Why ‘bad’ ads appear on ‘good’ websites – a computer scientist explains

Sketchy ads, like those for miracle weight loss pills and suspicious-looking software, sometimes appear on legitimate, well-regarded websites. It turns out that most websites don’t actually...

Mismanaged cloud services put user data at risk

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Organizations’ failure to properly manage the servers they lease from cloud service...

How QR codes work and what makes them dangerous – a computer scientist explains

Among the many changes brought about by the pandemic is the widespread use of QR codes, graphical representations of digital data that can be printed and...

Local governments are attractive targets for hackers and are ill-prepared

President Joe Biden on March 21, 2022, warned that Russian cyberattacks on U.S. targets are likely, though the government has not identified a specific threat. Biden...

New data-sharing requirements from the National Institutes of Health are a big step toward more open science – and potentially higher-quality research

Starting on Jan. 25, 2023, many of the 2,500 institutions and 300,000 researchers that the U.S. National Institutes of Health supports will need to provide a...

How to investigate when a robot causes an accident – and why it’s important that we do

Robots are featuring more and more in our daily lives. They can be incredibly useful (bionic limbs, robotic lawnmowers, or robots which deliver meals to people...

A car called Keith: Why we give objects human characteristics

Older Americans are given the wrong idea about online safety – here’s how to help them help themselves

Recently, the U.S. Social Security Administration sent out an email to subscribers of its official blog explaining how to access social security statements online. Most people...

Open-source intelligence: how digital sleuths are making their mark on the Ukraine war

For months now, a large and very active community of digital sleuths has been closely tracking the escalating crisis in Ukraine. These people have been using...

Microsoft announces new research and technology to make hybrid work work

REDMOND, Wash. — March 16, 2022 — On Wednesday, Microsoft Corp. released its second annual Work Trend Index report, “Great Expectations: Making Hybrid Work Work.” The company also...