Thomas Rid

Disinformation—or Active Measures, in old-school intelligence terms—is as old as modern intelligence agencies. The rise of disinformation was linked to the ideological clashes that defined the 20th century, and the entire Cold War. As the Soviet Union went down, the internet went up. And after a short hiatus, disinformation was back with a vengeance. This class explores the history, evolution, and metamorphosis of disinformation over the past century.

Cybersecurity is one of the 21st century’s top security concerns. Modern societies rely on the internet, connected devices, and computer-controlled systems, including infrastructure with life—critical applications. The class provides a solid foundation for tomorrow’s leaders to come to terms with one of the most challenging new areas of national security. INFOSEC I and II are offered as a two-term class (INFOSEC I a prerequisite for INFOSEC II). It covers cybersecurity from farm to table starting with the big-picture cyberwar debate; moves to “101” sessions on The Internet, Cryptography, Network Forensics, Industrial Control Systems, Mobile Security, and Open Source Intelligence; and then applies these new tools to higher-level discussions (Attribution, Commercial Espionage, Bulk Collection, Crypto Anarchy, Cyber Crime, Disinformation, Deterrence, and Legal Aspects). Moving from technical to political levels of analysis, this focus is a no-nonsense approach to the politics of cybersecurity and focuses on a triad of technical detail, history, and conceptual clarity. Optional technical labs are organized by students. Students translate between technical and political spheres, and will move into the digital forensics and threat intelligence fields after completing this class. Coursework requirements are term-specific. It is possible for students to take only the fall term (INFOSEC I). Preference will be given to students who commit to both INFOSEC I & II. Note: no technical background is required. Willingness to learn fast and invest time to understand some technical foundations of cybersecurity. Bring a laptop into class (you must be able to install software; any OS is fine).