Governments and the tech industry around the world have been scrambling in recent years to curb the rise of online scamming and cybercrime. Yet even with progress on digital defenses, enforcement, and deterrence, the ransomware attacks, business email compromises, and malware infections keep on coming. Over the past decade, Microsoft's …
Read More »Hacker Group Linked to Russian Military Claims Credit for Cyberattack on Ukrainian Telecom
Over nearly a decade, the hacker group within Russia's GRU military intelligence agency known as Sandworm has launched some of the most disruptive cyberattacks in history against Ukraine's power grids, financial system, media, and government agencies. Signs now point to that same usual suspect being responsible for sabotaging a major …
Read More »Ukraine Is Crowdfunding Its Reconstruction
While Ukraine remains locked in a brutal war with Russia, Ukraine’s government in Kyiv is already looking forward to a day when the country rebuilds itself from the ground up. It will be no small task. The World Bank estimates that, as of early this year, Ukraine’s rebuilding costs surpassed …
Read More »Congress Clashes Over the Future of America’s Global Spy Program
Two surveillance bills are barreling their way through the US House of Representatives this week. Both claim to achieve roughly the same goal: Enact sweeping reforms and save a dying surveillance program beleaguered by “persistent and widespread” abuse. Under this program, Section 702, the US government collects hundreds of millions …
Read More »Elijah Wood and Mike Tyson Cameo Videos Were Used in a Russian Disinformation Campaign
For around $340, actor Elijah Wood can record you a personalized video wishing you happy birthday. John McGinley, best known for his role in medical TV show Scrubs, will give you a lengthy pep talk for around $475. Priscilla Presley will record a clip talking about everything from Christmas shopping …
Read More »Police Can Spy on Your iOS and Android Push Notifications
If you have push notifications turned on for sensitive apps, you may want to reconsider your settings. The United States government and foreign law enforcement can demand Apple and Google share metadata associated with push notifications from apps on iOS and Android, according to a US senator and court records …
Read More »The Binance Crackdown Will Be an 'Unprecedented' Bonanza for Crypto Surveillance
One attraction of Binance, as the company grew from its 2017 founding into the biggest cryptocurrency exchange in the world, was the firm's freewheeling flouting of rules. As it amassed well over 100 million crypto-trading users globally, it openly told the United States government that, as an offshore operation, it …
Read More »US Lawmakers Want to Use a Powerful Spy Tool on Immigrants and Their Families
Americans with family overseas who hope to visit the United States may soon face an increased risk of being surveilled by their own government. Support in Congress is growing for intensified vetting procedures at the US border, which would see immigrants and foreign visitors subjected to the same levels of …
Read More »When It Comes to January 6 Lawsuits, a Court Splits Donald Trump in Two
Donald Trump, the president, may well be immune from any civil action for allegedly inciting an attack against the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. But Donald Trump, the candidate, is not, an appellate court in the District of Columbia says. “When a first-term President opts to seek a second …
Read More »Anduril’s New Drone Killer Is Locked on to AI-Powered Warfare
After Palmer Luckey founded Anduril in 2017, he promised it would be a new kind of defense contractor, inspired by hacker ingenuity and Silicon Valley speed. The company’s latest product, a jet-powered, AI-controlled combat drone called Roadrunner, is inspired by the grim reality of modern conflict, especially in Ukraine, where …
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