2025
April
Cranor quoted on Signal group chat
The Wall Street Journal
CyLab Director Lorrie Cranor was quoted in The Wall Street Journal about how employees often prioritize convenience over security at work. “We see this pattern all the time, where users just want to get their job done and their view is that somebody else should be worrying about the security part,” said Cranor.
March
Scheffler quoted on data protection and access
CNN
CyLab/EPP’s Sarah Scheffler was quoted by CNN about data protection, in response to Apple users losing access to Advanced Data Protection. “One of the very few ways to make sure that your data can’t be leaked if a company is breached is to make sure that the company (itself) doesn’t have it,” Scheffler explains.
2024
October
Carley discusses how misinformation can spread
Associated Press
CyLab’s Kathleen Carley was quoted by the Associated Press about the dangers of misinformation, particularly pertaining to false claims of election fraud and how that may impact overseas voters. “Laying the groundwork for a conspiracy theory means that you need to weave many claims together,” Carley explained. “In that sense, this story about UOCAVA lays the groundwork for, and would help substantiate, a conspiracy theory around Democrats stealing the election.”
September
Brumley discusses social security number breach and cybersecurity
Time
ECE’s David Brumley spoke with Time about the hack in April that resulted in SSN data from the NPD being leaked. “We are not talking about a startup here,” Brumley said. “Looking forward, we have to have higher standards for the custodians of our data.”
August
Fanti and Sowon suggest improving the way governments regulate technology
Atlantic Council
ECE/CyLab’s Giulia Fanti and CyLab’s Karen Sowon were among the co-authors of an article in Atlantic Council suggesting ways in which governments could more effectively regulate new technologies while avoiding setbacks. They detail efforts of governments around the world that have had unintended consequences affecting millions of people, and argue that these consequences may have been avoided had policymakers had approached the problems like products designers do, and balanced security, privacy, and usability.
July
Carley discusses new tools designed to curb the spread of disinformation online
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
CyLab/EPP’s Kathleen Carley spoke with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about the need to improve detection of inaccurate or misleading content online. In recent years, digital spaces have seen a significant increase in the spread of disinformation and the use of deepfake technology. New detection tools such as Trustnet and MUSE aim to help users spot inaccurate information, but the process still depends on the trustworthiness of intermediate messengers. “There has been an increased use of deepfakes and disinformation in every election this year around the world,” Carley said. “It’s not only a U.S. problem.”
May
Lisanti listed as an innovative connector for tech in the Pittsburgh region
Technical.ly
CyLab’s Michael Lisanti has been recognized as one of Pittsburgh’s 20 RealList Connectors—people who bring together innovators, educators, and locals to help them make personal and professional connections. Lisanti was recognized for his connections between tech companies and the University in his role as director of partnerships for CyLab.
April
Cranor quoted on “broadband nutrition labels” for internet service
Marketplace
CyLab Director Lorrie Cranor was quoted on the introduction of “broadband nutrition labels” for internet service. The FCC now requires large internet service providers to post a snapshot indicating what users are paying for and what they're getting, mimicking nutrition labels on food products. Cranor notes that users may still struggle to understand these labels. “Don’t just give me numbers, tell me how good is this? If I want to play video games, if I want to stream movies,” Cranor said.
Carley discusses the rise of “pink slime” websites
Financial Times
CyLab/EPP’s Kathleen Carley discusses the findings of her research on the rise of “pink slime” websites. These sites look similar to legitimate local news outlets, but are heavily tied to a dark network of lobbying groups and political operatives, pushing highly partisan stories on as many platforms as they can reach. Carley recently found that pink slimes have been receiving more and more money ever since the 2022 midterms. “A lot of these sites have had makeovers and look more realistic,” Carley explained to Financial Times. “I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of that moving forward.”
March
Carley warns about online disinformation, its role in public health crises, and its sources
Forbes
CyLab/EPP’s Kathleen Carley recently led a study investigating the origins of conspiratorial tweets, and she spoke with Forbes about the study’s findings: 82% of the more than 200 million tweets analyzed were driven by bot activity, which resembles possible state-sponsored disinformation. She says: “We do know that it looks like it’s a propaganda machine, and it definitely matches the Russian and Chinese playbooks, but it would take a tremendous amount of resources to substantiate that.” This disinformation sharpens political polarization and jeopardizes trust in public health institutions, correlating with a drop in vaccination rates and rise in cases of diseases such as measles.
Cranor speaks on internet frauds in TribLive
TribLive
CyLab Director Lorrie Cranor speaks on internet frauds in TribLive. With a rising amount of financial scammers affecting people everywhere of all ages or education level, Cranor warns readers of the numerous types of scams and tricks people will use to steal money or personal data. “If you get any message through any channel that says you should transfer money or buy gift cards, it’s a scam,” she says.
Cranor discusses cybersecurity labels for smart devices
News 5 Cleveland
CyLab Director Lorrie Cranor discusses the idea of creating cybersecurity labels for smart devices. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently approved a new labeling system in which smart devices proven safe by accredited labs would be labeled with a Cyber Trust Mark, similar to the way an Energy Star logo indicates energy efficiency. “By having these labels, the hope is that it will kind of raise the bar because companies are going to be upfront about this,” Cranor tells News 5 Cleveland. “And you know they’re not going to want to look bad. So, they’re going to have some incentive to actually improve their security and privacy.”