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Melissa K. Griffith

@melissakgriffith.bsky.social
1.4K followers 1.2K following 96 posts

Faculty at Johns Hopkins SAIS & the Alperovitch Institute | former Wilson Center; Stanford CISAC | PhD from UC Berkeley | cyber and national security; semis; 5G; AI | usual disclaimers apply Coordinates: melissakgriffith.com

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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
It is hard to beat the caliber of people who gathered in Arizona over the last five years. LABScon will be missed. A massive thank you to JAGS, Ryan, Courtney, SentinelOne, and the entire organizing team for one heck of a last hurrah. 4/4
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
This is not to say that we should not enforce export controls (hint: we should). Rather, we should be clear-eyed about what driving evasion numbers down actually accomplishes and at what margins, ie when the link between strategy and tactics is at its strongest (and when it is at its weakest). 3/4
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
My talk, “Chips on the Move: Export Controls, Evasion, and the Race for Compute,” explored the relationship between strategic goals and tactical improvements in export control enforcement, a relationship that is sometimes more tenuous than you might expect. 2/4
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Last month, I had the pleasure and honor of not only attending the final #LABScon but also presenting my work on the geopolitics of compute. 1/4
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The last LABScon. What a ride!
youtu.be
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Thrilled to be Arizona-bound to present my work on "Chips on the Move: Export Controls, Evasion, and the Race for Compute" at #LABScon. Hope to see you there! The fantastic two-day program can be found here: www.labscon.io/speakers/ #chips #compute #semiconductors #ai #geopolitics #natsec
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
If something made you stop and think "folks need to read this," drop it in the comments below. Private sector analysis, government reporting, CTI writeups, academic pieces, all welcome. Espionage, disruptive/destructive attacks, criminal ops, state-linked activity, all of it counts. 4/4
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
As one can imagine, I have a massive list of sources to work through as is, but the more the merrier! So, I'm turning to my network here for some additional brainstorming. I want to know: what's the best cyber operations (or cybersecurity) reporting you have read in the last year? 3/4
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Before the start of every semester, I go through the same ritual: pull every article, book, and report I've read over the past year and figure out what earns a spot in the syllabus (and what gets retired). This week, I'm in the midst of a deep dive to update my course on Cyber Operations. 2/4
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
One of the joys of working at the intersection between tech and national security is that the space is always changing. One of the challenges of teaching tech and national security is … the space is always changing. 1/4
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
A huge thank you to Siniša Vuković and P. Terrence Hopmann for their vision and leadership in bringing this project to life. Congratulations on crossing the finish line! 📖 Grab your copy today. 3/3
elgaronline.com
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
My chapter, “From Frontlines to Firewalls: Cybersecurity and International Security Cooperation,” co-authored with Emily Otto, sits alongside an impressive range of expertise from ceasefires to environmental treaties. 2/3
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
New Publication Alert: I am thrilled to share that the “Handbook on the Politics of International Agreements” is now available for purchase. 1/3
elgaronline.com
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
All four are well worth the read for anyone following the intersection of technology and national security. Grab one of 50 free copies of my latest set of book reviews below: www.tandfonline.com/eprint/BTGHU... 2/2
tandfonline.com
Cyber Security and Emerging Technologies
Project Maven: A Marine Colonel, His Team, and the Dawn of AI WarfareKatrina Manson. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2026. £23.00/$31.99. 416 pp.Age of Deception: Cybersecurity as Secret Statecra...
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
I had the pleasure of reviewing four fantastic books this year for ‘Survival: Global Politics and Strategy’: 📚 Katrina Manson's Project Maven 📚 Jon Lindsay's Age of Deception 📚 Max Smeets' Ransom War 📚 Justin Sherman' Navigating Technology and National Security 1/2
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Read more below to engage with the realities of realized versus potential costs of cyber espionage operations, and the twin challenges of distinguishability and adaptability when faced with the dilemma of CNE vs OPE at the time of discovery. 8/8 www.au-csint.com/publications...
au-csint.com
Beyond Breaches: The Spectrum of Costs from Espionage and Pre-Positioning — CSINT
What are the costs of cyber espionage? And how do they differ from those of operations designed to prepare for attack?
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Moreover, the full spectrum of these costs are felt most keenly during periods of heightened tension—the “messy middle” between peace and war and during the initial onset of armed conflict—when every intrusion rouses deeper suspicion and magnifies the consequences of miscalculation. 7/8
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
This challenges how we think about deterrence, escalation management, cyber insurance, and even alliance politics. Treating cyber espionage as “cheap” misses the deeper reality: its true price is paid over time, through strategic friction, forced adaptation, and the steady monetization of doubt. 6/8
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
If uncertainty itself is a cost center, then cyber competition systematically degrades trust, raises baseline defense expenditures, and redistributes strategic advantage toward actors most comfortable exploiting ambiguity. 5/8
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Is it part of an intelligence operation or a foothold that will later be used to generate effects? The challenge of distinguishing between these objectives, and the possibility that an adversary could flexibly shift between them, represents a significant and underestimated cost center. 4/8
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
The challenge of distinguishing between these espionage and , and the possibility that an adversary could flexibly shift between them, itself represents a significant and often underestimated cost center for defenders. 3/8
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
As many of you know, I have long been focused on the costs associated with cyber operations (specifically espionage) and the tactical, operational, and strategic realities of determining how a discovered malicious foothold might be used. 2/8
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
New Publication Alert: It is my pleasure to share that my recent report – coauthored with Alexander Leslie and Taylor Grossman through the Center for Security, Innovation, and New Technology (CSINT) at American University – is now live. 1/8 www.au-csint.com/publications...
au-csint.com
Beyond Breaches: The Spectrum of Costs from Espionage and Pre-Positioning — CSINT
What are the costs of cyber espionage? And how do they differ from those of operations designed to prepare for attack?
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
The @bindinghook.bsky.social Live agenda is out! I’m honored to join a truly impressive group of people “where digital tech and global affairs meet” later this month in London. I’ll be presenting my research on AI compute, and why chips aren’t enough. See you there! bindinghooklive.com/agenda/
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Binding Hook @bindinghook.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
🗓️ #BindingHookLive agenda is out now! Check it out & request your invite: bindinghooklive.com/agenda/
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
Hats off to Olga Belogolova, Danielle Khan, the SAIS Emerging Technologies Initiative, and the entire team at Johns Hopkins SAIS for putting together this fantastic program two years running and for bringing together another excellent cohort of fellows this summer. 3/3
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
The US, Japan, and South Korea continue to sit at the heart of technology, innovation, and geopolitics. Closer ties and collaboration here could not be more important, and programs like this one continue to pave the way. 2/3
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
Over the past few weeks, I had the pleasure of supporting the SAIS Trilateral Technogy Training Program here in DC and the Bay Area with programming dedicated to #semiconductors, #compute infrastructure, and #AI. 1/3
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
Looking forward to speaking at #PLAITS2025 today on national security, artificial intelligence, and semiconductors. Hope to see many of you there: futurerealities.org/PLAITS2025/i...
futurerealities.org
PLAITS 2025 – Privacy and Liberty in the Age of AI and Immersive Technologies
Join us for PLAITS 2025, a micro-think tank conference exploring the intersection of privacy, liberty, and emerging technologies.
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
Kicking off a week focused on #AI and #semiconductors with the Special Competitive Studies Project’s #SCSPAIExpo25 here in DC. If you are in town, drop me a line.
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
Last month, I had the pleasure of organizing and moderating a panel delving into the different technologies that fuel artificial intelligence innovation and that underpin the AI triad, including but not limited to energy, data centers, models, and semiconductors.  Post-event writeup here ⬇️
washingtondc.jhu.edu
What’s next for AI: Overcoming the barriers to sustained AI growth
Policy and AI leaders outline the current state and potential trajectory of AI capabilities in the U.S. and what can help keep the country at the forefront of AI innovation.
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
As the inaugural @iaseai.bsky.social conference wraps this evening in Paris, I am hustling back to my hotel room to (virtually) teach Johns Hopkins SAIS students about AI and national security. Looking forward to reflecting on several IASEAI discussions in my classroom with policy students.
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
Academic, industry, and policy silos can impair our ability to balance risk and opportunities across security, economics, and sustainability as well as the safety concerns that arise. Hats off to @iaseai.bsky.social for deliberately building a diverse community tackling challenging AI questions. 2/2
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
At #IASEAI25 today, @katecrawford.bsky.social’s tour de force talk on sustainability further drove home, for me, the importance of framing #AI as a Fulcrum Technology. For those who want to learn more about what Fulcrum Technologies are (and are not), an introduction can be found below. 1/2
warontherocks.com
The Challenges of Policy in an Era of Fulcrum Technologies - War on the Rocks
Last month, Alliant Energy announced it will delay converting its Wisconsin coal plant by three years. This delay underscores an important tension: While
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
And if you could not attend in person, consider catching a few of the talks virtually. Details below. www.iaseai.org/conference/l... 2/2
iaseai.org
Livestream of the IASEAI 2025 Conference
Livestream of The International Association for Safe and Ethical AI inaugural conference (IASEAI ‘25) on Feb 6-7, 2025.
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
As Paris welcomes the world for the AI Summit, I am thrilled to be here and participating in #IASEAI25 over the next two days. Drop me a line if you are also in town and would like to connect on all things #AI #natsec and #semiconductors / #compute. 1/2
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
A podcast I recorded a few days after the election on #semiconductors, #AI, and #natsec just dropped. You can find it wherever you get your podcasts, including ⬇️ It is also well worth checking out their recent episodes with Gavin Wilde (foreign influence ops) and Greg Falco (space & cyber).
podcasts.apple.com
AI Semiconductors Security
Podcast Episode · The Looking Glass · 12/11/2024 · 30m
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
Are you a mid-career government official from the US, Japan, or South Korea interested in #AI, #cybersecurity, #biotech, #space, #semiconductors, #greentech? Join @johnshopkinssais.bsky.social for the 2025 Trilateral Technology Leaders Training Program. Additional details below ⬇️
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Jonas Nahm @jonasnahm.com · 28/11/2024
Your cousin just asked about tariffs at Thanksgiving dinner and everyone got quiet. Let's break down how they actually work using what's on your dinner table - and why they usually end up costing families like yours more money. 1/
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
New export controls focused on advanced #computing and #semiconductors were announced today. Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security announcement: lnkd.in/enzhMTgD New Entity List & Validated End-User rules: lnkd.in/e6jisHdw New Foreign Direct Product & other export controls: lnkd.in/eWB4RUEe
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Raphael Satter @raphae.li · 27/11/2024
This is a story a lot of reporters have been chasing: Starting in 2015, a massive cyberespionage campaign targeted some of America's most prominent environmentalists. Now, we can reveal that the FBI has been probing whether a longtime Exxon lobbyist was involved. www.reuters.com/business/ene...
reuters.com
Exclusive: Exxon lobbyist investigated over hack-and-leak of environmentalist emails, sources say
The FBI has been investigating a longtime Exxon Mobil consultant over the contractor's alleged role in a hack-and-leak operation that targeted hundreds of the oil company’s biggest critics, according to three people familiar with the matter.
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Danny Moore @moore.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
One reason I'm cautiously excited that we reached critical mass here is that Bluesky finally has the same intersection of people I cared about on Twitter - natsec, infosec, academia, and journos.
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
Congratulations to the entire @virtualroutes.bsky.social team!
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
On a personal note, it was moving to see Finland and Sweden’s flags flying high as the newest members of the alliance. 🇫🇮 🇸🇪 2/2
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
One of the many pleasures of teaching at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is the caliber of our students. Shout out to Stavros Piperidis for spearheading this important site visit to NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT). Read and learn more ⬇️ 1/2
sais.jhu.edu
Students Learn from Key Leaders in NATO Site Visit
On November 1, 2024, a group of 29 Johns Hopkins SAIS students and two faculty members traveled to Norfolk, Virginia for a site visit to the NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT) headquarters.
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 22/11/2024
Would you like to develop tools or methods that can support online researchers? Do you have a project idea that could benefit the open source research community? Bellingcat’s Tech Fellowship could be the opportunity to do just that, apply here: www.bellingcat.com/bellingcat-t...
bellingcat.com
Bellingcat Tech Fellowship Opportunity - bellingcat
November 21, 2024 We will be reviewing applications for the fellowship on a rolling basis, and expect to interview applicants in the first week of December (2-6 December 2024) Would you like to develo...
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Olga Belogolova 🌻 @olgs7.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
Featuring the substance of our pre-lunchtime talk from Steven Adair @cyberwarcon.bsky.social
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Another excellent JHU SAIS @alperovitch.institute skills course on the books. If you haven’t had a chance to take this workshop with @jags.bsky.social, I highly recommend it. Additional details ⬇️
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
Another excellent #CYBERWARCON in the books! World class lineup of speakers and, as always, great to see everyone. No better way to spend the day.
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Melissa K. Griffith @melissakgriffith.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
And if you are keen to see how this triad of imperatives plays out in practice, read my latest piece for the American-German Institute on the importance of ensuring access to high performance computing for American AI ambitions ⬇️ 3/3
americangerman.institute
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