Meta takes down 63,000 sextortion-related accounts on Instagram

Meta announced the take-down of 63,000 sextortion-related Instagram accounts in Nigeria alone. The action was directed against a group known as Yahoo Boys, a loosely organized set of cybercriminals that largely operate out of Nigeria and specialize in different types of scams. Meta took down a ho...

“You have blood on your hands.” Senate Committee calls for action by social media giants to protect children online

In an unusually emotional and unified setting, the Senate Judiciary Committee found common ground for the need to protect children online yesterday. On January 31, 2024, the CEOs of the most widely used social media platforms appeared before the Committee. Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Xs Linda...

On Russia's Involvement in the US Election, Burlington Electric, Firecrypt, and More

Mike Mimoso and Chris Brook discuss the news of the week, including on this week’s U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing, the Burlington Electric ‘Hack’ and attribution, FireCrypt, and Security Without Borders. Download: ThreatpostNewsWrapJanuary62017.mp3 Music by Chris Gonsalves...

Surveillance Transparency Act Would Limit NSA Spying

There have been countless hearings in both the House and Senate since the Snowden leaks began in June, and there seems to be no end in sight. The latest committee to get in on the action was the Senate Committee on the Judiciary’s Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law, which held a...

NSA Director Alexander Grilled by Senate Committee

National Security Agency director Gen. Keith Alexander was asked some pointed questions by the Senate Appropriations Committee this afternoon regarding the spy agency’s surveillance of Americans’ phone calls and electronic communication in the name of fighting terrorism. Alexander provided little...