3525 matches found
A New Jam-Packed Biden Executive Order Tackles Cybersecurity, AI, and More
US president Joe Biden just issued a 40-page executive order that aims to bolster federal cybersecurity protections, directs government use of AI—and takes a swipe at Microsoft’s dominance...
5 Best VPN Services (2024): For Routers, PC, iPhone, Android, and More
It won’t solve all of your privacy problems, but a virtual private network can make you a less tempting target for hackers...
The ‘Largest Illicit Online Marketplace’ Ever Is Growing at an Alarming Rate, Report Says
Huione Guarantee, a gray market researchers believe is central to the online scam ecosystem, now includes a messaging app, stablecoin, and crypto exchange—while facilitating $24 billion in transactions...
Inside the Black Box of Predictive Travel Surveillance
Behind the scenes, companies and governments are feeding a trove of data about international travelers into opaque AI tools that aim to predict who’s safe—and who’s a threat...
Secret Phone Surveillance Tech Was Likely Deployed at 2024 DNC
Data WIRED collected during the 2024 Democratic National Convention strongly suggests the use of a cell-site simulator, a controversial spy device that intercepts sensitive data from every phone in its range...
Candy Crush, Tinder, MyFitnessPal: See the Thousands of Apps Hijacked to Spy on Your Location
A hack of location data company Gravy Analytics has revealed which apps are—knowingly or not—being used to collect your information behind the scenes...
Rumble Among 15 Targets of Texas Attorney General’s Child Privacy Probe
Texas has become a leading enforcer of internet rules. Its latest probe includes some platforms that privacy experts describe as unusual suspects...
How the US TikTok Ban Would Actually Work
The fate of TikTok now rests in the hands of the US Supreme Court. If a law banning the social video app this month is upheld, it won’t disappear from your phone—but it will get messy fast...
The School Shootings Were Fake. The Terror Was Real
The inside story of the teenager whose “swatting” calls sent armed police racing into hundreds of schools nationwide—and the private detective who tracked him down...
License Plate Readers Are Leaking Real-Time Video Feeds and Vehicle Data
Misconfigured license-plate-recognition systems reveal the livestreams of individual cameras and the wealth of data they collect about every vehicle that passes by them...
Apple May Owe You $20 in a Siri Privacy Lawsuit Settlement
Plus: The FBI discovers a historic trove of homemade explosives, new details emerge in China’s hack of the US Treasury Department, and more...
Californians Say X Blocked Them From Viewing Amber Alert About Missing 14-Year-Old
Many people reported they hit a screen preventing them from seeing the alert unless they signed in...
Facebook and Instagram Ads Push Gun Silencers Disguised as Car Parts
A network of Facebook pages has been advertising “fuel filters” that are actually meant to be used as silencers, which are heavily regulated by US law. Even US military officials are concerned...
Hey, Maybe It's Time to Delete Some Old Chat Histories
Your messages going back years are likely still lurking online, potentially exposing sensitive information you forgot existed. But there's no time like the present to do some digital decluttering...
US Treasury Department Admits It Got Hacked by China
Treasury says hackers accessed “certain unclassified documents” in a “major” breach, but experts believe the attack’s impacts could prove to be more significant as new details emerge...
The Most Dangerous People on the Internet in 2024
From Elon Musk and Donald Trump to state-sponsored hackers and crypto scammers, this was the year the online agents of chaos gained ground...
The Paper Passport Is Dying
Smartphones and face recognition are being combined to create new digital travel documents. The paper passport’s days are numbered—despite new privacy risks...
The Worst Hacks of 2024
From Chinese cyberspies breaching US telecoms to ruthless ransomware gangs disrupting health care for millions of people, 2024 saw some of the worst hacks, breaches, and data leaks ever...
You Need to Create a Secret Password With Your Family
AI voice cloning and deepfakes are supercharging scams. One method to protect your loved ones and yourself is to create secret code words to verify someone’s identity in real time...
The Invisible Russia-Ukraine Battlefield
In Russia’s war against Ukraine, electronic warfare, including signal-jamming, anti-drone weapons, and innovative protections for critical military systems, has become a key piece of the conflict...
Mystery Drone Sightings Lead to FAA Ban Despite No Detected Threats
Plus: Google’s U-turn on creepy “fingerprint” tracking, the LockBit ransomware gang’s teased comeback, and a potential US ban on the most popular routers in America...
This VPN Lets Anyone Use Your Internet Connection. What Could Go Wrong?
A free VPN app called Big Mama is selling access to people’s home internet networks. Kids are using it to cheat in a VR game while researchers warn of bigger security risks...
Congress Again Fails to Limit Scope of Spy Powers in New Defense Bill
The National Defense Authorization Act passed today, but lawmakers stripped language that would keep the Trump administration from wielding unprecedented authority to surveil Americans...
Intel Officials Warned Police That US Cities Aren’t Ready for Hostile Drones
In a previously unreported August memo, the Department of Homeland Security urged state and local police to conduct exercises to test their ability to respond to weaponized drones...
Drug Dealers Have Moved on to Social Media
The marketing of illegal drugs on open platforms is “gaining prominence,” authorities note, while the number of drug transactions on the dark web has decreased in recent years...
Stop Calling Online Scams ‘Pig Butchering,’ Interpol Warns
Experts say the catchall term for online fraud furthers harm against victims and could dissuade people from reporting attempts to bilk them out of their money...
The Top Cybersecurity Agency in the US Is Bracing for Donald Trump
Staffers at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency tell WIRED they fear the new administration will cut programs that keep the US safe—and “persecution.”...
Hackers Can Jailbreak Digital License Plates to Make Others Pay Their Tolls and Tickets
Digital license plates sold by Reviver, already legal to buy in some states and drive with nationwide, can be hacked by their owners to evade traffic regulations or even law enforcement surveillance...
The Simple Math Behind Public Key Cryptography
The security system that underlies the internet makes use of a curious fact: You can broadcast part of your encryption to make your information much more secure...
Microsoft’s AI Recall Tool Is Still Sucking Up Credit Card and Social Security Numbers
Plus: The US indicts North Koreans in fake IT worker scheme, file-sharing firm Cleo warns customers to patch a vulnerability amid live attacks, and more...
The New Jersey Drone Mystery May Not Actually Be That Mysterious
A flurry of drone sightings across New Jersey and New York has sparked national intrigue and US government responses. But experts are pouring cold water on America’s hottest new conspiracy theory...
Why the US Military Can't Just Shoot Down the Mystery Drones
Small, easily weaponizable drones have become a feature of battlefields from the Middle East to Ukraine. Now the threat looms over the US homeland—and the Pentagon's ability to respond is limited...
Worry About Misuse of AI, Not Superintelligence
AI risks arise not from AI acting on its own, but because of what people do with it...
As the Mastermind of Far-Right ‘Active Clubs’ Goes to Prison, His Violent Movement Goes Global
The white supremacist Robert Rundo faces years in prison. But the “Active Club” network he helped create has proliferated in countries around the world, from Eastern Europe to South America...
The ‘Ghost Gun’ Linked to Luigi Mangione Shows Just How Far 3D-Printed Weapons Have Come
The design of the gun police say they found on the alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killer—the FMDA or “Free Men Don’t Ask”—was released by a libertarian group...
Poker Cheaters Allegedly Use Tiny Hidden Cameras to Spot Dealt Cards
Several recent schemes were uncovered involving poker players at casinos allegedly using miniature cameras, concealed in personal electronics, to spot cards. Should players everywhere be concerned?...
Police Arrest UnitedHealthcare CEO Shooting Suspect, App Developer Luigi Mangione
Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, was apprehended on Monday after visiting a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania...
US Officials Recommend Encryption Apps Amid Chinese Telecom Hacking
Plus: Russian spies keep hijacking other hackers’ infrastructure, Hydra dark web market admin gets life sentence in Russia, and more of the week’s top security news...
The Real Story of “The Order”
The new film about an FBI agent chasing a white supremacist terror cell is based on a true story—and one that connects the headlines of 40 years ago to those of today...
She Escaped an Abusive Marriage—Now She Helps Women Battle Cyber Harassment
Inspired by her own experience of abuse, Nighat Dad fights for women’s social and digital rights in Pakistan and beyond...
A New Phone Scanner That Detects Spyware Has Already Found 7 Pegasus Infections
The mobile device security firm iVerify has been offering a tool since May that makes spyware scanning accessible to anyone—and it’s already turning up victims...
Senators Warn the Pentagon: Get a Handle on China’s Telecom Hacking
In a letter to the Department of Defense, senators Ron Wyden and Eric Schmitt are calling for an investigation into fallout from the Salt Typhoon espionage campaign...
She Was a Russian Socialite and Influencer. Cops Say She’s a Crypto Laundering Kingpin
Western authorities say they’ve identified a network that found a new way to clean drug gangs’ dirty cash. WIRED gained exclusive access to the investigation...
With Threats to Encryption Looming, Signal’s Meredith Whittaker Says ‘We’re Not Changing’
At WIRED’s The Big Interview event, the president of the Signal Foundation talked about secure communications as critical infrastructure and the need for a new funding paradigm for tech...
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...
He Got Banned From X. Now He Wants to Help You Escape, Too
When programmer Micah Lee was kicked off X for a post that offended Elon Musk, he didn't look back. His new tool for saving and deleting your X posts can give you that same sweet release...
Top US Consumer Watchdog Has a Plan to Fight Predatory Data Brokers
A new proposal by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would use a 54-year-old privacy law to impose new oversight of the data broker industry. But first, the agency must survive Elon Musk...
Are You Being Tracked by an AirTag? Here’s How to Check
If you’re worried that one of Apple’s trackers is following you without consent, try these tips...
Malicious Ads in Search Results Are Driving New Generations of Scams
The scourge of “malvertising” is nothing new, but the tactic is still so effective that it's contributing to the rise of investment scams and the spread of new strains of malware...