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Yesterday — February 21st 2025Your RSS feeds

DOGE’s USDS Purge Included the Guy Who Keeps Veterans’ Data Safe Online

The cybersecurity lead for VA.gov was fired last week. He tells WIRED that the Veterans Affairs digital hub will be more vulnerable without someone in his role.
Before yesterdayYour RSS feeds

The Loneliness Epidemic Is a Security Crisis

Romance scams cost victims hundreds of millions of dollars a year. As people grow increasingly isolated, and generative AI helps scammers scale their crimes, the problem could get worse.

UK Secret Order Demands That Apple Give Access to Users’ Encrypted Data

Plus: Benjamin Netanyahu gives Donald Trump a golden pager, Hewlett Packard Enterprise blames Russian government hackers for a breach, and more.

DOGE Teen Owns ‘Tesla.Sexy LLC’ and Worked at Startup That Has Hired Convicted Hackers

Experts question whether Edward Coristine, a DOGE staffer who has gone by “Big Balls” online, would pass the background check typically required for access to sensitive US government systems.

The Collapse of USAID Is Already Fueling Human Trafficking and Slavery at Scammer Compounds

The dismantling of USAID by Elon Musk's DOGE and a State Department funding freeze have severely disrupted efforts to help people escape forced labor camps run by criminal scammers.

Despite Catastrophic Hacks, Ransomware Payments Dropped Dramatically Last Year

Ransomware gangs continued to wreak havoc in 2024, but new research shows that the amounts victims paid these cybercriminals fell by hundreds of millions of dollars.

Exposed DeepSeek Database Revealed Chat Prompts and Internal Data

China-based DeepSeek has exploded in popularity, drawing greater scrutiny. Case in point: Security researchers found more than 1 million records, including user data and API keys, in an open database.

DeepSeek’s Popular AI App Is Explicitly Sending US Data to China

Amid ongoing fears over TikTok, Chinese generative AI platform DeepSeek says it’s sending heaps of US user data straight to its home country, potentially setting the stage for greater scrutiny.

Under Trump, US Cyberdefense Loses Its Head

Chinese hacks, rampant ransomware, and Donald Trump’s budget cuts all threaten US security. In an exit interview with WIRED, former CISA head Jen Easterly argues for her agency’s survival.

How to Get Around the US TikTok Ban

TikTok is now unavailable in the United States—and getting around the ban isn’t as simple as using a VPN. Here’s what you need to know.

US Names One of the Hackers Allegedly Behind Massive Salt Typhoon Breaches

Plus: New details emerge about China’s cyber espionage against the US, the FBI remotely uninstalls malware on 4,200 US devices, and victims of the PowerSchool edtech breach reveal what hackers stole.

Hackers Likely Stole FBI Call Logs From AT&T That Could Compromise Informants

A breach of AT&T that exposed “nearly all” of the company’s customers may have included records related to confidential FBI sources, potentially explaining the bureau’s new embrace of end-to-end encryption.

The ‘Largest Illicit Online Marketplace’ Ever Is Growing at an Alarming Rate, Report Says

Huione Guarantee, a gray market researchers believe is central to the online scam ecosystem, now includes a messaging app, stablecoin, and crypto exchange—while facilitating $24 billion in transactions.

Apple May Owe You $20 in a Siri Privacy Lawsuit Settlement

Plus: The FBI discovers a historic trove of homemade explosives, new details emerge in China’s hack of the US Treasury Department, and more.

Hey, Maybe It's Time to Delete Some Old Chat Histories

Your messages going back years are likely still lurking online, potentially exposing sensitive information you forgot existed. But there's no time like the present to do some digital decluttering.

US Treasury Department Admits It Got Hacked by China

Treasury says hackers accessed “certain unclassified documents” in a “major” breach, but experts believe the attack’s impacts could prove to be more significant as new details emerge.

The Worst Hacks of 2024

From Chinese cyberspies breaching US telecoms to ruthless ransomware gangs disrupting health care for millions of people, 2024 saw some of the worst hacks, breaches, and data leaks ever.

Mystery Drone Sightings Lead to FAA Ban Despite No Detected Threats

Plus: Google’s U-turn on creepy “fingerprint” tracking, the LockBit ransomware gang’s teased comeback, and a potential US ban on the most popular routers in America.

Stop Calling Online Scams ‘Pig Butchering,’ Interpol Warns

Experts say the catchall term for online fraud furthers harm against victims and could dissuade people from reporting attempts to bilk them out of their money.

The New Jersey Drone Mystery May Not Actually Be That Mysterious

A flurry of drone sightings across New Jersey and New York has sparked national intrigue and US government responses. But experts are pouring cold water on America’s hottest new conspiracy theory.

US Officials Recommend Encryption Apps Amid Chinese Telecom Hacking

Plus: Russian spies keep hijacking other hackers’ infrastructure, Hydra dark web market admin gets life sentence in Russia, and more of the week’s top security news.

Senators Warn the Pentagon: Get a Handle on China’s Telecom Hacking

In a letter to the Department of Defense, senators Ron Wyden and Eric Schmitt are calling for an investigation into fallout from the Salt Typhoon espionage campaign.

A New Phone Scanner That Detects Spyware Has Already Found 7 Pegasus Infections

The mobile device security firm iVerify has been offering a tool since May that makes spyware scanning accessible to anyone—and it’s already turning up victims.

With Threats to Encryption Looming, Signal’s Meredith Whittaker Says ‘We’re Not Changing’

At WIRED’s The Big Interview event, the president of the Signal Foundation talked about secure communications as critical infrastructure and the need for a new funding paradigm for tech.

Malicious Ads in Search Results Are Driving New Generations of Scams

The scourge of “malvertising” is nothing new, but the tactic is still so effective that it's contributing to the rise of investment scams and the spread of new strains of malware.

The US Is Calling Out Foreign Influence Campaigns Faster Than Ever

The 2024 elections were a high-water mark for naming and shaming threat actors from foreign governments. There’s still work to be done, though, on how to attribute disinformation campaigns most effectively.

Meta Finally Breaks Its Silence on Pig Butchering

The company gave details for the first time on its approach to combating organized criminal networks behind the devastating scams.

Immigration Police Can Already Sidestep US Sanctuary City Laws Using Data-Sharing Fusion Centers

Built to combat terrorism, fusion centers give US Immigration and Customs Enforcement a way to gain access to data that’s meant to be protected under city laws limiting local police cooperation with ICE.

Bitfinex Hacker Gets 5 Years for $10 Billion Bitcoin Heist

Plus: An “AI granny” is wasting scammers’ time, a lawsuit goes after spyware-maker NSO Group’s executives, and North Korea–linked hackers take a crack at macOS malware.

These Guys Hacked AirPods to Give Their Grandmas Hearing Aids

Three technologists in India used a homemade Faraday cage and a microwave oven to get around Apple’s location blocks.

The WIRED Guide to Protecting Yourself From Government Surveillance

Donald Trump has vowed to deport millions and jail his enemies. To carry out that agenda, his administration will exploit America’s digital surveillance machine. Here are some steps you can take to evade it.

Russia Is Going All Out on Election Day Interference

Along with other foreign influence operations—including from Iran—Kremlin-backed campaigns to stoke division and fear have gone into overdrive.

Cybercriminals Pose a Greater Threat of Disruptive US Election Hacks Than Russia or China

A report distributed by the US Department of Homeland Security warned that financially motivated cybercriminals are more likely to attack US election infrastructure than state-backed hackers.

Chinese Hackers Target Trump Campaign via Verizon Breach

Plus: Apple offers $1 million to hack its AI cloud infrastructure, Iranian hackers successfully peddle stolen Trump campaign docs, Russia hacks the nation of Georgia, and a “cyberattack” that wasn’t.

Microsoft Warns Foreign Disinformation Is Hitting the US Election From All Directions

Russia, Iran, and China are targeting the US election with an evolving array of influence operations in the last days of campaign season.

Exposed United Nations Database Left Sensitive Information Accessible Online

The 115,000-plus files related to UN Women included detailed financial disclosures from organizations around the world—and personal details and testimonials from vulnerable individuals.

Google Chrome’s uBlock Origin Purge Has Begun

Plus: The alleged SEC X account hacker gets charged, Kroger wriggles out of a face recognition scandal, and Microsoft deals with missing customer security logs.

The War on Passwords Is One Step Closer to Being Over

“Passkeys,” the secure authentication mechanism built to replace passwords, are getting more portable and easier for organizations to implement thanks to new initiatives the FIDO Alliance announced on Monday.

Pig Butchering Scams Are Going High Tech

Scammers in Southeast Asia are increasingly turning to AI, deepfakes, and dangerous malware in a way that makes their pig butchering operations even more convincing.

Internet Archive Breach Exposes 31 Million Users

The hack exposed the data of 31 million users as the embattled Wayback Machine maker scrambles to stay online and contain the fallout of digital—and legal—attacks.

Notorious Evil Corp Hackers Targeted NATO Allies for Russian Intelligence

UK law enforcement and international partners have released new details about the cybercriminal gang Evil Corp, including its use of the Lockbit ransomware platform and ties to Russian intelligence.

The Pig Butchering Invasion Has Begun

Scamming operations that once originated in Southeast Asia are now proliferating around the world, likely raking in billions of dollars in the process.

The US Could Finally Ban Inane Forced Password Changes

Plus: The US Justice Department indicts three Iranians over Trump campaign hack, EU regulators fine Meta $100 million for a password security lapse, and the Tor Project enters a new phase.

Iranian Hackers Tried to Give Hacked Trump Campaign Emails to Dems

Plus: The FBI dismantles the largest-ever China-backed botnet, the DOJ charges two men with a $243 million crypto theft, Apple’s MacOS Sequoia breaks cybersecurity tools, and more.

Your Phone Won’t Be the Next Exploding Pager

Thousands of beepers and two-way radios exploded in attacks against Hezbollah, but mainstream consumer devices like smartphones aren’t likely to be weaponized the same way.

Walkie-Talkies Explode in New Attack on Hezbollah

In a second attack on Hezbollah members, two-way radios detonated around Lebanon on Wednesday, causing injuries and multiple deaths.

The Mystery of Hezbollah’s Deadly Exploding Pagers

At least eight people have been killed and more than 2,700 people have been injured in Lebanon by exploding pagers. Experts say the blasts point toward a supply chain compromise, not a cyberattack.

A Creative Trick Makes ChatGPT Spit Out Bomb-Making Instructions

Plus: New evidence emerges about who may have helped 9/11 hijackers, UK police arrest a teen in connection with an attack on London’s transit system, and Poland’s spyware scandal enters a new phase.

Apple Intelligence Promises Better AI Privacy. Here’s How It Actually Works

Private Cloud Compute is an entirely new kind of infrastructure that, Apple’s Craig Federighi tells WIRED, allows your personal data to be “hermetically sealed inside of a privacy bubble.”

Why It's So Hard to Fully Block X in Brazil

With 20,000 internet providers across the country, the technical challenges of blocking X in Brazil mean some connections are slipping through the cracks.

Taylor Swift Concert Terror Plot Was Thwarted by Key CIA Tip

Plus: China-linked hackers infiltrate US internet providers, authorities crack down on a major piracy operation, and a ransomware gang claims attacks during the Paris Olympics.

Powerful Spyware Exploits Enable a New String of ‘Watering Hole’ Attacks

Suspected Russian hackers have compromised a series of websites to utilize sophisticated spyware exploits that are eerily similar to those created by NSO Group and Intellexa.

Notorious Iranian Hackers Have Been Targeting the Space Industry With a New Backdoor

In addition to its long-standing password spraying attacks, Microsoft says Iran-backed hacker group Peach Sandstorm—or APT 33—has developed custom malware dubbed “Tickler.”

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s Arrest Linked to Sweeping Criminal Investigation

French authorities detained Durov to question him as part of a probe into a wide range of alleged violations—including money laundering and CSAM—but it remains unclear if he will face charges.

The US Navy Has Run Out of Pants

Plus: The US intelligence community formally blames Iran for Trump campaign hack, aircraft-tracking platform FlightAware says a “configuration error” exposed sensitive user data, and more.

The US Government Wants You—Yes, You—to Hunt Down Generative AI Flaws

The AI ethics nonprofit Humane Intelligence and the US National Institute of Standards and Technology are launching a series of contests to get more people probing for problems in generative AI systems.

An AWS Configuration Issue Could Expose Thousands of Web Apps

Amazon has updated its instructions for how customers should more securely implement AWS's traffic-routing service known as Application Load Balancer, but it's not clear everyone will get the memo.

The Slow-Burn Nightmare of the National Public Data Breach

Social Security numbers, physical addresses, and more—all available online. After months of confusion, leaked information from a background-check firm underscores the long-term risks of data breaches.
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