Breaking trust: Shades of crisis across an insecure software supply chain

Issue Brief Mar 21, 2025

To win the AI race, the US needs an all-of-the-above energy strategy

By Joseph Webster

To ensure US AI leadership, the United States must harness all forms of energy, allow a level playing field, and remove red tape constraining the buildout of critical enablers, especially transmission lines and grid enhancing technologies.
Artificial Intelligence China
Breaking trust: Shades of crisis across an insecure software supply chain

MENASource Feb 26, 2025

How the Houthis’ strikes on US MQ-9 Reaper drones serve a wider regional agenda

By Leonardo Jacopo Maria Mazzucco

The United States needs to adjust its drone deployment strategy to ensure that MQ-9 Reapers are less vulnerable to the militant group’s attacks. 
Defense Policy Defense Technologies
Breaking trust: Shades of crisis across an insecure software supply chain

New Atlanticist Feb 18, 2025

What’s missing from the AI debate? Patience.

By Trey Herr

The AI sector is evolving quickly, fueled by a self-reinforcing cycle of investment, commentary, and ambition. In this race for compute, patience is important to sorting out sustainable innovation from speculative excess.
Artificial Intelligence Defense Technologies

The Atlantic Council Technology Programs comprises five existing efforts—the Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab), the GeoTech Center, the Cyber Statecraft Initiative, the Democracy + Tech Initiative, and the Capacity Building Initiative. These operations work together to address the geopolitical implications of technology and provide policymakers and global stakeholders necessary research, insights, and convenings to address challenges around global technology and ensure its responsible advancement.

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Content

Report

Jul 26, 2020

Breaking trust: Shades of crisis across an insecure software supply chain

By Dr. Trey Herr, William Loomis, Stewart Scott, June Lee

Software supply chain security remains an under-appreciated domain of national security policymaking. Working to improve the security of software supporting private sector enterprise as well as sensitive Defense and Intelligence organizations requires more coherent policy response together industry and open source communities.

Cybersecurity Defense Technologies

Feature

Jul 26, 2020

App stores in focus

By Trey Herr, June Lee, Will Loomis, and Stewart Scott

App stores and hubs are a popular target for software supply chain attacks on large numbers of users, exploiting trust in proprietary app ecosystems and the security of storefronts like Play Store and App Store.

Cybersecurity Technology & Innovation

Feature

Jul 26, 2020

Deep impact: States and software supply chain attacks

By Trey Herr, June Lee, Will Loomis, and Stewart Scott

States have used software supply chain attacks to great effect. Hijacked updates have routinely delivered the most crippling state-backed attacks, thanks in part to a continued failure to secure the code-signing process.

China Cybersecurity

Trackers and Data Visualizations

Jul 26, 2020

Software supply chain security: The dataset

By Will Loomis, Stewart Scott, Trey Herr, Sara Ann Brackett, Nancy Messieh, and June Lee

Want to dive deeper into the Breaking Trust database? You have come to the right place.

Cybersecurity Technology & Innovation

In the News

Jul 26, 2020

David Bray on #LeadersWhoCare

By Atlantic Council

Dr. David Bray was recently interviewed on the the #LeadersWhoCare video series by Matt Sadovnick. As Mr. Sadovnick explained, "Leading transformation in novel, often messy, chaotic situations requiring both new business models and successful strategies to deliver intelligent, reasoned results." Despite his extensive experience Dr. Bray reiterated that what makes him a great leader is his capacity to learn from others: "I don't have all the answers, but I'm willing to ask the interesting questions and learn from others."

Economy & Business Entrepreneurship

In the News

Jul 24, 2020

The geopolitics of digital identity: Dr. David Bray and Lord Tim Clement Jones

By Atlantic Council

Lord Tim Clement Jones, Geotech fellow, and Dr. David Bray, director of the Geotech Center, discussed the issue of digital identity in a recent event at the IdentityNorth Summit. Lord Jones pointed out how technologies for securely connecting an individual’s digital presence to their identity are not new, but have yet to be applied at a national scale, or in a universal manner that would be necessary to maximize their impact. He recognized, though, that certain applications of digital identity technology might be of concern to ordinary people; though he might be comfortable using his digital identity as part of the United Kingdom Parliament’s new system for MPs to vote, the average citizen might take concern with their votes being tabulated digitally, or being connected to other facets of their online identity.

Cybersecurity Digital Policy

Blog Post

Jul 23, 2020

What world post COVID-19?: A conversation with Mr. Greg Lindsay

By Peter Engelke, Anca Agachi

Greg Lindsay, director of applied research at NewCities, outlines the implications of the pandemic for the future of cities and shares suggestions for how communities could emerge from this crisis stronger than before.

Civil Society Climate Change & Climate Action

GeoTech Cues

Jul 23, 2020

#GoodTechChoices: Addressing unjust uses of data against marginalized communities

By Nikhil Raghuveera and Tom Koch (Guest Author)

Data has been weaponized against marginalized communities. Now, it must be transformed to be a force for good.

Civil Society Economy & Business

Blog Post

Jul 23, 2020

The future of global supply chains post COVID-19

By Asia Security Initiative and Global Business and Economics Program

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is reverberating throughout economies across the globe. As states begin to recover, a key question for the post-pandemic order is to what extent existing high-tech supply chains will be reshuffled or uprooted, particularly amid intensifying strategic competition between the United States and China.

China Economy & Business

Event Recap

Jul 23, 2020

Event recap | Identifying and fixing disruptions to the global food system

By Henry Westerman

On Thursday, July 16, 2020, the GeoTech Center a discussion about food security and creating a disruption-proof agricultural industry. The panel, moderated by Dr. David Bray, Director of the Atlantic Council’s GeoTech Center, considered the current weaknesses in the global food landscape, both within developing countries and more developed economies as well as what could be done to fix such issues.

Economy & Business Entrepreneurship
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Experts

Millennium fellow

Becky Waite

Head of Global Response, OpenAI

Millennium Leadership Program

Europe & Eurasia Politics & Diplomacy

Millennium fellow

Arvid Bell

CEO and Co-Founder, Anadyr Horizon

Millennium Leadership Program

Central Asia Economy & Business

Millennium fellow

Alexandra Clare

CEO and Co-Founder, Re:Coded

Millennium Leadership Program

Education Europe & Eurasia

Millennium fellow

Ala’a Kolkaila

Belfer Center Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School, Sloan Fellow - MBA'25, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Millennium Leadership Program

Economy & Business Middle East

Fellow

Cole McFaul

Nonresident Fellow

Global China Hub

Artificial Intelligence China

Fellow

Dan Hart

Nonresident Senior Fellow

GeoTech Center

Space
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Events

Public Event Wed, October 8, 2025 • 9:00 am ET

2025 Energy & Defense Summit
Defense Policy Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance Geopolitics & Energy Security