cybersecurity

In the Media

Ali comments on risk of using Signal for sensitive government information

Mar 28, 2025 USA Today

Javed Ali, Ford School professor, discussed with USA Today the signal groupchat that was publicly released. He said, "you certainly don't want those details being revealed in any kind of public form because you are putting the force at risk." More...

In the Media

Moynihan raises alarms over Musk's seize of government IT systems

Feb 5, 2025 Vox

As DOGE leader Elon Musk taps into government IT systems, it is unclear what the exact intent is for gaining access to information from agencies such as the Treasury, Office of Personal Management, and Small Business Administration. "Just from an...

In the Media

Ali on CIA official leaking classified documents

Nov 13, 2024 USA Today

Javed Ali, Ford School professor, says “This is not a good-news story for the CIA,” about a CIA official being charged with leaking documents about Israeli strike on Iran. Ali also highlighted the vulnerabilities in the US system of keeping...

News

Ford School hosts FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate for election security discussion

Oct 23, 2024

In a wide-ranging conversation, FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate and Ford School Associate Professor of Practice Javed Ali spoke about the agency’s evolving role in safeguarding U.S. elections, how they have adapted to cyber-security threats, and the...

Deputy Director Paul Abbate talks with Javed Ali, associate professor of practice

In the Media

Ali addresses Iranian cyber attack against Trump

Sep 6, 2024 NBC News

Ford School professor Javed Ali talked with NBC news about the Iranian cyber operation against Donal Trump. He said “I’m sure they didn’t send the whole treasure trove over,” and they are likely holding on to the information they have gathered from...

In the Media

Ali on Iran's interference in US election

Aug 29, 2024 Marketplace

Ford School professor, Javed Ali, said in response to Iran's attacks on American elections infrastructure, "This is just the latest evolution of what they’ve already been doing for that stretch of time." Ali likened it to what Russia did in 2016 by...

News

Yurtayeva calls for action against Russian cyber attacks

Dec 12, 2023

Russia is using “cyberaggression” as an essential element in its invasion of Ukraine. Cyber attacks have been targeted at critical infrastructure, at Ukrainian government agencies, and have been used to disseminate disinformation about the war...

Publication

Axelrod autobiography gives insight to his “Passion for Cooperation”

Nov 10, 2023

Ford School professor emeritus Robert Axelrod has had a 50-year career that has made him what some people have called “one of the most influential social scientists of his generation.” After being recognized by President Kennedy for being a...

News

International media tap Ali’s wide-ranging expertise on cybersecurity, domestic terrorism, and global security

Jun 20, 2023

Ford School professor Javed Ali has called upon his experience from years in the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to give insights into many of the world’s most pressing...

In the Media

FBI warning about public USB charging ports shows sophistication - Ali

Apr 11, 2023 ABC News

Javed Ali, ABC News: "The tweet's message that public USB ports have been used by 'bad actors' as points of origin to load malware or spyware on electronic devices connected to those public charging stations suggests a fairly high level of technical...

News

FBI Director Christopher Wray to visit the University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy

Nov 16, 2022

Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray will visit the University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy on Friday, December 2 as the 2022 Josh Rosenthal Memorial Speaker. In 2002, the Ford School received a gift...

FBI Director Christopher Wray speaking at podium

In the Media

Ali calls for U.S. to build stronger cybersecurity strategy

Oct 27, 2022 The Cipher Brief

Javed Ali, The Cipher Brief: "Going forward, the White House must balance the demands of getting full buy-in from a diverse range of government and industry partners on something as important as a new strategy, while acknowledging that the velocity,...

In the Media

Ali advises on how to react to a data breach

Oct 16, 2022 Governing

Javed Ali, Governing: "You may want to protect, or not completely reveal, either the attack method or even how the attack was detected. Knowing the sources and methods can give adversaries insight and...

Alumni spotlight

Katie D’Hondt Brooks (BA ‘12) creates a safer digital world and develops people-focused solutions

Mar 30, 2022

After Katie D’Hondt Brooks (BA ‘12) graduated from the Ford School, she worked at Partnership for Public Service where she managed a set of programs meant to inspire the next generation to pursue careers in public service. She thought she would work...

News

Ford School experts weigh in on Russian invasion of Ukraine

Feb 25, 2022

As the Russian military surrounded and began its assault on Ukraine, Melvyn Levitsky, professor of international policy and practice, and Javed Ali, associate professor of practice, lent their expertise to numerous media outlets to break down the...

Weill Hall entrance with "Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy" etched into the glass

In the Media

Ali on threats against educators

Nov 16, 2021 The Wall Street Journal

A recent FBI internal memo instructed heads of the agency’s criminal and counterterrorism divisions to flag all assessments and investigations into potentially criminal threats, harassment and intimidation of educators with a “threat tag." "It’s...

News

Ali on rising security issues at home and abroad

Nov 11, 2021

On election security as a national security issue Javed Ali and a bipartisan group of former national security officials recently co-signed a letter urging Congress to take more action against the security threat of election...

News

Ali comments on Russian cyberattack

Oct 27, 2021

Javed Ali explained what happened in the most recent Russian cyberattack. "What Microsoft disclosed at a threat conference over the weekend is that the Russian security service, known as the FDR, which has been responsible for launching a series...

News

Learning and serving - P3E students report on research projects across Michigan

Jul 16, 2021

While still operating in a mostly-virtual, hybrid academic world, Ford School students were able to learn and serve during the Spring Term through the Program in Practical Policy Engagement (P3E) and its Practical Community Learning Projects (PCLP)....

News

Green takes a look at tech ethics

Jun 15, 2021

Technology companies have been at the center of many public controversies recently—from hacking threats and data security to fake news and manipulating algorithms. Do the ethics of technological advancement—"tech ethics"—have any influence on the...

News

Ali pushes for 'transparent revolution in cybersecurity'

Jun 13, 2021

Criminals are getting more sophisticated in their use of technology: in the past year, cyberattacks have increased 300%. Javed Ali, incoming associate professor of practice, provided some insight on these attacks. "Unfortunately, even though...

News

Ali comments on Russian cyberattacks

Jun 6, 2021

Russia continues to launch cyberattacks against the U.S., and Javed Ali says it doesn't look like it will stop anytime soon. "Russia does not yet seem to be deterred from launching a whole slew of operations against the United States," Ali...

In the Media

Ali calls for increased sanctions to prevent aggressive cyber-attacks

Dec 18, 2020 Mother Jones

If the hacks can be tied back to Moscow, they are just the latest in a string of significant and aggressive cyber operations perpetrated by elements of the Russian government against local, state, and federal governments and corporate entities. “We...

In the Media

Ali says cyber-attacks show US vulnerabilities

Dec 17, 2020 ABC News

"It raises serious questions about the level of US defensive measures against cyber-attacks, as the vulnerabilities exploited in this latest attack crossed over into both private industry cyber tools and federal ones--neither of which were able to...

News

Students to examine cyber attack threats to elections, infrastructure, national security

Aug 20, 2020

The National Counterintelligence and Security Center highlights an array of threats to Americans that could come from cyberattacks by U.S. adversaries, including Russia, China and Iran. According to the government's experts, these countries and...

Alumni spotlight

John Guerriero (MPP ‘17) urges governors' cybersecurity response to pandemic-related cyberattacks

May 22, 2020

COVID-19-themed cyberattacks are on the rise due to an exponential increase in telework and an opportunity to exploit fear during the pandemic. Ford School alum John Guerriero (MPP ‘17) and his team at the National Governors Association Center for...

Cyberattacks are major risk in elections, warns Ford School PhD

Nov 14, 2018

Data security is a hot topic in many aspects of life, including elections. Ford School doctoral student Nadiya Kostyuk’s recent research explores the pervasive threat that lies in the increasing ease of cyberattacks and how it could impact...

William G. Rich says U.S. sanctions on Iran should have banks investing in cybersecurity

Nov 7, 2018

With the imminent threat of re-imposing sanctions on Iran, Ford School alumnus William G. Rich (MPP '09) says U.S. banks should buckle down on security—cybersecurity, that is. In his October 25, 2018, op-ed for Bloomberg, Rich details the danger...

Kostyuk co-authors Lawfare piece on “Evaluating the U.K.’s ‘Active Cyber Defence’ program”

Feb 21, 2018

Stuart Russell and Nadiya Kostyuk co-authored a February 14 piece for the Lawfare Blog: “Evaluating the U.K.’s ‘Active Cyber Defence’ program.” Kostyuk is a doctoral candidate in the Ford School’s public policy and political science joint PhD...

Kostyuk explores potential for North Korea to use cyberattacks as force multiplier

Dec 4, 2017

In an op-ed published in the Washington Post's "Monkey Cage," Would cyberattacks be likely in a U.S.- North Korea conflict? Here's what we know, Ford School doctoral candidate Nadiya Kostyuk and U-M professor Yuri Zhukov (political science) explore...