The Slow-Burn Nightmare of the National Public Data Breach

Social Security numbers, physical addresses, and more—all available online. After months of confusion, leaked information from a background-check firm underscores the long-term risks of data breaches...

Microsoft’s AI Can Be Turned Into an Automated Phishing Machine

Attacks on Microsoft’s Copilot AI allow for answers to be manipulated, data extracted, and security protections bypassed, new research shows...

Perplexity Plagiarized Our Story About How Perplexity Is a Bullshit Machine

Experts aren’t unanimous about whether the AI-powered search startup’s practices could expose it to legal claims ranging from infringement to defamation—but some say plaintiffs would have strong cases...

AI Is Your Coworker Now. Can You Trust It?

Generative AI tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Copilot are becoming part of everyday business life. But they come with privacy and security considerations you should know about...

Ecuador Is Literally Powerless in the Face of Drought

Drought-stricken hydro dams have led to daily electricity cuts in Ecuador. As weather becomes less predictable due to climate change, experts say other countries need to take notice...

Android Update: Theft Detection Lock Knows When Your Phone Is Stolen

Google is introducing new AI-powered safety tools in Android 15 that can lock down your phone if thieves nab it...

Change Healthcare Finally Admits It Paid Ransomware Hackers—and Still Faces a Patient Data Leak

The company belatedly conceded both that it had paid the cybercriminals extorting it and that patient data nonetheless ended up on the dark web...

A Breakthrough Online Privacy Proposal Hits Congress

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...

Glassdoor Wants to Know Your Real Name

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...

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

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

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

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

The UK Is GPS-Tagging Thousands of Migrants

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...

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

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...

Signal Finally Rolls Out Usernames, So You Can Keep Your Phone Number Private

We tested the end-to-end encrypted messenger’s new feature aimed at addressing critics’ most persistent complaint. Here’s how it works...

The Hidden Injustice of Cyberattacks

Cyberattacks and criminal scams can impact anyone. But communities of color and other marginalized groups are often disproportionately impacted and lack the support to better protect themselves...

2054, Part IV: A Nation Divided

“The people are in the streets. We can’t ignore them any longer. Really, we have little choice. Either we heal together, or we tear ourselves apart.” An exclusive excerpt from 2054: A Novel...

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

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...

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

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...

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

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...

How to Opt Out of Comcast’s Xfinity Storing Your Sensitive Data

One of America’s largest internet providers may collect data about your political beliefs, race, and sexual orientation to serve personalized ads...

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

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...

Police Can Spy on Your iOS and Android Push Notifications

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...

Elon Musk Is Giving QAnon Believers Hope Just in Time for the 2024 Elections

Musk’s recent use of the term “QAnon” is his most explicit endorsement of the movement to date. Conspiracists have since spent days dissecting its meaning and cheering on his apparent support...

How to Stop Google From Deleting Your Inactive Account

Your inactive profiles, like Gmail or Docs, could turn into digital dust later this year. A few clicks can save them...

The Shocking Data on Kia and Hyundai Thefts in the US

Plus: MGM hackers hit more than just casinos, Microsoft researchers accidentally leak terabytes of data, and China goes on the PR offensive over cyberespionage...

FBI Surveillance Fears Are Uniting a Badly Broken Congress

The FBI has collected sensitive data on millions of Americans without warrants, drawing intense scrutiny from Congress and turning the agency into a punching bag across the political divide...

Ransomware Attacks Are on the Rise, Again

Ransomware attacks tumbled in 2022, offering hope that the tide was turning against the criminal gangs behind them. Then things got a whole lot worse...

Russia’s Notorious Troll Farm Disbands

Plus: A French bill would allow spying via phone cameras, ATM skimmers target welfare families, and Japan’s largest cargo port gets hit with ransomware...

How to Reclaim Your Online Privacy

We talk to the Signal Foundation’s Meredith Whittaker about how the surveillance economy is newer than we all might realize—and what we can do to fight back...

The Team of Sleuths Quietly Hunting Cyberattack-for-Hire Services

For a decade, a group called Big Pipes has worked behind the scenes with the FBI to target the worst cybercriminal “booter” services plaguing the internet...

Apple, Google, and Microsoft Just Fixed Zero-Day Security Flaws

Firefox gets a needed tune-up, SolarWinds squashes two high-severity bugs, Oracle patches 433 vulnerabilities, and more updates you should make now...

Apple’s Macs Have Long Escaped Ransomware. That May Be Changing

The discovery of malicious encryptors for Apple computers could herald new risks for macOS users if the malware continues to evolve...

Security Roundup: Leak of Top-Secret US Intel Risks a New Wave of Mass Surveillance

Plus: Hackers claim to have stolen 10 TB from Western Digital, a new spyware has emerged, and WhatsApp gets a fresh security feature...

Leaked Pentagon Documents May Herald a New Era of Revelations

The bizarre release of sensitive US government materials soon after their creation signals a potential shift to near-real-time unauthorized disclosures...

The Uniquely American Future of US Authoritarianism

The GOP-fueled far right differs from similar movements around the globe, thanks to the country’s politics, electoral system, and changing demographics...

How You Can Tell the AI Images of Trump’s Arrest Are Deepfakes

Doctored images of the former US president went viral on Twitter. These are the telltale signs that they aren’t what they seem...

What to Look for When Buying a Security Camera (2023): Tips and Risks

Eufy's recent scandal shows it's not so much about the data breach but about how a company responds. Here are a few ways to shop smart...

Iran’s Protests Reveal What’s Lost If Twitter Crumbles

As authorities hit citizens with more violence, the social network is proving key to documenting abuses. If it breaks, a human rights lifeline may disappear...

Redacted Documents Are Not as Secure as You Think

Popular redaction tools don’t always work as promised, and new attacks can reveal hidden information, researchers say...

The Secret Ballot Is US Democracy’s Last Line of Defense

Voter intimidation has cropped up in places across the nation, but the voting booth remains the one place where nobody can get to you...

A Pro-China Disinfo Campaign Is Targeting US Elections—Badly

The suspected Chinese influence operation had limited success. But it signals a growing threat from a new disinformation adversary...

How the World Will Know If Russia Is Preparing to Launch a Nuclear Attack

While tensions over a possible nuclear attack on Ukraine remain high, experts say surveillance will likely catch Russia if it plans to do the unthinkable...

How to Use Passkeys in Google Chrome and Android

Google wants to make your digital life—in its ecosystem, anyway—passwordless and more secure...

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Bails on Starlink Funding for Ukraine

Plus: Hackers hit the Mormon Church, Signal plans to ditch SMS for Android, and a Fat Bear election erupts in scandal...

Google’s Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro Pack New Android VPN and Tensor G2, Titan M2 Chips

The company says it hardened the security of its new flagship phones—and plans to release a built-in Android VPN...

VPN Providers Flee India as a New Data Law Takes Hold

Many companies have pulled physical servers from the country as a mandate to collect customer data goes into effect...

Telegram Has a Serious Doxing Problem

The encrypted messaging app is a haven for politically motivated vitriol, but users are increasingly bringing threats to targets’ doorsteps...

The Deep Roots of Nigeria’s Cybersecurity Problem

Despite having one of the strongest data-protection policies in Africa, the country’s enforcement and disclosure practices remain dangerously broken...

How Whistleblowers Navigate a Security Minefield

Exposing wrongdoing is risky on the best of days. Whistleblower Aid cofounder John Tye explains the extensive steps needed to keep people safe...