Shannon Vavra

National Security Reporter

Shannon Vavra is a national security reporter for The Daily Beast covering the politics of war, national security, hacking, disinformation, and espionage. She previously worked at Axios and CyberScoop, where she covered the NSA, Cyber Command, and cyber-espionage. She received her bachelor’s degree from Tufts University in international relations with a specialty in Europe and the former Soviet Union. Send her tips at shannon.vavra@thedailybeast.com or tips@thedailybeast.com. You can also use our anonymous document submission system, SecureDrop. Click here to find out how.

The Taiwan flag and the China flag flashing over a broadcast tower.

HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT

How a Chinese Operative Secretly Infiltrated a Newsroom

Taiwanese authorities are investigating reports that a Chinese state-backed journalist showed up at a Taiwanese news outlet to edit content and make sure guests stuck to scripts.

Shannon Vavra

An interior view of Derbent synagogue following an attack with a pool of light inside the ruins.

APOLOGIA

Prominent Family of Accused Russian Terrorist Speaks Out

A relative of the accused gunman spills to The Daily Beast.

Shannon Vavra

Russian President Vladimir Putin lights a candle in up close picture.

POT MEET KETTLE

Putin Ally’s Kids Suspected in Synagogue Shooting Massacre

The Russian intelligence apparatus appears to have been caught off guard by the deadly attack in Dagestan—and the call might be coming from inside the house.

Shannon Vavra