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OpenAI appoints former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to new national security post

OpenAI has hired Dan Driscoll, who previously served as U.S. Secretary of the Army, as senior counselor for national security modernization, a newly created position. He will work with OpenAI's leadership and outside partners on applying AI to national security and cybersecurity, including helping allied nations adopt the technology responsibly.

Senate Democrats report decline in women holding top national security posts under Trump

Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee released a report finding that women hold fewer top national security positions under the Trump administration, noting only four women currently serve in Cabinet roles. The report compiles data on senior appointments across national security agencies to highlight the gender makeup of the administration.

Researcher Colin Percival disclosed cache-timing side-channel attack on RSA in 2005

A security researcher found that cache timing information leaked enough data to reconstruct a full RSA private key, and spent six months privately coordinating with vendors before going public. He presented the findings at BSDCan on May 13, 2005, with advisories issued around the same time by FreeBSD, NetBSD, Red Hat, SCO and Ubuntu. Intel reportedly pressured Yahoo to have him withdraw the paper, but Yahoo noted it had no employment relationship with him to leverage.

Trump proclamation labels imported factory robots a national security risk

President Trump signed an October 28 proclamation declaring imports of foreign-made industrial robots a threat to national security, directing new negotiations with trading partners and leaving open the possibility of future tariffs. The order cites a Commerce Department investigation under Secretary Howard Lutnick that found such imports pose risks to the US industrial base and create cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Major manufacturers including GM, Ford, Tesla, Boeing and Lockheed Martin rely heavily on these imported robots for production.

FCC's foreign-router ban leaves Davolink's Minions-themed devices in limbo

The FCC added routers made in foreign countries to its Covered List on March 23, following a national security determination from a White House-convened interagency body. Devices on the list cannot receive FCC authorization needed for US sale, though Davolink's Kevin and Bob routers, authorized before the listing, can still be sold and used, with software updates permitted at least until January 1, 2029. Netgear, Eero and ASUS have since received temporary Conditional Approvals from the Pentagon or DHS, but Davolink has not said whether it has applied for one.

Democrats Say Trump Administration Withholding Data on Surveillance Abuses

Senior Democratic lawmakers say the Trump administration is refusing to disclose information about abuses of a government surveillance authority currently under congressional debate. They argue that details lawmakers need to evaluate the program are being kept from public and congressional view.

Federal government bans DeepSeek AI app from devices and networks

The US government has prohibited the use of DeepSeek, the Chinese AI chatbot, on government devices and networks. The move cites national security and data-privacy concerns tied to the app's Chinese ownership.

DHS Orders Federal Agencies to Remove DeepSeek AI Products, China Protests

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has directed federal civilian agencies to strip DeepSeek and any third-party products built on its technology from their IT systems, according to a notice dating from late July that was made public this week. The order also bars agencies from procuring DeepSeek products going forward, citing concerns that the Chinese company's servers could expose sensitive U.S. data to Chinese authorities. Beijing responded through Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, who said China would defend its companies' rights and accused Washington of politicizing technology issues under the guise of national security.

Prosecutors say Saudi-linked engineer had royal family ties in OpenAI bugging case

US prosecutors allege that Abdulrahman Alfozan, a former OpenAI engineer charged with planting a hidden recording device in a company meeting room, had 'frequent communication' with a member of the Saudi royal family and received financial support from a Saudi military official. Court filings state a Saudi official paid for a one-way flight for Alfozan's wife and son back to Saudi Arabia after his arrest, and that the couple had booked one-way tickets for themselves before he was detained by the FBI on October 9. Prosecutors argue these ties make him a flight risk and are seeking his continued detention pending trial.

OpenAI employee charged by FBI with planting hidden camera in executive meeting room

The FBI arrested and the Justice Department charged Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi national and OpenAI product team employee since July 2025, with illegally using a device to intercept oral communications. Investigators say he hid a thumb-sized camera and microphone board inside a TV port in a restricted executive conference room, and left a second device with his wallet and ID in a printer room. OpenAI says it found the first device on September 30, alerted the FBI, and fired Alfozan before his arrest on October 9.

OpenAI, Anthropic hire former Trump administration officials for senior roles

Anthropic has appointed at least two former Trump officials this year, including one to its board and another to lead its frontier compute strategy, while OpenAI has hired at least three ex-administration officials for strategy and special projects. The hiring comes as AI companies seek closer ties to the Trump White House amid regulatory pressure and security concerns, following a court ruling that upheld a Pentagon designation of Anthropic as a supply-chain risk.

National Security Archive: CIA funded right-wing Mexican student groups before 1968 massacre

Researchers at Washington's National Security Archive say declassified CIA records show the agency ran at least five projects over two decades to influence student politics in Mexico, including funding right-wing groups like MURO and the IISE and working through ties to Mexican security officials Fernando GutiƩrrez Barrios and Miguel Nazar Haro. The findings, drawn from a partially declassified 539-page internal CIA history, were reported by La Jornada reporters Jim Cason and David Brooks, who note the agency still withholds key documents about its role around the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre.