Russia Takes a Big Step Toward Internet Isolation

Russia can't cut its internet off from the rest of the world yet. But a recent test foreshadowed more censorship and repression to come...

The Army Bans TikTok

A million-dollar email scam, a Chinese hacking campaign, and more of the week's top security news...

How to Secure Your Wi-Fi Router and Protect Your Home Network

Router security has improved a bunch in recent years, but there are still steps you can take to lock yours down even better...

How the US Prepares Its Embassies for Potential Attacks

In addition to securing physical structures, the Diplomatic Security Service runs simulations of protests in a model city in Virginia...

How Iran's Hackers Might Strike Back After Soleimani's Assassination

From data-destroying wipers to industrial control system hacking, Iran has a potent arsenal of cyberattacks at its disposal...

TikTok's First Transparency Report Doesn't Tell the Full Story

The app says it didn’t receive any requests for user information from China during the first half of 2019. That might not reassure skeptics...

The Most Dangerous People on the Internet This Decade

In the early aughts the internet was less dangerous than it was disruptive. That's changed...

The Decade Big-Money Email Scams Took Over

In the last few years, the "Nigerian prince" scams have gotten a major upgrade...

'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' Is a Lesson in Military Opposites

The Resistance is outmanned and outgunned, but their adaptability wins the day...

The Worst Hacks of the Decade

It's been a rough 10 years in cybersecurity—and it's only getting worse...

Uninstall ToTok, an Alleged Emirati Spy App, From Your Phone Now

A messaging app called ToTok had scores of positive reviews, particularly from users in the UAE. US intelligent officials say it may be spying for that government instead...

Facebook Finally Fixes Its Two-Factor Mess

A Wawa breach, Russian spies, and more of the week's top security news...

Creditors Seek to Exhume the Body of a Dead Crypto Executive

Gerry Cotten took at least $137 million to the grave when he died without giving anyone the password to his encrypted laptop...

The Pentagon's AI Chief Prepares for Battle

Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan doesn't want killer robots—but he does want artificial intelligence to occupy a central role in warfighting...

Meet Cliff Stoll, the Mad Scientist Who Invented the Art of Hunting Hackers

Thirty years ago, Cliff Stoll published The Cuckoo's Egg, a book about his cat-and-mouse game with a KGB-sponsored hacker. Today, the internet is a far darker place—and Stoll has become a cybersecurity icon...

WhatsApp Fixes Yet Another Group Chat Security Gap

The flaw would have given attackers an avenue for crashing the app—every time a user opened an infected group thread...

Hackers Could Use Smart Displays to Spy on Meetings

By exploiting flaws in popular video conferencing hardware from DTEN, attackers can monitor audio, capture slides—and take full control of devices...

The War Vet, the Dating Site, and the Phone Call From Hell

Jared Johns found out too late that swapping messages with the pretty girl from a dating site would mean serious trouble. If only he had known who she really was...

Chrome Will Automatically Scan Your Passwords Against Data Breaches

Google's Password Checkup feature will be fully integrated into the desktop and mobile versions of Chrome 79...

5G Is More Secure Than 4G and 3G—Except When It’s Not

The next-generation wireless networks make it harder to track and spoof users, but security holes remain because devices still connect to older networks...

15 Million Iranian Bank Accounts Were Breached

Telegram hacks in Russia, Senate encryption hearings, and more in the week’s top security news...

Why Ring Doorbells Perfectly Exemplify the IoT Security Crisis

A new wave of reports about the home surveillance cameras getting hijacked by creeps is painfully familiar...

Toys “R” Us Is Back—Now With More Surveillance\!

Reports about the toy store using cameras to track shoppers caused an uproar, but the companies behind the tech insist their systems are trained to ignore kids...

This Alleged Bitcoin Scam Looked a Lot Like a Pyramid Scheme

Five men face federal charges of bilking investors of $722 million by inviting them to buy shares in bitcoin mining pools...

Voltage Hacking, Big Tech's 'Green' Data Score Card, and More News

Catch up on the most important news from today in two minutes or less...

Hackers Can Mess With Voltages to Steal Intel Chips' Secrets

A new attack called Plundervolt gives attackers access to the sensitive data stored in a processor's secure enclave...

The FCC's Push to Purge Huawei From US Networks

The rural carriers who rely on Huawei are wary of a costly “rip and replace” effort...

So Much For the Deep State Plot Against Donald Trump

Inspector general Michael Horowitz's report shows that the FBI's investigation of ties between Russia and the Trump campaign was both justified and without political bias...

Why the iPhone 11 Tracks Your Location Even When You Tell It Not To

Russian disinformation, a VC hack, vulnerable VPNs, and more are in the week’s top security news...

Alleged Russian Hacker Behind $100 Million Evil Corp Indicted

The US is charging Maksim Yakubets over two of the biggest cybertheft campaigns of the last decade, and offers a record reward for information on the case...

Meet the Activists Risking Prison to Film VR in Factory Farms

This animal liberation group actually wants to be put on trial. Their goal: force jurors to wear VR headsets and immerse them in the suffering of animals bound for slaughter...

The RCS Texting Protocol Is Way Too Easy to Hack

Rich Communication Services promises to be the new standard for texting. Thanks to sloppy implementation, it's also a security mess...

Ewoks Are the Most Tactically Advanced Fighting Force in Star Wars

Hate them or love them, the Ewoks have more strategic chops than any military in the Star Wars galaxy...

Hackers Find Ways Around a Years-Old Microsoft Outlook Fix

Microsoft patched a vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook in 2017. It hasn't slowed hackers down...

Blockchain Developer Gets Busted After Talk in North Korea

Hacker and Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith was recently arrested by US authorities for speaking at a conference on blockchain technologies...

I Ditched Google for DuckDuckGo. Here's Why You Should Too

Once you realize most things you search for online are boring and obvious, you realize you don't really need Google in your life...

The 25 Most Dangerous Software Vulnerabilities

DMV privacy, a password ruling, and more of the week's top security news...

What Is a Dead Drop?

A mainstay of spycraft still has plenty of relevance in the digital age...

Think Twice Before Giving Gifts With a Microphone or Camera

Black Friday is going to be overrun with cheap, internet-connected gifts. Just make sure you know exactly what you’re buying...

Trump's Ukraine Delusion, Tesla's Ford Showdown, and More News

Catch up on the most important news from today in two minutes or less...

Trump's Ukraine Server Delusion Is Spreading

Even secretary of state Mike Pompeo has given credence to Trump's demonstrably wrong theory that Ukraine hacked the DNC...

Even Privacy-Focused Cryptocurrency Can Spill Your Secrets

From a Harry Potter-themed protocol to high-profile coins, cryptocurrency is often not quite as private as it seems...

Tainted Data Can Teach Algorithms the Wrong Lessons

Researchers show how AI programs can be sabotaged by even subtle tweaks to the data used to train them...

Twitter Now Has Better Two-Factor Authentication, So Use It

A hacking bounty, right to repair, and more of the week's top security news...

The Debate Over How to Encrypt the Internet of Things

So-called lightweight encryption has its place. But some researchers argue that more manufacturers should stick with proven methods...

The GOP Is Mired in Conspiracies—and It's About to Get Worse

Opinion: If you thought the impeachment hearings were bad, wait until attorney general William Barr's internal investigation comes to light...

1.2 Billion Records Found Exposed Online in a Single Server

Here's the next jumbo data leak, complete with Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn profiles...

Russia's ‘Sandworm’ Hackers Also Targeted Android Phones

The Kremlin's uniquely dangerous hacker group has been trying new tricks...

Iranian Americans Struggle to Reach Family Amid Internet Blackout

As Iran's countrywide internet shutdown approaches a full week, Iranian Americans are increasingly desperate to connect with friends and relatives...

The Likely Reason Disney\+ Accounts Are Getting 'Hacked'

Credential stuffing, where names and passwords leaked in previous breaches are reused, strikes again...