Cybercriminals Have a Weird New Way to Target You With Scam Texts

Scammers are now using “SMS blasters” to send out up to 100,000 texts per hour to phones that are tricked into thinking the devices are cell towers. Your wireless carrier is powerless to stop them...

A DHS Data Hub Exposed Sensitive Intel to Thousands of Unauthorized Users

A misconfigured platform used by the Department of Homeland Security left national security information—including some related to the surveillance of Americans—accessible to thousands of people...

How to Set Up and Use a Burner Phone

Obtaining and using a true burner phone is hard—but not impossible. Here are the steps you need to take to protect your mobile communications based on the risks you face...

Russia Tests Hypersonic Missile at NATO’s Doorstep—and Shares the Video

Russian military exercises near NATO borders follow the recent incursion of Russian drones into the airspace of Poland and Romania, further stoking tensions with the West...

Jeffrey Epstein’s Yahoo Inbox Revealed

Plus: ICE deploys secretive phone surveillance tech, officials warn of Chinese surveillance tools in US highway infrastructure, and more...

Charlie Kirk Shooting Suspect Identified as 22-Year-Old Utah Man

Authorities have named Tyler Robinson as a suspect in the murder of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, citing Discord messages as evidence of his alleged role...

How China’s Propaganda and Surveillance Systems Really Operate

A series of corporate leaks show that Chinese technology companies function far more like their Western peers than one might imagine...

Apple’s Big Bet to Eliminate the iPhone’s Most Targeted Vulnerabilities

Alongside new iPhones, Apple released a new security architecture on Tuesday: Memory Integrity Enforcement aims to eliminate the most frequently exploited class of iOS bugs...

Here’s What to Know About Poland Shooting Down Russian Drones

On Wednesday morning, Poland shot down several Russian drones that entered its airspace—a first since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The incident disrupted air travel and set the region on edge...

US Investment in Spyware Is Skyrocketing

A new report warns that the number of US investors in powerful commercial spyware rose sharply in 2024 and names new countries linked to the dangerous technology...

Cindy Cohn Is Leaving the EFF, but Not the Fight for Digital Rights

After 25 years at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Cindy Cohn is stepping down as executive director. In a WIRED interview, she reflects on encryption, AI, and why she’s not ready to quit the battle...

A New Platform Offers Privacy Tools to Millions of Public Servants

From data-removal services to threat monitoring, the Public Service Alliance says its new marketplace will help public servants defend themselves in an era of data brokers and political violence...

Massive Leak Shows How a Chinese Company Is Exporting the Great Firewall to the World

Geedge Networks, a company with ties to the founder of China’s mass censorship infrastructure, is selling its censorship and surveillance systems to at least four other countries in Asia and Africa...

ICE Has Spyware Now

Plus: An AI chatbot system is linked to a widespread hack, details emerge of a US plan to plant a spy device in North Korea, your job’s security training isn’t working, and more...

Defense Department Scrambles to Pretend It’s Called the War Department

President Donald Trump said the so-called Department of War branding is to counter the “woke” Department of Defense name...

US Congressman’s Brother Lands No-Bid Contract to Train DHS Snipers

DHS says retired Marine sniper Dan LaLota’s firm is uniquely qualified to meet the government’s needs. LaLota tells WIRED his brother, GOP congressman Nick LaLota, played no role in the contract...

Automated Sextortion Spyware Takes Webcam Pics of Victims Watching Porn

A new specimen of “infostealer” malware offers a disturbing feature: It monitors a target's browser for NSFW content, then takes simultaneous screenshots and webcam photos of the victim...

What Is a Passkey? Here’s How to Set Up and Use Them (2025)

Passkeys were built to enable a password-free future. Here's what they are and how you can start using them...

No, Trump Can’t Legally Federalize US Elections

The United States Constitution is clear: President Donald Trump can’t take control of the country’s elections. But he can sow confusion and fear...

China Is About to Show Off Its New High-Tech Weapons to the World

On September 3, China will hold a “Victory Day” military parade in Tiananmen Square to celebrate the 80th anniversary of its victory over Japan—and to send the West a message...

DOGE Put Everyone’s Social Security Data at Risk, Whistleblower Claims

Plus: China’s Salt Typhoon hackers target 600 companies in 80 countries, Tulsi Gabbard purges CIA agents, hackers knock out Iranian ship communications, and more...

SSA Whistleblower’s Resignation Email Mysteriously Disappeared From Inboxes

Less than 30 minutes after the Social Security Administration’s chief data officer resigned following a whistleblower complaint, recipients could no longer access the resignation email...

This Is the Group That's Been Swatting US Universities

WIRED spoke to a self-proclaimed leader of an online group called Purgatory, which charged as little as $20 to call in fake threats against schools...

The Era of AI-Generated Ransomware Has Arrived

Cybercriminals are increasingly using generative AI tools to fuel their attacks, with new research finding instances of AI being used to develop ransomware...

The Mysterious Shortwave Radio Station Stoking US-Russia Nuclear Fears

A popular shortwave Russian radio station dubbed “UVB-76” has been an enigma for decades. But its recent messages have turned it into a tool for Kremlin saber-rattling...

US Government Seeks Medical Records of Trans Youth

Plus: Google wants billions of Chrome users to install an emergency fix, Kristi Noem is on the move, and North Korean IT workers are everywhere...

Phone Searches at the US Border Hit a Record High

Customs and Border Protection agents searched nearly 15,000 devices from April through June of this year, a nearly 17 percent spike over the previous three-month high in 2022...

Senate Probe Uncovers Allegations of Widespread Abuse in ICE Custody

Led by US senator Jon Ossoff, the investigation cites hundreds of reports since January, including accounts of miscarriages, child neglect, and sexual abuse at ICE detention centers in dozens of states...

Highly Sensitive Medical Cannabis Patient Data Exposed by Unsecured Database

Nearly a million records, which appear to be linked to a medical-cannabis-card company in Ohio, included Social Security numbers, government IDs, health conditions, and more...

493 Cases of Sextortion Against Children Linked to Notorious Scam Compounds

Scam compounds in Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos have conned people out of billions. New research shows they may be linked to child sextortion crimes too...

Russia Is Cracking Down on End-to-End Encrypted Calls

Plus: ICE agents accidentally add a random person to a sensitive group chat, Norwegian intelligence blames the Kremlin for hacking a dam, and new facial recognition vans roam the UK...

The First Federal Cybersecurity Disaster of Trump 2.0 Has Arrived

The breach of the US Courts records system came to light more than a month after the attack was discovered. Details about what was exposed—and who’s responsible—remain unclear...

Data Brokers Face New Pressure for Hiding Opt-Out Pages From Google

After reporters found dozens of firms hiding privacy tools from search results, US senator Maggie Hassan insists the companies explain their practices—and pledge to improve access to privacy controls...

Data Brokers Are Hiding Their Opt-Out Pages From Google Search

Dozens of companies are hiding how you can delete your personal data, The Markup and CalMatters found...

What Does Palantir Actually Do?

Palantir is often called a data broker, a data miner, or a giant database of personal information. In reality, it’s none of these—but even former employees struggle to explain it...

Inside the Multimillion-Dollar Gray Market for Video Game Cheats

Gaming cheats are the bane of the video game industry—and a hot commodity. A recent study found that cheat creators are making a fortune from gamers looking to gain a quick edge...

How to Protect Yourself From Portable Point-of-Sale Scams

POS scams are difficult but not impossible to pull off. Here's how they work—and how you can protect yourself...

A Special Diamond Is the Key to a Fully Open Source Quantum Sensor

Quantum sensors can be used in medical technologies, navigation systems, and more, but they’re too expensive for most people. That's where the Uncut Gem open source project comes in...

The US Court Records System Has Been Hacked

Plus: Instagram sparks a privacy backlash over its new map feature, hackers steal data from Google's customer support system, and the true scope of the Columbia University hack comes into focus...

Ex-NSA Chief Paul Nakasone Has a Warning for the Tech World

At the Defcon security conference in Las Vegas on Friday, Nakasone tried to thread the needle in a politically fraught moment while hinting at major changes for the tech community around the corner...

Hackers Went Looking for a Backdoor in High-Security Safes—and Now Can Open Them in Seconds

Security researchers found two techniques to crack at least eight brands of electronic safes—used to secure everything from guns to narcotics—that are sold with Securam Prologic locks...

A Misconfiguration That Haunts Corporate Streaming Platforms Could Expose Sensitive Data

A security researcher discovered that flawed API configurations are plaguing corporate livestreaming platforms, potentially exposing internal company meetings—and he's releasing a tool to find them...

It Looks Like a School Bathroom Smoke Detector. A Teen Hacker Showed It Could Be an Audio Bug

A pair of hackers found that a vape detector often found in high school bathrooms contained microphones—and security weaknesses that could allow someone to turn it into a secret listening device...

Leak Reveals the Workaday Lives of North Korean IT Scammers

Spreadsheets, Slack messages, and files linked to an alleged group of North Korean IT workers expose their meticulous job-planning and targeting—and the constant surveillance they're under...

Mysterious Crime Spree Targeted National Guard Equipment Stashes

A string of US armory break-ins, kept quiet by authorities for months, points to a growing security crisis—and signs of an inside job...

Encryption Made for Police and Military Radios May Be Easily Cracked

Researchers found that an encryption algorithm likely used by law enforcement and special forces can have weaknesses that could allow an attacker to listen in...

A Single Poisoned Document Could Leak ‘Secret’ Data Via ChatGPT

Security researchers found a weakness in OpenAI’s Connectors, which let you hook up ChatGPT to other services, that allowed them to extract data from a Google Drive without any user interaction...

Hackers Hijacked Google’s Gemini AI With a Poisoned Calendar Invite to Take Over a Smart Home

For likely the first time ever, security researchers have shown how AI can be hacked to create real world havoc, allowing them to turn off lights, open smart shutters, and more...

What to Know About Traveling to China for Business

Recent developments and an escalating trade war have made travel to cities like Beijing challenging but by no means impossible...

Nuclear Experts Say Mixing AI and Nuclear Weapons Is Inevitable

Human judgement remains central to the launch of nuclear weapons. But experts say it’s a matter of when, not if, artificial intelligence will get baked into the world’s most dangerous systems...