Security

Spooky Behavior

Okta’s Latest Security Breach Is Haunted by the Ghost of Incidents Past

A recent breach of authentication giant Okta has impacted nearly 200 of its clients. But repeated incidents and the company’s delayed disclosure have security experts calling foul.

Lily Hay Newman

Influence Operations

Elon Musk Mocked Ukraine, and Russian Trolls Went Wild

Matt Burgess

Fresh Hell

The AI-Generated Child Abuse Nightmare Is Here

Matt Burgess

Cyberattacks and Hacks

They Cracked the Code to a Locked USB Drive Worth $235 Million in Bitcoin. Then It Got Weird

Stefan Thomas lost the password to an encrypted USB drive holding 7,002 bitcoins. One team of hackers believes they can unlock it—if they can get Thomas to let them.

Andy Greenberg

The 23andMe User Data Leak May Be Far Worse Than Believed

Plus: IT workers secretly funnel money to North Korea, a court in the US upholds keyword search warrants, and WhatsApp gets a passwordless upgrade on Android

Andrew Couts

A New Protocol Vulnerability Will Haunt the Web for Years

Dubbed “HTTP/2 Rapid Reset,” the flaw requires issuing patches to virtually every web server around the world before the problem can be eradicated.

Lily Hay Newman

New Clues Suggest Stolen FTX Funds Went to Russia-Linked Money Launderers

Whoever looted FTX on the day of its bankruptcy has now moved the stolen money through a long string of intermediaries—and eventually some that look Russian in origin.

Andy Greenberg

Privacy

A Controversial Plan to Scan Private Messages for Child Abuse Meets Fresh Scandal

An EU government body is pushing a proposal to combat child sexual abuse material that has significant privacy implications. Its lead advocate is making things even messier.

Vas Panagiotopoulos

A Powerful Tool US Spies Misused to Stalk Women Faces Its Potential Demise

Though often viewed as the “crown jewel” of the US intelligence community, fresh reports of abuse by NSA employees and chaos in the US Congress put the tool's future in jeopardy.

Dell Cameron

Citing Hamas, the US Wants to Treat Crypto Anonymity Services as Suspected Money Launderers

With a new emphasis on the Hamas attacks on Israel, the US Treasury has proposed designating foreign cryptocurrency “mixer” services as money launderers and national security threats.

Andy Greenberg

They Supported Air Strike Victims. Then They Were Doxed and Arrested

Myanmar’s military junta is increasing surveillance and violating basic human rights. The combination of physical and digital surveillance is reaching dangerous new levels.

Matt Burgess

Security Advice

The Best Password Managers to Secure Your Digital Life

Keep your logins locked down with our favorite apps for PC, Mac, Android, iPhone, and web browsers.

Scott Gilbertson

How to Stop Google Bard From Storing Your Data and Location

Checking out this AI chatbot's new features? Make sure to keep these privacy tips in mind during your interactions.

Reece Rogers

Facebook Trains Its AI on Your Data. Opting Out May Be Futile

Here's how to request that your personal information not be used to train Meta's AI model. "Request" is the operative word here.

Reece Rogers

How to Remove Your Personal Info From Google by Using Its ‘Results About You’ Tool

You can now set up alerts for whenever your home address, phone number, and email address appears in Search.

Reece Rogers

Security News

The Hamas Threat of Hostage Execution Videos Looms Large Over Social Media

Hamas has threatened to broadcast videos of hostage executions. With the war between Israel and Hamas poised to enter a new phase, are social platforms ready?

David Gilbert

The Dangerous Mystery of Hamas’ Missing ‘Suicide Drones’

Hamas has long touted its military drones, but little is known about the true scale of the threat. The answer may have consequences for people on both sides of the Israel-Gaza border.

Justin Ling

Who’s Responsible for the Gaza Hospital Explosion? Here’s Why It’s Hard to Know What’s Real

A flood of false information, partisan narratives, and weaponized “fact-checking" has obscured efforts to find out who’s responsible for an explosion at a hospital in Gaza.

David Gilbert

Elon Musk’s Main Tool for Fighting Disinformation on X Is Making the Problem Worse, Insiders Claim

X is promoting Community Notes to solve its disinformation problems, but some former employees and people who currently contribute notes say it’s not fit for that purpose.

Vittoria Elliott and David Gilbert