Joseph Marks
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Journalist based in Amman. Previously: @washingtonpost @politico @nextgov DM for Signal etc. Perennial English major. Iowa born.
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Articles by Joseph Marks
Messengers: who we listen to, who we don't, and why
Why are self-confident ignoramuses so often believed? Why are thoughtful experts so often given the cold shoulder? And why do apparently irrelevant details such as a person’s height, their relative wealth, or their Facebook photo influence whether or not we trust what they are saying? These are just some of the questions that behavioural experts Steve Martin and Joseph Marks tackle in their new book Messengers: Who We Listen To, Who We Don’t, and Why which they will discuss in this talk.
Government layoffs are making us less safe in cyberspace, experts fear
Skip to content SPECIAL The risk for cyber or U.S. critical infrastructure attacks in Iran conflict | READ MORE → By Joseph Marks • Aug 02, 2025 When the Trump administration took office in January, it inherited a precarious cyber threat environment in which years of investments in defense had failed to curb the threat from Russia, China and other U.S. adversaries.
Government layoffs are making us less safe in cyberspace, experts fear Original
When the Trump administration took office in January, it inherited a precarious cyber threat environment in which years of investments in defense had failed to curb the threat from Russia, China and other U.S. adversaries.
Why Iowa’s 2020 caucus flop still haunts the civic tech world
For Iowa Democrats and for makers of campaign and voting technology, there was the world as it existed before the 2020 Iowa caucuses and then there was the world after. In the before times, Iowa was a major player in Democratic politics. It was a mecca for presidential hopefuls who flocked to diners and county fairs to practice retail politics in advance of the first-in-the-nation caucuses.
Jackson County Native Joseph Studies Abroad in Argentina
For approximately a month beginning on May 18th, I studied abroad in the Republic of Argentina with the Kentucky Institute for International Studies, commonly called KIIS. I had the privilege of taking this trip because my college, Berea College is a part of the consortium. I spent the vast majority of my time in the capital city, Buenos Aires which is over 5,200 miles from home here in Jackson County. I took two classes, one in Computer Science, and the other in Psychology.
Sen. King wants regular reports from Cyber Command on election security Original
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! I'm light on chatter today, so chat amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic: The firewall is neither fire nor a wall. Discuss. Below: Russian hacking is continuing and widespread despite the Ukraine war, Microsoft says, and a major privacy bill is imperiled without support from a key senator. Angus King wants transparency on election threats with regular reports from Cybercom Sen.
Threats against election workers could have bad consequences
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to the Cybersecurity 202! The Vatican Galileo Galilei to recant his view that the earth revolves around the sun on this day in 1633. The Catholic Church apologized in 1992. Below: Chinese government documents show an expanding surveillance state, and day-care apps are "dangerously insecure," a study says. The Jan.
Trump's false election claims made it tougher to talk about election security
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! I hope everyone is looking forward to a nice Juneteenth weekend. We'll see you back here Tuesday. Here's " I, too" by Langston Hughes, a great D.C. poet before he moved to New York. Below: The United Kingdomordered WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange extradited to the United States, andDutch authorities say they caught a Russian spy at the war crimes court.
Anticipated Roe reversal brings a wave of data security reforms
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! Happy Bloomsday to those who celebrate! May your day be half as eventful as Leopold Bloom 's when he wandered the streets of Dublin on this day in 1904. Below: The leader of Wisconsin Republicans' partisan election review is in legal hot water, and House Democrats are pushing for $400 million in state election security grants - with some strings attached.
A plan to strip Huawei from rural telecoms is still short billions Original
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! Congratulations to Canada and Denmark for peacefully ending their 49-year border spat over a barren Arctic island. Below: A 2020 election denier is the GOP nominee to lead elections in Nevada, and the White House warns of 'serious' security concerns about a U.S. company's proposal to buy NSO hacking tools.
Some of Trump's nuttiest election lies were around voting machines
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! Happy Flag Day! Here's something to be proud of: The U.S. flag has than any other nation's flag. Brazil's flag comes in second with 27 stars compared to our 50 stars and Uzbekistan has 12. Alas, Malaysia's flag beats ours when it comes to stripes. It has compared with our 13.
An Indianapolis homicide fuels criticisms of digital tracking devices Original
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! I've spent a lot of time with reporters at bars but somehow only this weekend learned about how the Chicago Sun-Times bought a bar so its reporters could go undercover as bartenders and catch city inspectors accepting bribes. Below: Today's January 6 hearing will focus on Trump's false claims about election hacking and fraud, and fresh evidence suggests that a Trump ally breached an election system in Georgia.
Snowden leaks ushered in an era of digital anxiety
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! Was the 1999 film " Fight Club " overrated? Or was it merely esteemed so high that it was tough to meet the high expectations? Is there a difference? Below: Georgia's top election official will testify before the Jan. 6 committee, and Russia is renewing its warnings about U.S. cyberattacks.
App makers are scooping up kids' data with few real checks
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! I unfortunately didn't make it to the RSA cyber conference this year. For everyone who's there, I hope you're ending at least one night with some dandan noodles in Chinatown and a walk to see the sea lions at Pier 39 - a close-to-perfect San Francisco evening. Below: Israel wants the controversial spyware firm NSO removed from a U.S. export ban, and abortion providers are racing to protect their data ahead of a Roe v.
Another 2020 election denier will be on November's ballot
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! Architect Frank Lloyd Wright was born on this day in 1867. If you're in the D.C. area, the Fallingwater house in southwest Pennsylvania that he designed is a wonderful day trip. Here's a great song (partly) about his work by Conor Oberst. Below: Congress asked the Justice Department about updating a major hacking law, and a Spanish judge will go to Israel to seek an interview with a top NSO executive.
Elevated cyber threats are the 'new normal'
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! Judd Apatow's George Carlin documentary on HBO is a triumph and a great history lesson. I highly recommend it. Here's one of Carlin's best moments from late in his career. Below: The Supreme Court wants the Biden administration to weigh in on WhatsApp's lawsuit against NSO, and another election denier is poised to be a GOP nominee to lead elections - in New Mexico this time.
The U.S. isn't getting ahead of the cyber threat, experts say
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! Allied troops stormed the beaches at Normandy 78 years ago today. There are probably more movies about World War II than any other event. " The Best Years of Our Lives " about returning veterans is among the best. Below: A long-awaited privacy proposal's prospects are uncertain, and Trump allies suggested having armed private contractors seize voting machines after the 2020 election.
Here's a plan for wooing more cyber pros to work for the government
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! Hat tip to the Wall Street Journal's Dustin Volz for this fine anecdote about Carl Bernstein planting a phony obituary in The Post when he was a young Washington Evening Star reporter. A housekeeping note: There's no Friday newsletter this week. We'll be back in your inbox Monday.
Hopes of Russian help on ransomware are officially dead
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! It seems like Portland, Ore.-based author Nancy Crampton Brophy - who was recently convicted of murdering her husband - did herself no favors by penning an essay titled "How to Murder Your Husband." Below: Cyber lawyer Michael Sussmann was acquitted in the largest test yet for a Trump-era probe into the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's Russia ties, and Costa Rica's health-care system is under cyberattack.
There's no evidence of Georgia election hacks but still plenty to worry about
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! I hope everyone had a great and relaxing Memorial Day weekend. Here's Robert Frost's " Not to Keep " on the hidden costs of war. Below: The Post's tech columnist Geoffrey A. Fowler collected all the privacy policies for apps on his phone - they were nearly twice the length of "War and Peace." Also, the United States finalized restrictions of some hacking tools, aligning the U.S. government with more than 40 other nations.
The Marriott lawsuit explores the conundrum of how to value stolen data
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! We won't have a newsletter Monday because of Memorial Day, so we'll see you Tuesday! Please send us tips in the meantime; you can reach us at aaron.schaffer@washpost.com and joseph.marks@washpost.com. Below: Russia and China vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution to punish North Korean hackers, and a new facial recognition firm could provide a field day for stalkers. Is personal information inherently valuable?
Our battle with China over the future of the Internet is just beginning
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! Before the month is over consider checking out Louis Malle's 1990 film " May Fools" about the 1968 Paris student riots. Arcade Fire's " Month of May " isn't half bad either. Below: Twitter will pay a $150 million fine for collecting users' personal information for security but using it for advertising, and the U.N. Security Council is poised to vote on sanctioning North Korean hackers.
Virtual learning compromised kids' privacy and security
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202: The film " Midnight Cowboy " was released on this day in 1969, going on to become the only X-rated film to win the Best Picture Academy Award. Below: Opponents of Trump's election lies prevail in Georgia's GOP primaries, and the FBI worked around WhatsApp encryption to uncover an ISIS-linked plot to assassinate former president George W. Bush.
The government's still mostly in the dark on ransomware Original
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! Sure, the space race was great, but did you know that the United States and Soviet Union also competed to drill deep into the earth? The Soviets won that one, drilling more than 40,000 feet deep at the Kola Superdeep Borehole. The project began on this day in 1970. Check out a ... err ... deep dive from the BBC here.
Cyber pros are fed up with talk about a cyber-Manhattan Project
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! Per today's newsletter top, here's a great New York Times deep dive on parts of the Manhattan Project that actually took place in Manhattan.
Ransomware payments spiked 70 percent last year
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! There's a "blast furnace" aimed at D.C. this weekend, my colleagues at the Capital Weather Gang report. So get ready to smelt some pig iron from ore or, I guess, stay inside with the air conditioning on. Below: Justice Department prosecutors say they won't bring hacking charges against "good-faith" cybersecurity researchers, and a 2020 election denier in Pennsylvania could appoint his state's next elections chief.
Lawmakers want to get tougher on cyber adversaries
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! British King Henry VIII had his second wife Ann Boleyn on this day in 1536. So, your day's going better than hers already. Below: DHS is pausing its Disinformation Governance Board after a wave of criticism by conservatives, and Senate Democrats want an FTC investigation into the facial recognition firm ID.me.
Government's finally getting its own cybersecurity in order Original
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! "The Kids in the Hall" were highly formative to my teenage years, so I was wary of the reboot. But I'm glad - and a little shocked - to say they've really pulled it off. I highly recommend it. Below: All eyes are on the trial of a cybersecurity lawyer in a key case for former president Donald Trump's claims the FBI unfairly targeted him, and another service was sharing data that might identify women who've had abortions.
Doctor by day, cybercriminal by night
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! In the genre of doctors getting wrapped up in crime there are few better films than 1988's " Frantic," starring Harrison Ford. Below: The Conti ransomware gang now says it wants to overthrow Costa Rica's government, and House Intelligence Democrats are pressing Facebook on Russia disinformation in Eastern Europe.
Pro-Russia hackers tried to disrupt the Eurovision Song Contest
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! We try to keep current here, but today's edition references a 32-year-old Dana Carvey impersonation. No, it's not George H.W. Bush. Not Johnny Carson either. See below. Below: The Justice Department is conducting its first prosecution for using cryptocurrency to evade sanctions, and the NSA pledges it won't undermine the next generation of encryption.
The Biden administration is refining a Trump-era cyber order
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! This week brought the five-year anniversary of the North Korea-backed WannaCry cyberattack, the first anniversary of President Biden's cybersecurity executive order and Homer Simpson's 66th birthday. What a doozy! Below: Another insider threat jeopardized election security in Georgia, and the Drug Enforcement Administration is investigating a potential database breach.
Bridging the (Brexit) divide: Effects of a brief befriending meditation on affective polarization
Design and procedure We utilized a posttest-only randomized experimental design to assess the effects of a brief befriending meditation on affective polarization. This design was preferred over a pre- and post-test design due to concerns that repeated administration of our affective polarization measures would additionally sensitize participants to our study hypotheses.
Costa Rica shows the damage ransomware can do to a country
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! Huge congratulations to my Post colleagues who won a Pulitzer Prize for public service for their courageous coverage of the Jan. 6 Capitol attacks. Congratulations to all the other winners and finalists as well. Below: The Biden administration is mulling rules to block U.S. companies from using the Russian anti-virus Kaspersky, and Spain's intel chief is ousted in spyware scandal.
Lawyers are nearing a settlement deal for the infamous 2015 OPM hack
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to the Cybersecurity 202! HBO's Julia Child biopic "Julia" is fantastic and I give it my strongest recommendation. The only drawback is it looks as if Jacques Pepin won't be introduced until Season 2 at the earliest. Below: The State Department is offering $15 million for information about the Conti ransomware gang, and a U.S. tractor maker was hit with a ransomware attack.
One year ago, Colonial Pipeline changed the cyber landscape forever
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! The filmmaker Orson Welles would have turned 107 today. Check out this great Dick Cavett interview where he talks about crossing paths with Churchill and Hitler in his youth. Below: Spain's intel chief acknowledges some hacks of Catalan officials using Pegasus spyware, and Russians are rushing to anonymizing tools to buck Kremlin censorship and surveillance.
Sen. Gary Peters is overseeing a boom in cyber bills
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! It's World Password Day - a holiday created by Intel in 2013 that's now mostly celebrated with story pitches to cyber reporters. There's no perfect film recommendation for World Password Day, but I suggest the final scene of "Escape from L.A.," when Snake Plissken enters the "world code" and shuts down all technology on the planet. The fan favorite is this password scene from "Spaceballs" via New America's Peter Singer.
A top online voting company is ramping up its cyber vetting
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! My sympathies are going out this morning to staff and animals at the Smithsonian National Zoo where 25 American flamingos and one Northern pintail duck were killed by a wild fox this week. Washington's a rough town sometimes. Below: Trump officials delayed and altered a DHS report on Russia's 2020 election interference efforts, and the prospect of Roe v.
Trump's lies are the big fight in the Georgia GOP race to run elections
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! It's teacher appreciation week. Student-teacher films tend to be on the saccharine side and not worth recommending. Some particularly dark exceptions include " Half Nelson," and " The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," where the inspiring teacher turns out to be a Franco sympathizer. Below: Spain's prime minister was a Pegasus hacking victim, and location data from the LGBT dating app Grindr has been on sale.
In cyber conflict, Ukraine has an underdog advantage over Russia
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202: As if dodging covid wasn't enough, now there's a tick on the loose in D.C. that can make you allergic to red meat for life. We can't stay inside forever, so we'll have to brisket. We all have a steak in defeating this scourge. Below: Mike Lindell briefly returned to Twitter after being banned for election disinformation, and FBI queries of Americans' data are way up.
Elon Musk has a Twitter proposal that's popular with security pros
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! The first edition of Roget's Thesaurus was published on this day in 1852. Or maybe you'd call it the initial printing? Premier dissemination? Below: GOP activists and officials fueled by false stolen election claims have breached or tried to breach voting systems in at least eight states, and NSO Group's owners tried to undermine researchers reporting on the company's spyware scandals.
Catalan VP calls spyware scandal a test for Spanish democracy
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! At 86 years old, Jacques Pépin can still make culinary magic out of carrots and pumpkin seeds. Below: Kremlin hackers began preparing for war a year before the Ukraine invasion, Microsoft says, and the controversial facial recognition company Clearview AI has run more than 14,000 face scans in Ukraine.
Trump's lies helped prompt one critical election reform
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! Happy 41st birthday to the computer mouse, debuted in Xerox PARC on this day in 1981. Below: Opening up Twitter's algorithm could carry some disinformation risks, and hackers tricked tech firms into handing over sensitive information they used to extort minors.
Government is racing against the clock to keep encryption secure
But, even with the long head start, cryptographers will be racing against the clock to ensure as much encrypted information as possible remains hidden from prying eyes - including highly sensitive government communications.
Government is racing against the clock to keep encryption secure
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! In light of yesterday's big Twitter news, here's a flash back to 2009 when many pundits found it inconceivable, the "microblogging" site could be used for anything of great substance like, say, attempting to justify Israel's invasion of Gaza. Below: Cyber pros want to know Elon Musk's plans for Twitter DMs, and government cyber leaders are headed to the Hill to talk budgets this week.
Michigan GOP has put two election-deniers on the November ballot
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! Congratulations to the black cat Jinx who's mayor of Hell for the day. Below: Ukraine's postal service was hacked after issuing a stamp mocking Russia, and Spain launched Pegasus spyware investigations. It's official: A candidate who denies the legitimacy of the 2020 election will be on November's ballot to be the top election official in a major battleground state.
Among top hacking nations, North Korea's the weirdest
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! Confidential to someone who's running the Brooklyn Marathon this weekend: You'll do fantastic! Below: Obama presses tech companies on disinformation in a rare post-presidential speech, and a former Wisconsin judge leading a partisan election review lobbed some wild and baseless accusations at election workers. In the world of government-backed hackers, North Korea stands out for its sheer weirdness.
Even the most complex cyberattacks are too easy
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! Whatever else 4/20 may signify, it's also the second birthday of this guy here. Happy birthday, Jet! Below: European lawmakers on a committee investigating spyware get cracking, and a former eBay executive is pleading guilty in a bizarre cyberstalking scheme. The most complex and time-consuming cyberattacks are still far too easy to pull off, according to a new report from Google's Project Zero division.
If anyone understands Russian cyber dangers, it's Estonia's former president Original
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! I say any alleged list of the greatest romantic comedies that doesn't include " His Girl Friday" is way off the mark. Also, probably not top 50 but Albert Brooks's 1991 rom com " Defending Your Life " is underrated. Below: The Biden administration's planning a government spyware ban, and a new legal ruling says scraping websites doesn't count as hacking.
A 2020 ransomware attack is still harming Baltimore teachers Original
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! RIP to Liz Sheridan and Estelle Harris who played Jerry and George's mothers on "Seinfeld" and contributed to some of the show's greatest episodes. Below: Ukraine's IT Army is identifying killed Russian soldiers with facial recognition and contacting their families, and NATO's prepping the globe's largest annual cyber exercise.
Some see cyberwar in Ukraine. Others see just thwarted attacks.
Placeholder while article actions load Welcome to The Cybersecurity 202! Here's a great poem from former U.S. poet laureate Robert Hass about April in my hometown. (For what it's worth, I never encountered half those woodland animals when I lived there). We're off Friday but will be back in your inbox Monday. Below: Russia may be behind dangerous new malicious software that could cause explosions at energy plants, and Microsoft disrupted a band of zombie computers called ZLoader.
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