Sears Exposed AI Chatbot Phone Calls and Text Chats to Anyone on the Web

Customer conversations with chatbots can include contact information and personal details that make it easier for scammers to launch phishing attacks and commit fraud...

Models Are Applying to Be the Face of AI Scams

Dozens of Telegram channels reviewed by WIRED include job listings for “AI face models.” The mostly women who land these gigs are likely being used to dupe victims out of their money...

A Hacker Accidentally Broke Into the FBI’s Epstein Files

Plus: A porn-quitting app exposed the masturbation habits of hundreds of thousands of users, Russian hackers are trying to take over people’s Signal accounts, and more...

US Lawmakers Move to Kill the FBI’s Warrantless Wiretap Access

A bipartisan bill would force the FBI to get a warrant to read Americans’ messages and ban the federal purchase of commercial data on US residents ahead of a critical April deadline...

How ‘Handala’ Became the Face of Iran’s Hacker Counterattacks

Amid a paralyzing breach of medical tech firm Stryker, the group has come to represent Iran's use of “hacktivism” as cover for chaotic, retaliatory state-sponsored cyberattacks...

Meta Ramps Up Efforts to Disrupt Industrialized Scamming

Meta removed 10.9 million Facebook and Instagram accounts linked to “criminal scam centers” last year, the company announced on Wednesday...

DHS Ousts CBP Privacy Officers Who Questioned ‘Illegal’ Orders

Department of Homeland Security leaders removed top privacy officers who objected to mislabeling government records to block their public release, WIRED has learned...

GPS Attacks Near Iran Are Wreaking Havoc on Delivery and Mapping Apps

Delivery apps are glitching and navigation routes are changing abruptly thanks to electronic warfare disrupting the satellite signals that power everything from missiles to your ride home...

CBP Used Online Ad Data to Track Phone Locations

Plus: Proton helped the FBI identify a protester, the Leakbase cybercrime forum was busted in an international operation, and more...

How Each Gulf Country Is Intercepting Iranian Missiles and Drones

As missiles and drones cross the region’s skies, the Gulf’s layered air-defense networks—from THAAD to Patriot batteries—are being tested in real time...

The Future of Iran’s Internet Is More Uncertain Than Ever

Iran’s internet shutdown has reduced connectivity by 99 percent, with air strikes likely causing additional outages, and few workarounds remaining...

From Ukraine to Iran, Hacking Security Cameras Is Now Part of War’s ‘Playbook’

New research shows hundreds of attempts by apparent Iranian state hackers to hijack consumer-grade cameras, timed to missile and drone strikes. Israel, Russia, and Ukraine have also adopted this trick...

Here’s Every Country Directly Impacted by the War on Iran

As the conflict in the Middle East continues to escalate, more than a dozen countries in the region have reportedly been affected by air strikes...

The Controversies Finally Caught Up to Kristi Noem

Donald Trump said he would replace the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Noem’s tenure was marked by aggressive anti-immigration tactics and ICE and CBP’s killing of two US protesters...

How a Music Streaming CEO Built an Open-Source Global Threat Map in His Spare Time

Frustrated by fragmented war news, Anghami’s Elie Habib built World Monitor, a platform that fuses global data, like aircraft signals and satellite detections, to track conflicts as they unfold...

How Vulnerable Are Computers to an 80-Year-Old Spy Technique? Congress Wants Answers

A pair of US lawmakers are calling for an investigation into how easily spies can steal information based on devices’ electromagnetic and acoustic leaks—a spying trick the NSA once codenamed TEMPEST...

A Possible US Government iPhone-Hacking Toolkit Is Now in the Hands of Foreign Spies and Criminals

A highly sophisticated set of iPhone hijacking techniques has likely infected tens of thousands of phones or more. Clues suggest it was originally built for the US government...

How Journalists Are Reporting From Iran With No Internet

After strikes killed senior Iranian officials, Iran cut off internet access. Journalists are relying on satellite links, encrypted apps, and smuggled footage to report from inside the country...

Attacks on GPS Spike Amid US and Israeli War on Iran

New analysis shows that attacks on satellite navigation systems have impacted some 1,100 ships in the Middle East since the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28...

War in Iran Spiked Oil Prices. Trump Will Decide How High They Go

The conflict in the Middle East is driving oil prices up in a midterm year when Americans are already focused on high energy bills...

The 5 Big ‘Known Unknowns’ of Donald Trump’s New War With Iran

The all-out air assault on the Islamic Republic might be the biggest gamble of the president’s career...

Hacked Prayer App Sends ‘Surrender’ Messages to Iranians Amid Israeli and US Strikes

As Israeli airstrikes hit Tehran this morning, Iranians received mysterious push notifications saying that “help is on the way,” promising amnesty if they surrender...

This Is the System That Intercepted Iran’s Missiles Over the UAE

As Iranian missiles targeted US-linked sites across the Gulf, the UAE’s missile shield was activated in real time...

Area Man Accidentally Hacks 6,700 Camera-Enabled Robot Vacuums

Plus: The top US cyber agency falls into shambles, AI models develop an upsetting penchant for nuclear weapons, and more...

US and Israel Launch Strikes Against Iran

US president Donald Trump said a “major combat operation” against Iran had begun as he called for the country’s government to be overthrown...

Data Broker Breaches Fueled Nearly $21 Billion in Identity-Theft Losses

A report copublished by WIRED sparked a probe into opt-out pages hidden by data brokers. Now congressional Democrats say breaches tied to the industry have cost people tens of billions of dollars...

This AI Agent Is Designed to Not Go Rogue

The new open source project IronCurtain uses a unique method to secure and constrain AI assistant agents before they flip your digital life upside down...

How Mexico's ‘CJNG’ Drug Cartel Embraced AI, Drones, and Social Media

Drug kingpin Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes may be dead, but the Jalisco cartel he ran for years will likely outlive him—thanks, in part, to the criminal group’s embrace of technology...

Here’s What a Google Subpoena Response Looks Like, Courtesy of the Epstein Files

The US Justice Department disclosures give fresh clues about how tech companies handle government inquiries about your data...

Password Managers Share a Hidden Weakness

Plus: The cybersecurity community grapples with Epstein files revelations, the US State Department plans an online anti-censorship “portal” for the world, and more...

‘Narco-Submarine’ Carrying 4 Tons of Cocaine Captured by Mexico's Navy

Following increased surveillance and patrols of routes used by transnational drug-trafficking networks, Mexican authorities have seized approximately 10 tons of cocaine in the past week alone...

DHS Wants a Single Search Engine to Flag Faces and Fingerprints Across Agencies

Homeland Security aims to combine its face and fingerprint systems into one big biometric platform—after dismantling centralized privacy reviews and key limits on face recognition...

Metadata Exposes Authors of ICE’s ‘Mega’ Detention Center Plans

Comments and other data left on a PDF detailing Homeland Security’s proposal to build “mega” detention and processing centers reveal the personnel involved in its creation...

Jeffrey Epstein’s Ties to CBP Agents Sparked a DOJ Probe

Documents say customs officers in the US Virgin Islands had friendly relationships with Epstein years after his 2008 conviction, showing how the infamous sex offender tried to cultivate allies...

A $10K Bounty Awaits Anyone Who Can Hack Ring Cameras to Stop Sharing Data With Amazon

The Fulu Foundation, a nonprofit that pays out bounties for removing user-hostile features, is hunting for a way to keep Ring cameras from sending data to Amazon—without breaking the hardware...

An FBI ‘Asset’ Helped Run a Dark Web Site That Sold Fentanyl-Laced Drugs for Years

A staffer of the Incognito dark web market was secretly controlled by the FBI—and still allegedly approved the sale of fentanyl-tainted pills, including those from a dealer linked to a confirmed death...

How to Organize Safely in the Age of Surveillance

From threat modeling to encrypted collaboration apps, we’ve collected experts’ tips and tools for safely and effectively building a group—even while being targeted and tracked by the powerful...

A Vast Trove of Exposed Social Security Numbers May Put Millions at Risk of Identity Theft

A database left accessible to anyone online contained billions of records, including sensitive personal data that criminals appear to have not yet exploited...

The El Paso No-Fly Debacle Is Just the Beginning of a Drone Defense Mess

Fears over a drug cartel drone over Texas sparked a recent airspace shutdown in El Paso and New Mexico, highlighting just how tricky it can be to deploy anti-drone weapons near cities...

Ring Kills Flock Safety Deal After Super Bowl Ad Uproar

Plus: Meta plans to add face recognition to its smart glasses, Jared Kushner named as part of whistleblower’s mysterious national security complaint, and more...

Robot Dogs Are on Going on Patrol at the 2026 World Cup in Mexico

The Mexican city of Guadalupe, which will host portions of the 2026 World Cup, recently showed off four new robot dogs that will help provide security during matches at BBVA Stadium...

Crypto-Funded Human Trafficking Is Exploding

The use of cryptocurrency in sales of human beings for prostitution and scam compounds nearly doubled in 2025, according to a conservative estimate. Many of the deals are happening in plain sight...

ICE Is Crashing the US Court System in Minnesota

Petitions demanding people get the chance to be released from ICE custody have overwhelmed courts throughout the US...

CBP Signs Clearview AI Deal to Use Face Recognition for ‘Tactical Targeting’

US Border Patrol intelligence units will gain access to a face recognition tool built on billions of images scraped from the internet...

AI Is Here to Replace Nuclear Treaties. Scared Yet?

The last major nuclear arms treaty between the US and Russia just expired. Some experts believe a combination of satellite surveillance, AI, and human reviewers can take its place. Others, not so much...

Iran’s Digital Surveillance Machine Is Almost Complete

After more than 15 years of draconian measures, culminating in an ongoing internet shutdown, the Iranian regime seems to be staggering toward its digital surveillance endgame...

Moltbook, the Social Network for AI Agents, Exposed Real Humans’ Data

Plus: Apple’s Lockdown mode keeps the FBI out of a reporter’s phone, Elon Musk’s Starlink cuts off Russian forces, and more...

ICE Agent’s ‘Dragging’ Case May Help Expose Evidence in Renee Good Shooting

The government has withheld details of the investigation of Renee Good’s killing—but an unrelated case involving the ICE agent who shot her could force new revelations...

ICE and CBP’s Face-Recognition App Can’t Actually Verify Who People Are

ICE has used Mobile Fortify to identify immigrants and citizens alike over 100,000 times, by one estimate. It wasn't built to work like that—and only got approved after DHS abandoned its own privacy rules...

Notepad++ Users, You May Have Been Hacked by China

Suspected Chinese state-backed hackers hijacked the Notepad++ update infrastructure to deliver a backdoored version of the popular free source code editor and note-taking app for Windows...