The Trump Administration Sure Is Having Trouble Keeping Its Comms Private

In the wake of SignalGate, a knockoff version of Signal used by a high-ranking member of the Trump administration was hacked. Today on Uncanny Valley, we discuss the platforms used for government communications...

The Signal Clone Mike Waltz Was Caught Using Has Direct Access to User Chats

A new analysis of TM Signal’s source code appears to show that the app sends users’ message logs in plaintext. At least one top Trump administration official used the app...

Tulsi Gabbard Reused the Same Weak Password on Multiple Accounts for Years

Now the US director of national intelligence, Gabbard failed to follow basic cybersecurity practices on several of her personal accounts, leaked records reviewed by WIRED reveal...

US Border Agents Are Asking for Help Taking Photos of Everyone Entering the Country by Car

Customs and Border Protection has called for tech companies to pitch real-time face recognition technology that can capture everyone in a vehicle—not just those in the front seats...

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...

Security Researchers Warn a Widely Used Open Source Tool Poses a 'Persistent' Risk to the US

The open source software easyjson is used by the US government and American companies. But its ties to Russia’s VK, whose CEO has been sanctioned, have researchers sounding the alarm...

Hacking Spree Hits UK Retail Giants

Plus: France blames Russia for a series of cyberattacks, the US is taking steps to crack down on a gray market allegedly used by scammers, and Microsoft pushes the password one step closer to death...

Mike Waltz Has Somehow Gotten Even Worse at Using Signal

A photo taken this week showed Mike Waltz using an app that looks like—but is not—Signal to communicate with top officials. "I don't even know where to start with this," says one expert...

Think Twice Before Creating That ChatGPT Action Figure

People are using ChatGPT’s new image generator to take part in viral social media trends. But using it also puts your privacy at risk—unless you take a few simple steps to protect yourself...

North Korea Stole Your Job

For years, North Korea has been secretly placing young IT workers inside Western companies. With AI, their schemes are now more devious—and effective—than ever...

AI Code Hallucinations Increase the Risk of ‘Package Confusion’ Attacks

A new study found that code generated by AI is more likely to contain made-up information that can be used to trick software into interacting with malicious code...

WhatsApp Is Walking a Tightrope Between AI Features and Privacy

WhatsApp's AI tools will use a new “Private Processing” system designed to allow cloud access without letting Meta or anyone else see end-to-end encrypted chats. But experts still see risks...

Millions of Apple Airplay-Enabled Devices Can Be Hacked via Wi-Fi

Researchers reveal a collection of bugs known as AirBorne that would allow any hacker on the same Wi-Fi network as a third-party AirPlay-enabled device to surreptitiously run their own code on it...

Car Subscription Features Raise Your Risk of Government Surveillance, Police Records Show

Records reviewed by WIRED show law enforcement agencies are eager to take advantage of the data trails generated by a flood of new internet-connected vehicle features...

Pete Hegseth’s Signal Scandal Spirals Out of Control

Plus: Cybercriminals stole a record-breaking fortune from US residents and businesses in 2024, and Google performs its final flip-flop in its yearslong quest to kill tracking cookies...

Protecting Your Phone—and Your Privacy—at the US Border

In this episode of Uncanny Valley, our hosts explain how to prepare for travel to and from the United States—and how to stay safe...

Gmail’s New Encrypted Messages Feature Opens a Door for Scams

Google is rolling out an end-to-end encrypted email feature for business customers, but it could spawn phishing attacks, particularly in non-Gmail inboxes...

The Tech That Safeguards the Conclave’s Secrecy

Following the death of Pope Francis, the Vatican is preparing to organize a new conclave in less than 20 days. This is how they’ll tamp down on leaks...

Florida Man Enters the Encryption Wars

Plus: A US judge rules against police cell phone “tower dumps,” China names alleged NSA agents it says were involved in cyberattacks, and Customs and Border Protection reveals its social media spying tools...

ICE Is Paying Palantir $30 Million to Build ‘ImmigrationOS’ Surveillance Platform

In a document published Thursday, ICE explained the functions that it expects Palantir to include in a prototype of a new program to give the agency “near real-time” data about people self-deporting...

New Jersey Sues Discord for Allegedly Failing to Protect Children

The New Jersey attorney general claims Discord’s features to keep children under 13 safe from sexual predators and harmful content are inadequate...

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.”...

‘Stupid and Dangerous’: CISA Funding Chaos Threatens Essential Cybersecurity Program

The CVE Program is the primary way software vulnerabilities are tracked. Its long-term future remains in limbo even after a last-minute renewal of the US government contract that funds it...

Here’s What Happened to Those SignalGate Messages

A lawsuit over the Trump administration’s infamous Houthi Signal group chat has revealed what steps departments took to preserve the messages—and how little they actually saved...

Suspected 4chan Hack Could Expose Longtime, Anonymous Admins

Though the exact details of the situation have not been confirmed, community infighting seems to have spilled out in a breach of the notorious image board...

Microsoft’s Recall AI Tool Is Making an Unwelcome Return

Microsoft held off on releasing the privacy-unfriendly feature after a swell of pushback last year. Now it’s trying again, with a few improvements that skeptics say still aren't enough...

Gamaredon: The Turncoat Spies Relentlessly Hacking Ukraine

For the past decade, this group of FSB hackers—including “traitor” Ukrainian intelligence officers—has used a grinding barrage of intrusion campaigns to make life hell for their former countrymen and cybersecurity defenders...

Black Basta: The Fallen Ransomware Gang That Lives On

After a series of setbacks, the notorious Black Basta ransomware gang went underground. Researchers are bracing for its probable return in a new form...

CyberAv3ngers: The Iranian Saboteurs Hacking Water and Gas Systems Worldwide

Despite their hacktivist front, CyberAv3ngers is a rare state-sponsored hacker group bent on putting industrial infrastructure at risk—and has already caused global disruption...

TraderTraitor: The Kings of the Crypto Heist

Allegedly responsible for the theft of $1.5 billion in cryptocurrency from a single exchange, North Korea’s TraderTraitor is one of the most sophisticated cybercrime groups in the world...

Brass Typhoon: The Chinese Hacking Group Lurking in the Shadows

Though less well-known than groups like Volt Typhoon and Salt Typhoon, Brass Typhoon, or APT 41, is an infamous, longtime espionage actor that foreshadowed recent telecom hacks...

The Most Dangerous Hackers You’ve Never Heard Of

From crypto kingpins to sophisticated scammers, these are the lesser-known hacking groups that should be on your radar...

Smishing Triad: The Scam Group Stealing the World’s Riches

Millions of scam text messages are sent every month. The Chinese cybercriminals behind many of them are expanding their operations—and quickly innovating...

Homeland Security Email Tells a US Citizen to ‘Immediately’ Self-Deport

An email sent by the Department of Homeland Security instructs people in the US on a temporary legal status to leave the country. But who the email actually applies to—and who actually received it—is far from clear...

China Secretly (and Weirdly) Admits It Hacked US Infrastructure

Plus: The Department of Homeland Security begins surveilling immigrants' social media, President Donald Trump targets former CISA director who refuted his claims of 2020 election fraud, and more...

Sex-Fantasy Chatbots Are Leaking a Constant Stream of Explicit Messages

Some misconfigured AI chatbots are pushing people’s chats to the open web—revealing sexual prompts and conversations that include descriptions of child sexual abuse...

Spyware Maker NSO Group Is Paving a Path Back Into Trump’s America

The Israeli spyware maker, still on the US Commerce Department’s “blacklist,” has hired a new lobbying firm with direct ties to the Trump administration, a WIRED investigation has found...

NSA Chief Ousted Amid Trump Loyalty Firing Spree

Plus: Another DOGE operative allegedly has a history in the hacking world, and Donald Trump’s national security adviser apparently had way more Signal chats than previously known...

Cybersecurity Professor Faced China-Funding Inquiry Before Disappearing, Sources Say

A lawyer for Xiaofeng Wang and his wife says they are “safe” after FBI searches of their homes and Wang’s sudden dismissal from Indiana University, where he taught for over 20 years...

Cybersecurity Professor Mysteriously Disappears as FBI Raids His Homes

Xiaofeng Wang, a longtime computer science professor at Indiana University, has disappeared along with his wife, and their profiles on the school's website were wiped ahead of recent FBI raids...

An AI Image Generator’s Exposed Database Reveals What People Really Used It For

An unsecured database used by a generative AI app revealed prompts and tens of thousands of explicit images—some of which are likely illegal. The company deleted its websites after WIRED reached out...

Top Trump Officials’ Passwords and Personal Phone Numbers Discovered Online

Plus: Alleged Snowflake hacker will be extradited to US, internet restrictions create an information vacuum in Myanmar, and London gets its first permanent face recognition cameras...

Even More Venmo Accounts Tied to Trump Officials in Signal Group Chat Left Data Public

WIRED has found four new Venmo accounts that appear to be associated with Trump officials who were in an infamous Signal chat. One made a payment with a note consisting solely of an eggplant emoji...

SignalGate Is Driving the Most US Downloads of Signal Ever

Scandal surrounding the Trump administration’s Signal group chat has led to a landmark week for the encrypted messaging app’s adoption—its “largest US growth moment by a massive margin.”...

Mike Waltz Left His Venmo Friends List Public

A WIRED review shows national security adviser Mike Waltz, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, and other top officials left sensitive information exposed via Venmo—until WIRED asked about it...

SignalGate Isn’t About Signal

The Trump cabinet’s shocking leak of its plans to bomb Yemen raises myriad confidentiality and legal issues. The security of the encrypted messaging app Signal is not one of them...

How to Delete Your Data From 23andMe

DNA-testing company 23andMe has filed for bankruptcy, which means the future of the company’s vast trove of customer data is unknown. Here’s what that means for your genetic data...

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...

Using Starlink Wi-Fi in the White House Is a Slippery Slope for US Federal IT

The ad hoc addition to the otherwise tightly controlled White House information environment could create blind spots and security exposures while setting potentially dangerous precedent...

Trump’s Aggression Sours Europe on US Cloud Giants

Companies in the EU are starting to look for ways to ditch Amazon, Google, and Microsoft cloud services amid fears of rising security risks from the US. But cutting ties won’t be easy...