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Before yesterdayWIRED

House Votes to Extend—and Expand—a Major US Spy Program

By Dell Cameron
The US House of Representatives voted on Friday to extend the Section 702 spy program. It passed without an amendment that would have required the FBI to obtain a warrant to access Americans’ information.

Change Healthcare Faces Another Ransomware Threat—and It Looks Credible

By Andy Greenberg, Matt Burgess
Change Healthcare ransomware hackers already received a $22 million payment. Now a second group is demanding money, and it has sent WIRED samples of what they claim is the company's stolen data.

DuckDuckGo Is Taking Its Privacy Fight to Data Brokers

By Matt Burgess
Privacy-focused company DuckDuckGo is launching a tool to remove data from people-search websites, a VPN, and an identity theft restoration service.

Trump Loyalists Kill Vote on US Wiretap Program

By Dell Cameron
An attempt to reauthorize Section 702, the so-called crown jewel of US spy powers, failed for a third time in the House of Representatives after former president Donald Trump criticized the law.

How to Stop Your Data From Being Used to Train AI

By Matt Burgess, Reece Rogers
Some companies let you opt out of allowing your content to be used for generative AI. Here’s how to take back (at least a little) control from ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and more.

Section 702: The Future of the Biggest US Spy Program Hangs in the Balance

The US Congress will this week decide the fate of Section 702, a major surveillance program that will soon expire if lawmakers do not act. WIRED is tracking the major developments as they unfold.

AI Scam Calls: How to Protect Yourself, How to Detect

By Reece Rogers
AI tools are getting better at cloning people’s voices, and scammers are using these new capabilities to commit fraud. Avoid getting swindled by following these expert tips.

A Breakthrough Online Privacy Proposal Hits Congress

By Makena Kelly
While some states have made data privacy gains, the US has so far been unable to implement protections at a federal level. A new bipartisan proposal called APRA could break the impasse.

Identity Thief Lived as a Different Man for 33 Years

By Dell Cameron, Andrew Couts
Plus: Microsoft scolded for a “cascade” of security failures, AI-generated lawyers send fake legal threats, a data broker quietly lobbies against US privacy legislation, and more.

A Vigilante Hacker Took Down North Korea’s Internet. Now He’s Taking Off His Mask

By Andy Greenberg
As “P4x,” Alejandro Caceres single-handedly disrupted the internet of an entire country. Then he tried to show the US military how it can—and should—adopt his methods.

The Mystery of ‘Jia Tan,’ the XZ Backdoor Mastermind

By Andy Greenberg, Matt Burgess
The thwarted XZ Utils supply chain attack was years in the making. Now, clues suggest nation-state hackers were behind the persona that inserted the malicious code.

The XZ Backdoor: Everything You Need to Know

By Dan Goodin, Ars Technica
Details are starting to emerge about a stunning supply chain attack that sent the open source software community reeling.

The Incognito Mode Myth Has Fully Unraveled

By Dell Cameron, Andrew Couts
To settle a years-long lawsuit, Google has agreed to delete “billions of data records” collected from users of “Incognito mode,” illuminating the pitfalls of relying on Chrome to protect your privacy.

A Ghost Ship’s Doomed Journey Through the Gate of Tears

By Matt Burgess
Millions lost internet service after three cables in the Red Sea were damaged. Houthi rebels deny targeting the cables, but their missile attack on a cargo ship, left adrift for months, is likely to blame.

You Should Update Apple iOS and Google Chrome ASAP

By Kate O'Flaherty
Plus: Microsoft patches over 60 vulnerabilities, Mozilla fixes two Firefox zero-day bugs, Google patches 40 issues in Android, and more.

Yogurt Heist Reveals a Rampant Form of Online Fraud

By Andy Greenberg, Andrew Couts
Plus: “MFA bombing” attacks target Apple users, Israel deploys face recognition tech on Gazans, AI gets trained to spot tent encampments, and OSINT investigators find fugitive Amond Bundy.

Jeffrey Epstein’s Island Visitors Exposed by Data Broker

By Dhruv Mehrotra, Dell Cameron
A WIRED investigation uncovered coordinates collected by a controversial data broker that reveal sensitive information about visitors to an island once owned by Epstein, the notorious sex offender.

‘Malicious Activity’ Hits the University of Cambridge’s Medical School

By Matt Burgess
Multiple university departments linked to the Clinical School Computing Service have been inaccessible for a month. The university has not revealed the nature of the “malicious activity.”

Judges Block US Extradition of WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange—for Now

By Dell Cameron, Matt Burgess
A high court in London says the WikiLeaks founder won’t be extradited “immediately” and the US must provide more “assurances” about any extradition.

Chinese Hackers Charged in Decade-Long Global Spying Rampage

By Matt Burgess
US and UK officials hit Chinese hacking group APT31 with sanctions and criminal charges after they targeted thousands of businesses, politicians, and critics of China.

Apple Chip Flaw Leaks Secret Encryption Keys

By Andrew Couts
Plus: The Biden administration warns of nationwide attacks on US water systems, a new Russian wiper malware emerges, and China-linked hackers wage a global attack spree.

The DOJ Puts Apple's iMessage Encryption in the Antitrust Crosshairs

By Andy Greenberg, Andrew Couts
Privacy and security are an Apple selling point. But the DOJ’s new antitrust lawsuit argues that Apple selectively embraces privacy and security features in ways that hurt competition—and users.

Hackers Found a Way to Open Any of 3 Million Hotel Keycard Locks in Seconds

By Andy Greenberg
The company behind the Saflok-brand door locks is offering a fix, but it may take months or years to reach some hotels.

Some of the Most Popular Websites Share Your Data With Over 1,500 Companies

By Matt Burgess
Cookie pop-ups now show the number of “partners” that websites may share data with. Here's how many of these third-party companies may get your data from some of the most popular sites online.

Glassdoor Wants to Know Your Real Name

By Amanda Hoover
Anonymous, candid reviews made Glassdoor a powerful place to research potential employers. A policy shift requiring users to privately verify their real names is raising privacy concerns.

Automakers Are Telling Your Insurance Company How You Really Drive

By Dell Cameron, Andrew Couts
Plus: The operator of a dark-web cryptocurrency “mixing” service is found guilty, and a US senator reveals that popular safes contain secret backdoors.

Sinking Section 702 Wiretap Program Offered One Last Lifeboat

By Dell Cameron
For months, US lawmakers have examined every side of a historic surveillance debate. With the introduction of the SAFE Act, all that’s left to do now is vote.

The ‘Emergency Powers’ Risk of a Second Trump Presidency

By Thor Benson
Every US president has the ability to invoke “emergency powers” that could give an authoritarian leader the ability to censor the internet, restrict travel, and more.

There Are Dark Corners of the Internet. Then There's 764

By Ali Winston
A global network of violent predators is hiding in plain sight, targeting children on major platforms, grooming them, and extorting them to commit horrific acts of abuse.

Porn Sites Need Age-Verification Systems in Texas, Court Rules

By Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica
The US Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit has vacated an injunction against an age-verification requirement to view internet porn in Texas.

US Lawmaker Cited NYC Protests in a Defense of Warrantless Spying

By Dell Cameron
A closed-door presentation for House lawmakers late last year portrayed American anti-war protesters as having possible ties to Hamas in an effort to kill privacy reforms to a major US spy program.

Binance’s Top Crypto Crime Investigator Is Being Detained in Nigeria

By Andy Greenberg
Tigran Gambaryan, a former crypto-focused US federal agent, and a second Binance executive, Nadeem Anjarwalla, have been held in Abuja without passports for two weeks.

The 4 Big Questions the Pentagon’s New UFO Report Fails to Answer

By Garrett M. Graff
The Pentagon says it’s not hiding aliens, but it stops notably short of saying what it is hiding. Here are the key questions that remain unanswered—some answers could be weirder than UFOs.

Airbnb Bans All Indoor Security Cameras

By Amanda Hoover, Matt Burgess
Starting at the end of April, Airbnb will no longer allow hosts to have security cameras inside their rental properties, citing a commitment to prioritizing guest privacy.

Google Is Getting Thousands of Deepfake Porn Complaints

By Matt Burgess
Content creators are using copyright laws to get nonconsensual deepfakes removed from the web. With the complaints covering nearly 30,000 URLs, experts say Google should do more to help.

Russian Hackers Stole Microsoft Source Code—and the Attack Isn’t Over

By Dhruv Mehrotra, Andrew Couts
Plus: An ex-Google engineer gets arrested for allegedly stealing trade secrets, hackers breach the top US cybersecurity agency, and X’s new feature exposes sensitive user data.

Meta Abandons Hacking Victims, Draining Law Enforcement Resources, Officials Say

By Dell Cameron
A coalition of 41 state attorneys general says Meta is failing to assist Facebook and Instagram users whose accounts have been hacked—and they want the company to take “immediate action.”

Inside Registered Agents Inc., the Shadowy Firm Pushing the Limits of Business Privacy

By William Turton, Dhruv Mehrotra
Registered Agents Inc. has for years allowed businesses to register under a cloak of anonymity. A WIRED investigation reveals that its secretive founder has taken the practice to an extreme.

Hackers Behind the Change Healthcare Ransomware Attack Just Received a $22 Million Payment

By Andy Greenberg
The transaction, visible on Bitcoin's blockchain, suggests the victim of one of the worst ransomware attacks in years may have paid a very large ransom.

The Privacy Danger Lurking in Push Notifications

By Andy Greenberg, Andrew Couts, Matt Burgess
Plus: Apple warns about sideloading apps, a court orders NSO group to turn over the code of its Pegasus spyware, and an investigation finds widely available security cams are wildly insecure.

Here Come the AI Worms

By Matt Burgess
Security researchers created an AI worm in a test environment that can automatically spread between generative AI agents—potentially stealing data and sending spam emails along the way.

The UK’s GPS Tagging of Migrants Has Been Ruled Illegal

By Morgan Meaker
The UK’s privacy regulator says the government did not take into account the intrusiveness of ankle tags that continuously monitor a person’s location.

The Mysterious Case of the Missing Trump Trial Ransomware Leak

By Andy Greenberg
The notorious LockBit gang promised a Georgia court leak "that could affect the upcoming US election.” It didn't materialize—but the story may not be over yet.

Here Are the Google and Microsoft Security Updates You Need Right Now

By Kate O'Flaherty
Plus: Mozilla patches 12 flaws in Firefox, Zoom fixes seven vulnerabilities, and more critical updates from February.

Russia Attacked Ukraine's Power Grid at Least 66 Times to ‘Freeze It Into Submission’

By Vittoria Elliott
Several of the strikes occurred far from the front lines of the conflict, indicating possible war crimes. Researchers say the attacks likely had devastating impacts on civilians.

The White House Warns Cars Made in China Could Unleash Chaos on US Highways

By Aarian Marshall, Will Knight
As Chinese automakers prepare to launch in the US, the White House is investigating whether cars made in China could pose a national security threat.

A Pornhub Chatbot Stopped Millions From Searching for Child Abuse Videos

By Matt Burgess
Every time someone in the UK searched for child abuse material on Pornhub, a chatbot appeared and told them how to get help.

Biden Executive Order Bans Sale of US Data to China, Russia. Good Luck

By Dell Cameron
The White House issued an executive order on Wednesday that aims to prevent the sale of Americans' data to “countries of concern,” including China and Russia. Its effectiveness may vary.

Dictators Used Sandvine Tech to Censor the Internet. The US Finally Did Something About It

By Peter Guest
Canada-based Sandvine has long sold its web-monitoring tech to authoritarian regimes. This week, the US sanctioned the company, severely limiting its ability to do business with American firms.

Change Healthcare Ransomware Attack: BlackCat Hackers Quickly Returned After FBI Bust

By Andy Greenberg
Two months ago, the FBI “disrupted” the BlackCat ransomware group. They're already back—and their latest attack is causing delays at pharmacies across the US.

The UK Is GPS-Tagging Thousands of Migrants

By Morgan Meaker
Ankle tags that constantly log a person’s coordinates are part of a growing cadre of experimental surveillance tools that countries around the world are trying out on new arrivals.

How the Pentagon Learned to Use Targeted Ads to Find Its Targets—and Vladimir Putin

By Byron Tau
Meet the guy who taught US intelligence agencies how to make the most of the ad tech ecosystem, "the largest information-gathering enterprise ever conceived by man."

How a Right-Wing Controversy Could Sabotage US Election Security

By Eric Geller
Republicans who run elections are split over whether to keep working with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to fight hackers, online falsehoods, and polling-place threats.

A Vending Machine Error Revealed Secret Face Recognition Tech

By Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica
A student investigation at the University of Waterloo uncovered a system that scanned countless undergrads without consent.

A Mysterious Leak Exposed Chinese Hacking Secrets

By Matt Burgess
Plus: Scammers try to dupe Apple with 5,000 fake iPhones, Avast gets fined for selling browsing data, and researchers figure out how to clone fingerprints from your phone screen.

Here Are the Secret Locations of ShotSpotter Gunfire Sensors

By Dhruv Mehrotra, Joey Scott
The locations of microphones used to detect gunshots have been kept hidden from police and the public. A WIRED analysis of leaked coordinates confirms arguments critics have made against the technology.

Leak Reveals the Unusual Path of ‘Urgent’ Russian Threat Warning

By Dell Cameron
The US Congress was preparing to vote on a key foreign surveillance program last week. Then a wild Russian threat appeared.

Apple iOS 17.4: iMessage Gets Post-Quantum Encryption in New Update

By Matt Burgess
Useful quantum computers aren’t a reality—yet. But in one of the biggest deployments of post-quantum encryption so far, Apple is bringing the technology to iMessage.

Anne Neuberger, a Top White House Cyber Official, Sees the 'Promise and Peril' in AI

By Garrett M. Graff
Anne Neuberger, the Biden administration’s deputy national security adviser for cyber, tells WIRED about emerging cybersecurity threats—and what the US plans to do about them.
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