Category: Content Series

Behind the rise of ransomware

By John Sakellariadis

Between 2016 and 2019, cybercriminals shifted from automated ransomware campaigns that emphasized scale to targeted extortion operations against organizations. This adaption made ransomware more disruptive and more profitable, culminating in the 2021 surge in ransomware. Though the US government has devoted more attention to ransomware since 2021, ransomware remains a significant and long-term threat to the US economy.

AC Selects: Former US Secretary of Defense, Ukraine Minister of Defense, and Siemens CEO talk war in Ukraine

Events from week of July 22 and July 29, 2022 Over the previous two weeks, the Atlantic Council hosted Mark T. Esper, the 27th US Secretary of Defense to discuss the four-day Atlantic Council transatlantic delegation trip to Taiwan, Oleksii Reznikov, Minister of Defense of Ukraine to assess the nature of Russia’s war of aggression […]

Russian War Report: Russia minimizes Ukrainian damage of strategic bridge in Kherson

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

Russian downplays damage done by Ukrainian forces to a strategic bridge in Kherson while planning to annex occupied parts of Ukraine.

Cooperation with China: Challenges and opportunities

By Michael Schuman, David O. Shullman

Cooperation with China should focus on areas where our interests still align and where we can keep Beijing grounded in the international system. Like-minded allies and partners must pair such efforts with commitments to defend against China’s violations of international norms, impose costs on irresponsible behavior, and strengthen themselves and current global institutions to compete effectively and uphold liberal values.

Keeping everyone in the club: How sanctions complicate the Bretton Woods Institutions’ job

By Mrugank Bhusari, Maia Nikoladze, Amin Mohseni-Cheraghlou

With a voting majority at the Bretton Woods Institutions, the G7 and EU can collectively ask the institutions to comply with their sanctions. This is complicating the IMF and World Bank's functions.

Hackers, Hoodies, and Helmets: Technology and the changing face of Russian private military contractors

By Emma Schroeder, Gavin Wilde, Justin Sherman, and Trey Herr

This issue brief explores the technological capabilities of Russian private military companies and how they are used across various types of missions in support of and in parallel with Russian policy.