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Before yesterdayWIRED

Ransomware Payments Hit a Record $1.1 Billion in 2023

By Andy Greenberg
After a slowdown in payments to ransomware gangs in 2022, last year saw total ransom payouts jump to their highest level yet, according to a new report from crypto-tracing firm Chainalysis.

WhatsApp Chats Will Soon Work With Other Encrypted Messaging Apps

By Matt Burgess
New EU rules mean WhatsApp and Messenger must be interoperable with other chat apps. Here’s how that will work.

China’s Hackers Keep Targeting US Water and Electricity Supplies

By Matt Burgess, Dhruv Mehrotra
Plus: Russia was likely behind widespread GPS outages, Vault 7 leaker was sentenced, police claim to trace Monero cryptocurrency, and more.

The Mystery of the $400 Million FTX Heist May Have Been Solved

By Andy Greenberg
An indictment against three Americans suggests that at least some of the culprits behind the theft of an FTX crypto fortune may be in custody.

A Startup Allegedly ‘Hacked the World.’ Then Came the Censorship—and Now the Backlash

By Andy Greenberg
A loose coalition of anti-censorship voices is working to highlight reports of one Indian company’s hacker-for-hire past—and the legal threats aimed at making them disappear.

YouTube, Discord, and ‘Lord of the Rings’ Led Police to a Teen Accused of a US Swatting Spree

By Dhruv Mehrotra, Andrew Couts
For nearly two years, police have been tracking down the culprit behind a wave of hoax threats. A digital trail took them to the door of a 17-year-old in California.

Robots Are Fighting Robots in Russia's War in Ukraine

By Matt Burgess
Aerial drones have changed the war in Ukraine. Now, both Russia’s and Ukraine’s militaries are deploying more unmanned ground robots—and the two are colliding.

US Lawmakers Tell DOJ to Quit Blindly Funding ‘Predictive’ Police Tools

By Dell Cameron
Members of Congress say the DOJ is funding the use of AI tools that further discriminatory policing practices. They're demanding higher standards for federal grants.

23andMe Failed to Detect Account Intrusions for Months

By Lily Hay Newman
Plus: North Korean hackers get into generative AI, a phone surveillance tool that can monitor billions of devices gets exposed, and ambient light sensors pose a new privacy risk.

Police Arrest Teen Said to Be Linked to Hundreds of Swatting Attacks

By Dhruv Mehrotra
A California teenager who allegedly used the handle Torswats to carry out a nationwide swatting campaign is being extradited to Florida to face felony charges, WIRED has learned.

The Pentagon Tried to Hide That It Bought Americans’ Data Without a Warrant

By Dell Cameron
US spy agencies purchased Americans’ phone location data and internet metadata without a warrant but only admitted it after a US senator blocked the appointment of a new NSA director.

Big-Name Targets Push Midnight Blizzard Hacking Spree Back Into the Limelight

By Lily Hay Newman
Newly disclosed breaches of Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard Enterprise highlight the persistent threat posed by Midnight Blizzard, a notorious Russian cyber-espionage group.

Ring Will Stop Giving Cops a Free Pass on Warrantless Video Requests

By Andrew Couts
The Amazon-owned home surveillance company says it is shuttering a feature in its Neighbors app that allows police to request footage from users. But it’s not shutting out the cops entirely.

Notorious Spyware Maker NSO Group Is Quietly Plotting a Comeback

By Vas Panagiotopoulos
NSO Group, creator of the infamous Pegasus spyware, is spending millions on lobbying in Washington while taking advantage of the crisis in Gaza to paint itself as essential for global security.

HP CEO Says They Brick Printers That Use Third-Party Ink Because of … Hackers

By Scharon Harding, Ars Technica
The company says it wants to protect you from “viruses.” Experts are skeptical.

Cops Used DNA to Predict a Suspect’s Face—and Tried to Run Facial Recognition on It

By Dhruv Mehrotra
Police around the US say they're justified to run DNA-generated 3D models of faces through facial recognition tools to help crack cold cases. Everyone but the cops thinks that’s a bad idea.

Fujitsu Bugs That Sent Innocent People to Prison Were Known ‘From the Start’

By Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica
Software flaws were allegedly hidden from lawyers of wrongly convicted UK postal workers.

US Agencies Urged to Patch Ivanti VPNs That Are Actively Being Hacked

By Lily Hay Newman
Plus: Microsoft says attackers accessed employee emails, Walmart fails to stop gift card fraud, “pig butchering” scams fuel violence in Myanmar, and more.

‘Stablecoins’ Enabled $40 Billion in Crypto Crime Since 2022

By Andy Greenberg
A new report from Chainalysis finds that stablecoins like Tether, tied to the value of the US dollar, were used in the vast majority of crypto-based scam transactions and sanctions evasion in 2023.

A Flaw in Millions of Apple, AMD, and Qualcomm GPUs Could Expose AI Data

By Lily Hay Newman, Matt Burgess
Patching every device affected by the LeftoverLocals vulnerability—which includes some iPhones, iPads, and Macs—may prove difficult.

A Bloody Pig Mask Is Just Part of a Wild New Criminal Charge Against eBay

By Lily Hay Newman, Matt Burgess
Plus: Chinese officials tracked people using AirDrop, Stuxnet mole’s identity revealed, AI chatbot hacking, and more.

How to Stop Your X Account From Getting Hacked Like the SEC's

By Lily Hay Newman
The US Securities and Exchange Commission and security firm Mandiant both had their X accounts breached, possibly due to changes to X’s two-factor authentication settings. Here’s how to fix yours.

Child Abusers Are Getting Better at Using Crypto to Cover Their Tracks

By Andy Greenberg
Crypto tracing firm Chainalysis found that sellers of child sexual abuse materials are successfully using “mixers” and “privacy coins” like Monero to launder their profits and evade law enforcement.

US School Shooter Emergency Plans Exposed in a Highly Sensitive Database Leak

By Matt Burgess
More than 4 million school records, including safety procedures, student medical files, and court documents, were also publicly accessible online.

The SEC’s Official X Account Was ‘Compromised’ and Used to Post Fake Bitcoin News

By Andrew Couts, Andy Greenberg
The US financial regulator says its official @SECGov account was “compromised,” resulting in an “unauthorized” post about the status of Bitcoin ETFs.

23andMe Blames Users for Recent Data Breach as It's Hit With Dozens of Lawsuits

By Lily Hay Newman, Andy Greenberg
Plus: Russia hacks surveillance cameras as new details emerge of its attack on a Ukrainian telecom, a Google contractor pays for videos of kids to train AI, and more.

This Clever New Idea Could Fix AirTag Stalking While Maximizing Privacy

By Lily Hay Newman
Apple updated its location-tracking system in an attempt to cut down on AirTag abuse while still preserving privacy. Researchers think they’ve found a better balance.

A Major Ransomware Takedown Suffers a Strange Setback

By Lily Hay Newman
After an 18-month rampage, global law enforcement finally moved against the notorious Alphv/BlackCat ransomware group. Within hours, the operation faced obstacles.

Scammers Are Tricking Anti-Vaxxers Into Buying Bogus Medical Documents

By Matt Burgess
On Telegram, scammers are impersonating doctors to sell fake Covid-19 vaccination certificates and other products, showing how criminals are taking advantage of conspiracy theories.

Google Just Denied Cops a Key Surveillance Tool

By Andy Greenberg, Lily Hay Newman
Plus: Apple tightens anti-theft protections, Chinese hackers penetrate US critical infrastructure, and the long-running rumor of eavesdropping phones crystallizes into more than an urban legend.

McDonald’s Ice Cream Machine Hackers Say They Found the ‘Smoking Gun’ That Killed Their Startup

By Andy Greenberg
Kytch, the company that tried to fix McDonald’s broken ice cream machines, has unearthed a 3-year-old email it says proves claims of an alleged plot to undermine their business.

Microsoft’s Digital Crime Unit Goes Deep on How It Disrupts Cybercrime

By Lily Hay Newman
Ten years in, Microsoft’s DCU has honed its strategy of using both unique legal tactics and the company’s technical reach to disrupt global cybercrime and state-backed actors.

Hacker Group Linked to Russian Military Claims Credit for Cyberattack on Kyivstar

By Andy Greenberg
A hacker group calling itself Solntsepek—previously linked to Russia’s notorious Sandworm hackers—says it carried out a disruptive breach of Kyivstar, a major Ukrainian mobile and internet provider.

Congress Clashes Over the Future of America’s Section 702 Spy Program

By Dell Cameron
Competing bills moving through the House of Representatives both reauthorize Section 702 surveillance—but they pave very different paths forward for Americans’ privacy and civil liberties.

Elijah Wood and Mike Tyson Cameo Videos Were Used in a Russian Disinformation Campaign

By Matt Burgess
Videos featuring Elijah Wood, Mike Tyson, and Priscilla Presley have been edited to push anti-Ukraine disinformation, according to Microsoft researchers.

End-to-End Encrypted Instagram and Messenger Chats: Why It Took Meta 7 Years

By Lily Hay Newman
Mark Zuckerberg personally promised that the privacy feature would launch by default on Messenger and Instagram chat. WIRED goes behind the scenes of the company’s colossal effort to get it right.

The Binance Crackdown Will Be an 'Unprecedented' Bonanza for Crypto Surveillance

By Andy Greenberg
Binance’s settlement requires it to offer years of transaction data to US regulators and cops, exposing the company—and its customers—to a “24/7, 365-days-a-year financial colonoscopy.”

Police Can Spy on Your iOS and Android Push Notifications

By Andrew Couts, Lily Hay Newman
Governments can access records related to push notifications from mobile apps by requesting that data from Apple and Google, according to details in court records and a US senator.

The 23andMe Data Breach Keeps Spiraling

By Lily Hay Newman
23andMe has provided more information about the scope and scale of its recent breach, but with these details come more unanswered questions.

US Lawmakers Want to Use a Powerful Spy Tool on Immigrants and Their Families

By Dell Cameron
Legislation set to be introduced in Congress this week would extend Section 702 surveillance of people applying for green cards, asylum, and some visas—subjecting loved ones to similar intrusions.

ChatGPT Spit Out Sensitive Data When Told to Repeat ‘Poem’ Forever

By Lily Hay Newman, Andy Greenberg
Plus: A major ransomware crackdown, the arrest of Ukraine’s cybersecurity chief, and a hack-for-hire entrepreneur charged with attempted murder.

When It Comes to January 6 Lawsuits, a Court Splits Donald Trump in Two

By Dell Cameron
A federal court ruled on Friday that Trump, as president, may be able to avoid civil action for his role in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. But candidate Trump is something different.

The CDC's Gun Violence Research Is in Danger

By Matt Laslo
In a year pocked with fights over US government funding, Republicans are quietly trying to strip the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of its ability to research gun violence.

Okta Breach Impacted All Customer Support Users—Not 1 Percent

By Lily Hay Newman
Okta upped its original estimate of customer support users affected by a recent breach from 1 percent to 100 percent, citing a “discrepancy.”

A Civil Rights Firestorm Erupts Around a Looming Surveillance Power Grab

By Dell Cameron
Dozens of advocacy groups are pressuring the US Congress to abandon plans to ram through the renewal of a controversial surveillance program that they say poses an “alarming threat to civil rights.”

Telegram’s Bans on Extremist Channels Aren't Really Bans

By Vittoria Elliott
A WIRED analysis of more than 100 restricted channels shows these communities remain active, and content shared within them often spreads to channels accessible to the public.

Section 702 Surveillance Reauthorization May Get Slipped Into ‘Must-Pass’ NDAA

By Dell Cameron
Congressional leaders are discussing ways to reauthorize Section 702 surveillance, including by attaching it to the National Defense Authorization Act, Capitol Hill sources tell WIRED.

Google’s Ad Blocker Crackdown Is Growing

By Matt Burgess
Plus: North Korean supply chain attacks, a Russian USB worm spreads internationally, and more.

It's Time to Log Off

By Thor Benson
There’s a devastating amount of heavy news these days. Psychology experts say you need to know your limits—and when to put down the phone.

DOJ Charges Binance With Vast Money-Laundering Scheme and Sanctions Violations

By Andy Greenberg
From Russia to Iran, the feds have charged Binance with conducting well over $1 billion in transactions with sanctioned countries and criminal actors.

Secretive White House Surveillance Program Gives Cops Access to Trillions of US Phone Records

By Dell Cameron, Dhruv Mehrotra
A WIRED analysis of leaked police documents verifies that a secretive government program is allowing federal, state, and local law enforcement to access phone records of Americans who are not suspected of a crime.

Cybersecurity Industry Baffled by FBI’s Lack of Action on Ransomware Gang

By Andy Greenberg, Andrew Couts
Plus: Hackers reveal flaws in crypto wallets holding $1 billion, a massive breach of Danish electric utilities, and more.

Inside the Race to Secure the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix

By Lily Hay Newman
Beyond the blinding speeds and sharp turns on new terrain, the teams at this weekend’s big F1 race are preparing for another kind of danger.

US Congress Report Calls for Privacy Reforms After FBI Surveillance 'Abuses'

By Dell Cameron
A new report by an oversight committee in the US House of Representatives says the FBI has routinely violated rules governing FISA’s Section 702 surveillance program and must be reined in.

Running Signal Will Soon Cost $50 Million a Year

By Andy Greenberg
Signal’s president reveals the cost of running the privacy-preserving platform—not just to drum up donations, but to call out the for-profit surveillance business models it competes against.

A Spy Agency Leaked People's Data Online—Then the Data Was Stolen

By Matt Burgess
The National Telecommunication Monitoring Center in Bangladesh exposed a database to the open web. The types of data leaked online are extensive.

Google’s New Titan Security Key Adds Another Piece to the Password-Killing Puzzle

By Lily Hay Newman
The new generation of hardware authentication key includes support for cryptographic passkeys as Google pushes adoption of the more secure login alternative.

Asian Americans Raise Alarm Over ‘Chilling Effects’ of Section 702 Surveillance Program

By Dell Cameron
More than 60 groups advocating for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities are pushing the US Congress to reform the Section 702 surveillance program as Senate leaders move to renew it.

CISA Has a New Road Map for Handling Weaponized AI

By Lily Hay Newman
In its plans to implement a White House executive order, CISA aims to strike a balance between promoting AI adoption for national security and defending against its malicious use.

US Privacy Groups Urge Senate Not to Ram Through NSA Spying Powers

By Dell Cameron
An effort to reauthorize a controversial US surveillance program by attaching it to a must-pass spending bill has civil liberties advocates calling foul.
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