with back doors, soundproof hideouts for guards, and ceilings designed to stifle swordplay. A stairwell could fold into a shelf, beams could serve as ladders, and hidden watch rooms allowed eavesdropping from above.
Architect Kengo Kuma calls the inn a “paradise for Ninja,” praising the ingenuity of its wooden frame. The design showed how beauty and deception could coexist—and why spies found the walls of Nijo Jinya so accommodating. Discover more in this SPYSCAPE article.
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What if a computer could hear the voice inside your head?
Researchers at Stanford University have trained AI to decode inner monologues with striking accuracy, up to 74%. The work builds on brain-computer interfaces that already help people with paralysis communicate, but this study went further, moving from attempted speech to silent thought.
The team implanted microelectrodes into the brains of four volunteers living with ALS or the aftereffects of brainstem strokes. Participants were asked to either speak words aloud or imagine saying them. Both triggered the motor cortex, the part of the brain that drives speech, though imagined words produced weaker signals. Even so, the system managed to map those signals to a vocabulary of as many as 125,000 words.
To prevent constant monitoring, participants had to think of a password, in this case, the phrase "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", before the AI could start listening. Researchers hope the approach will lead to faster and more natural communication tools for patients who cannot speak.
Image Credit: Jim Gensheimer
Art
Kryptos Auction
What happens when an unsolved CIA mystery goes to the highest bidder?
For 35 years, the encrypted copper sculpture Kryptos has captivated code breakers from classrooms to intelligence circles. Installed at CIA headquarters in 1990, the artwork hides four passages of text, three of which have been solved. The final 97 characters, known as K4, have resisted every attempt.
Now, artist Jim Sanborn is set to part with the secret. On his 80th birthday this November, he will auction off the original, handwritten solution, transferring it to the buyer by armored vehicle. The Boston-based sale is expected to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars, with part of the proceeds going to disability programs.
The auction marks the first time the mystery’s resolution will leave Sanborn’s hands. Whether the buyer shares the answer or locks it away, the fate of one of intelligence history’s most famous puzzles will soon rest with a single individual.
Image Credit: Kryptos/Carol M. Highsmith Collection/Jim Sanborn
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