New Ultrasonic Acoustic Attack Targeting Microphones and Voice Assistants Gives Remote Access to Most Smart Devices
Researchers have developed a new ultrasonic acoustic attack that can covertly give hackers remote access to most smart devices.
Tim McMillan
Tim McMillan is a retired police lieutenant, investigative reporter and co-founder and Executive Director of The Debrief. His writing covers defense, science, and the intelligence community. You can follow him at lttimmcmillan.com and on Twitter @lttimmcmillan.
Pentagon Launches Classified Program To Reverse-Engineer and Exploit Emerging Tech and Cyber-Physical Systems
The DoD has launched a new classified program to find ways to both attack and defend emerging technologies and cyber-physical systems.
New Study Reveals Sharp Decline in American IQ Scores as the “Reverse Flynn Effect” Takes Center Stage
A new study found a sharp decline in American IQ scores in recent years, offering support for what researchers term the "Reverse Flynn Effect."
DARPA Wants to Revolutionize Amphibious Warfare By Developing An Entirely New Class of Flying Boat
DARPA announced it is moving forward with plans to develop an entirely new class of flying boat for use in amphibious military operations.
Lockheed Martin Won’t Deny The Existence of This Mysterious Hypersonic Spy Plane
Lockheed Martin continues to hint that the "Darkstar" hypersonic jet in the film Top Gun: Maverick might actually exist.
Pentagon Releases Video of Russian Fighter Jet Forcing Down U.S. Surveillance Drone
Dramatic video from the Tuesday encounter between an American MQ-9 Reaper surveillance drone and a Russian fighter jet over the Black Sea.
New Quantum Computing Study Proposes First-Ever Practical Blueprint for a Verifiable Lab-Created Transversable Wormhole
A recent study has proposed the first-ever practical blueprint for a lab-created wormhole that can verifiably bridge spacetime.
Global Allies Turn a Blind Eye to Adversarial Airborne Surveillance and UAP Despite U.S. Warnings
Despite U.S. warnings, global allies appear unconcerned by the implications of adversarial airborne surveillance or unidentified aerial phenomena.
Pentagon: No Plans To Release Images of Unidentified Objects From Recent Shootdowns
The Pentagon says it has no plans to release images of a series of unidentified objects recently shot down over the U.S. and Canada.
Webb Space Telescope’s Latest Discovery Could Completely Upend Our Current Understanding of the Universe
Images captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope lead to unexpected discovery that could upend our understanding of the universe.
Chinese Engineers Develop Transmedium Drone That Can Fly in the Air and Swim Underwater
A team of Chinese engineers have developed a new autonomous transmedium drone capable of flying in the air and swimming underwater.
AI-Controlled Fighter Jet Takes Flight, Marking an Unprecedented Breakthrough in Autonomous Aviation
In a historic first, an AI-controlled fighter jet racked up more than 17 hours of flight time while autonomously executing advanced fighter maneuvers, including simulated aerial dogfights.
White House Says Mysterious Objects Shot Down Over the U.S. and Canada Remain Unidentified
Several objects shot down over the United States and Canada within the last week remain unidentified, according to U.S. officials.
New Details on Unidentified Objects Shot Down Over the U.S. and Canada: Here’s Everything We Know
Incidents involving the shootdown of unidentified objects over North America are believed to have involved balloons carrying small payloads, officials say.
Discover the Next Generation of Human-Machine Teaming: A Pioneering Company, XTEND, is Looking To Disrupt the Drone Industry
XTEND, a pioneering technology company, looks to revolutionize the robotics industry by developing the next generation of human-machine teaming.
Pentagon Secretly Working To Unleash Massive Swarms of Autonomous Multi-Domain Drones to Dominate Enemy Defenses
The Pentagon is secretly developing a new program to unleash thousands of autonomous drones to dominate enemy defenses.
Mysterious Beams of Light and Curious Spirals: Hawaii’s Subaru-Asahi Star Camera Keeps Capturing Bizarre Scenes in the Night Sky
From eerie blue spirals to ghostly green beams of light, the Subaru star camera keeps capturing mysterious scenes in the night skies over Hawaii.
Russia Wants To Use Robotic Tanks To Combat Advanced Western Armor in Ukraine. It’s Likely a Fantasy
Russia claims it is developing a robotic tank that will be capable of destroying advanced Western battle tanks. Defense experts says that's doubtful.
Mysterious Ukrainian Kamikaze Drones Are Quietly Continuing to Launch Attacks Deep Within Russia
Ukraine has been quietly carrying out strikes deep inside Russian territory using what appears to be a mysterious new type of kamikaze drones.
Embracing Fearlessness: New Research Discovers Way To Block Fear Responses Through Electrical Stimulation of the Brain
During recent experiments, scientists discovered a way to turn prevent fear responses by providing electrical stimulation to a specific brain region.
A Chinese Invasion of Taiwan Becomes Less Likely After Recent War Games Suggests it Would Be an Incredibly Bloody and Costly Venture
Recent wargames by military experts found that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would be an extraordinarily costly campaign that would likely end in a Chinese defeat.
A Major Breakthrough Could Mean Realistic Autonomous Bird-Like Drones Are On The Horizon
Engineers working on the GRIFFIN Project recently made a significant breakthrough in developing the world's first true bird-like drones.
‘Keep Out, We’re Here’: The Moon Could Become a Chinese Territory Warns Head of NASA
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson warns that losing today's space race could mean China declaring the moon as its own sovereign territory.
Harnessing the Power of Quantum Mechanics, Physicists Discover a New Method of Observing Objects Without Looking at Them
By harnessing quantum mechanics, physicists have discovered a new way to observe objects without directly looking at them.
Some of the Most Mysterious, Bizarre, Even Terrifying, Holiday Traditions in History
Terrifying demons, pooping logs, and peasant kings hosting drunken parties, The Debrief discusses some of the most bizarre and terrifying holiday traditions.
FBI Warns of “Horrific Increases” In Sextortion Schemes That Have Already Victimized Thousands of Children Online
The FBI issued a stark warning about a "horrific increase" in children being targeted in sextortion schemes, which has already victimized thousands of youths.
Scientists Develop First-Ever Long-Lasting Synthetic-Biological Armor Capable of Stopping Supersonic Projectiles
Researchers have created a new long-lasting synthetic-biological material capable of absorbing impacts from supersonic projectiles that could revolutionize the future of armor.
The Strange Tale of Russia’s UFO Wonder Weapons Based on “New Physical Principles”
For over a decade Russia has been talking about developing "weapons based on new physical principles." An idea that apparently has its origins in the belief of UFOs.
Ignorant and Overconfident: Scholars of The Popular ‘Dunning-Kruger Effect’ Win Prestigious Psychology Award
A prestigious academic award was issued to scholars behind the popular "Dunning-Kruger Effect," the psychology theory that says sometimes people are too stupid to know their stupid.
A “Quantum Brain” Could Solve The Hard Problem of Consciousness, New Research Suggests
New research claims to have observed quantum entanglement in the brain, suggesting that a "quantum brain" might solve the hard problem of consciousness.
Collective Intelligence: New Research Examines The Wisdom of Flocks
New research demonstrates how hierarchy and democracy come together to allow some animal flocks to achieve collective intelligence.
Russia Left Behind a Trove of Classified Intelligence During its Retreat From Kherson
During its hasty retreat from Kherson, Russia's security services apparently left behind critical classified documents, which have now been seized by Ukraine's SBU.
Is Ayahuasca Safe? New Research Examines Risks Linked to the Ancient Psychedelic Brew
New research examines the adverse health effects of consuming ayahuasca, with results offering a nuanced view of the ancient psychedelic drink.
Group Turning Downed Russian Aircraft Into Unique Collectibles To Help Raise Money For Ukraine
A group of Ukrainian aviation enthusiasts are raising funds for Ukraine's defense by making collectable tags from downed Russian aircraft.
A Bold Solution To a Quantum Mystery: Does a “Game” Between Observer and Nature Define Existence?
A newly proposed solution to a long-held quantum mystery could indicate existence is really determined by a "game" between the observer and nature.
Has “Putin’s Chef” and Wagner Boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Become a Challenge To the House of Putin?
Recently stepping out of the shadows to become the "face of the Russia's Ukraine invasion," is "Putin's Chef," Yevgeny Prigozhin, now a threat to the House of Putin?
Destruction of Putin’s Bridge to Crimea – Here’s What We Know So Far
An explosion tore through the Kerch bridge this morning, crippling Russia's link to occupied Crimea. Here is the latest and how this incredible attack was possibly carried out.
Suspicious Drones Seen Over German Military Sites Training Ukrainian Soldiers
A rash of suspicious drone activity near German military bases training Ukrainian soldiers raises concerns over possible Russian espionage.
Is Consciousness Really a Memory System For Our Interactions With Reality? New Research Says Maybe.
A new study proposes a novel theory of consciousness as a memory system that records our unconscious interactions with reality.
China Offers First Close-Up View of Its Secretive GJ-11 “Sharp Sword” Stealth Drone
China just offered a rare, first close-up view of its secretive GJ-11 stealth drone, which strongly resembles the U.S.'s RQ-170.
Annexation Won’t Help Russian Industry Recover Staggering Losses of Military Drones, Moscow Admits
Annexation of Ukrainian territory will do nothing to solve Moscow's military woes, including Russian industry's inability to produce military drones.
U.S. Intel Community Is Looking To Expand Its Understanding of “Cyberpsychological” Warfare
The U.S. Intelligence Community's high-risk/high-payoff brain trust, IARPA, recently put out the word that it wants to better explore "cyberpsychological warfare."
Why Do Influential Russians Keep Mysteriously Dying?
In the past few months over a dozen influential Russians have mysteriously died. What the heck is going on?
It’s Classified! A Deep Dive Into the Dark World of Keeping Secrets
The Debrief takes a deep dive into the dark world of government secrecy, including everything to know about the system surrounding classified information.
Russian Spy Successfully Infiltrated NATO Command Circles, Stunning Report Reveals
A bombshell investigative report by an international collective of journalists reveals a Russian spy who was able to successfully infiltrate top NATO Command Circles.
Ukrainian Army to Receive “Black Hornet” Military Micro-Drones
Ukraine is set to receive some "Black Hornet" military micro-drones, described as a "spy plane that fits in your hand."
Possible Alien “Water World” Discovered 100 Light-Years From Earth
A team of scientists have announced the discovery of a possible alien water world that, in astronomical terms, is relatively close to Earth’s backyard.
Radioactive Rock Accidently Found in High School Storage Room
A science teacher recently made a surprise discovery when they stumbled upon a radioactive rock, tucked away in a high school storage room.
The Intel Community Looks to Improve Its Ability To Spy Objects in Space
The U.S. Intel Community wants the ability to spy objects smaller than 10cm, traveling 22,500 mph, in space.
Massive Megalithic Complex Discovered in Southern Spain
Archaeologists discover a massive megalithic complex on land initially set to become an avocado plantation in southern Spain.