The INSIDER daily digest -- August 11, 2025

This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news from the recent Black Hat and Def Con cybersecurity conferences and more.

Senior government cybersecurity officials attended and spoke at last week's annual Black Hat and Def Con conferences in Las Vegas:

DARPA, health officials emphasize magnitude of AI Cyber Challenge to shift dynamics on patching vulnerabilities

Officials from the two research agencies revealed the results of the AI Cyber Challenge at the 2025 Def Con in Las Vegas, highlighting significant achievements of the seven teams who were finalists in the competition to use artificial intelligence to find vulnerabilities and patch source code.

CISA official says Black Hat activities emphasize dedication to operational collaboration

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's presence at the annual Black Hat conference in Las Vegas is aimed at assuring attendees of the role the agency plays in fostering operational collaboration between government and industry, according to CISA director of public affairs Marci McCarthy.

The Army is billing a new unmanned systems acquisition approach as a "centralized, 'Amazon-like' storefront, filtering trusted solutions by cost and performance," that is meant to bypass the traditional Pentagon purchasing cycle:

Army will start using 'Amazon-like' website to help acquire small UAS

Starting this fall, the Army will begin to roll out a new website it will use to classify and purchase unmanned aerial systems, leaders from the service's Program Executive Office for Aviation said Thursday.

The Army announced force-structure changes in February of last year, including certain cavalry squadron deactivations for domestically based Stryker Brigade Combat Teams; and a little more than a year later, it came out with its Army Transformation Initiative in May, which announced sweeping changes across the service, including major program cancellations and procurement halts:

Army halts Stryker buys

The Army has ordered a stop on vehicle procurement under its Stryker Upgrade program, fiscal year 2026 budget materials reveal.

In a recent letter, Reps. John Garamendi (D-CA) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD) along with Sens. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Ed Markey (D-MA) wrote to Air Force Secretary Troy Meink about the service's acceptance of a Qatari royal family Boeing 747 for use as Air Force One:

Dems call for info on Qatari jet mods for Air Force One

Several Democrats from both chambers are demanding details on the Air Force's shift of $934 million from nuclear modernization efforts, some of which may be used to modify a Qatari-owned jet for use as Air Force One.

Document: Dems' letter on Qatari jet mods for Air Force One