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DuckDuckGo Isn’t as Private as You Think
Plus: A $150 million Twitter fine, a massive leak from a Chinese prison in Xinjiang, and an ISIS plot to assassinate George W. Bush...
Proton Is Trying to Become Google—Without Your Data
The encrypted-email company, popular with security-conscious users, has a plan to go mainstream...
How to Use Windows Security to Keep Your PC Protected
Your Microsoft computer comes with built-in safety software that shields you from the worst threats. Here's how to navigate your toolkit...
Hollywood’s Fight Against VPNs Turns Ugly
Beyond accusations of rampant user copyright infringement, film companies have begun accusing VPNs of enabling a slew of more serious illegal activity...
North Koreans Are Jailbreaking Phones to Access Forbidden Media
A new report suggests that a small but vibrant group of smartphones hackers may be challenging the world's most digitally restrictive regime...
The US Saw a Spike in Child Sexual Abuse URLs in 2021
CSAM hosting in the United States rose 64 percent last year, putting the country second in the world, a new report found...
Elon Musk Is Right About Twitter
It really is the closest thing we have to an online public square—and that's terrible for democracy. Let his takeover bid be a wakeup call...
DuckDuckGo’s Privacy Browser Finally Lands on Desktop
DuckDuckGo started out as a private search engine. Now its web browser is debuting on Macs to rival Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Brave...
NFTs Are a Privacy and Security Nightmare
The blockchain isn’t as “anonymous” as you might think...
How Explosions Actually Kill
Wars often spark misinformation about the nature of blast trauma. Russia's unprovoked bombardment of Ukraine is no different...
Stop Tracking Your Loved Ones
Tracking apps hijack your psyche. Here's how to regain control...
Death of the Password? FIDO Alliance Reveals Its New Plan
After a decade of work, the FIDO Alliance says it’s found the missing piece in the bridge to a password-free future...
How Police Abuse Phone Data to Persecute LGBTQ People
In many parts of the world, law enforcement uses WhatsApp chats, text messages, and photos from confiscated phones as "evidence" against persecuted groups...
Ukraine’s Defense—and Hacktivists—Have Raised Over $4M in Crypto
Russia’s invasion into the country sparked a surge of crypto donations to resistance groups...
If Russia Invades Ukraine, TikTok Will See It Up Close
As troops amass on Ukraine’s border, civilians capture it all on camera. Online sleuths are now unpacking the details...
The CIA Has Secretly Run a ‘Bulk Collection’ Program
Plus: Vulnerability fixes, the return of EARN IT, and more of the week’s top security news...
Myanmar’s Fight for Democracy Is Now a Scrap Over Phone Records
Norwegian telecoms giant Telenor wants to leave Myanmar. Activists say its exit risks putting their data— and their freedom—at risk...
North Korea Hacked Him. So He Took Down Its Internet
Disappointed with the lack of US response to the Hermit Kingdom's attacks against US security researchers, one hacker took matters into his own hands...
Google Has a New Plan to Kill Cookies. People Are Still Mad
Google has scrapped FLoC, its controversial cookie replacement. Now it’s back with Topics—but rivals and privacy experts are still nervous...
Researchers Have a Method to Spot Reddit’s State-Backed Trolls
Academics claim they can sniff out the telltale signs of troll-like behavior. But is it really as simple as monitoring cute animal postings?...
Iranian Hackers Are Going After US Critical Infrastructure
A hacking group is targeting a broad range of organizations, taking advantage of vulnerabilities that have been patched but not yet updated...
Locked Out of ‘God Mode,’ Runners Hack Their Treadmills
NordicTrack customers were watching Netflix using a simple trick—until the company blocked their access...
Someone Snuck a Card Skimmer Into Costco to Nab Shopper Data
Plus: A Robinhood breach, NSO Group spyware, and more of the week's top security news...
The Biggest Ransomware Bust Yet Might Actually Make an Impact
By arresting one alleged hacker associated with REVil and seizing millions from another, the US has made it clear that ransomware comes with a cost...
You Can Now Ditch the Password on Your Microsoft Account
You no longer need a long string of characters to access Windows and Office 365...
A Bad Solar Storm Could Cause an 'Internet Apocalypse'
The undersea cables that connect much of the world would be hit especially hard by a coronal mass ejection...
An Absurdly Basic Bug Let Anyone Grab All of Parler's Data
The “free speech” social network also allowed unlimited access to every public post, image, and video...
Creepy ‘Geofence’ Finds Anyone Who Went Near a Crime Scene
Police increasingly ask Google and other tech firms for data about who was where, when. Two judges ruled the investigative tool invalid in a Chicago case...
Facebook's Zuckerberg Says He's Got Election Stuff Under Control
Facebook rolls out its plan to protect the US from November mayhem...
How to Vote by Mail and Make Sure It Counts
There's a lot going on with the USPS right now. Here's a complete state-by-state guide to how to get your ballot—and when it's due...
How to Keep Your Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant Voice Recordings Private
Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant now all give you ways to opt out of human transcription of your voice snippets. Do it...
Myspace Employees Used to Spy on Users
Robert Mueller will testify, malware wrecks IoT, and more of the week's top security news...
The Mueller Report Is Much Worse For Trump Than Barr Let On
The Mueller report clearly shows that Donald Trump attempted to obstruct justice, regardless of what the attorney general says...
Kid-Focused Apps Track Location, UK Spying, and More Security News This Week
In security news this week, some apps for children may violate privacy laws, State Department devices might be less secure than your Instagram account, and more...
A Decade-Old Attack Can Break the Encryption of Most PCs
The computer industry thought cold boot hacks were solved 10 years ago. Researchers have proven that's not the case...
Twitter Finally Bans Alex Jones—Over a Publicity Stunt
After years of abuse and spreading conspiracy theories, Alex Jones finally went too far for Twitter with a relatively tame rant...
Meta Deletes Face-Recognition System From Its Smart Glasses App After WIRED Report
The code WIRED identified is gone from the latest version of Meta AI, the companion app for the company’s smart glasses. Meta won’t say why or whether it’s coming back...
An ICE Firearms Trainer Was Involved in At Least 4 Deadly Shootings
David Norman, a former Phoenix police officer who’s described himself as “a fucking savage,” now runs a company that provided training to Homeland Security’s Special Response Teams...
A Kid With a Fake Mustache Tricked an Online Age-Verification Tool
To stop children from bypassing its age checks, Meta is revamping its age-verification tools with an AI system that analyzes images and videos for “visual cues,” such as height and bone structure...
A Premium Luggage Service’s Web Bugs Exposed the Travel Plans of Every User—Including Diplomats
Security flaws in Airportr, a door-to-door luggage checking service used by 10 airlines, let hackers access user data and even gain privileges that would have let them redirect or steal luggage...
6 Tools for Tracking the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Civil Liberties
The White House has undertaken initiatives to crack down on immigration, suppress speech, and curtail US public health efforts. These online tools are tracking the rapidly changing US landscape...
RFK Jr. Orders HHS to Give Undocumented Migrants’ Medicaid Data to DHS
Plus: Spyware is found on two Italian journalists’ phones, Ukraine claims to have hacked a Russian aircraft maker, police take down major infostealer infrastructure, and more...
Airlines Don’t Want You to Know They Sold Your Flight Data to DHS
A contract obtained by 404 Media shows that an airline-owned data broker forbids the feds from revealing it sold them detailed passenger data...
Signal Clone Used by Mike Waltz Pauses Service After Reports It Got Hacked
The communications app TeleMessage, which was spotted on former US national security adviser Mike Waltz's phone, has suspended “all services” as it investigates reports of at least one breach...
This ‘College Protester’ Isn’t Real. It’s an AI-Powered Undercover Bot for Cops
Massive Blue is helping cops deploy AI-powered social media bots to talk to people they suspect are anything from violent sex criminals all the way to vaguely defined “protesters.”...
How to Enter the US With Your Digital Privacy Intact
Crossing into the United States has become increasingly dangerous for digital privacy. Here are a few steps you can take to minimize the risk of Customs and Border Protection accessing your data...
A New Era of Attacks on Encryption Is Starting to Heat Up
The UK, France, Sweden, and EU have made fresh attacks on end-to-end encryption. Some of the attacks are more “crude” than those in recent years, experts say...
‘People Are Scared’: Inside CISA as It Reels From Trump’s Purge
Employees at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency tell WIRED they’re struggling to protect the US while the administration dismisses their colleagues and poisons their partnerships...
Scammers Are Creating Fake News Videos to Blackmail Victims
“Yahoo Boy” scammers are impersonating CNN and other news organizations to create videos that pressure victims into making blackmail payments...
FTC Says Data Brokers Unlawfully Tracked Protesters and US Military Personnel
The FTC is targeting data brokers that monitored people’s movements during protests and around US military installations. But signs suggest the Trump administration will be far more lenient...