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.
Security / Cyberattacks and Hacks
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.
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.
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.
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.
A New Era of Attacks on Encryption Is Starting to Heat Up
The UK, France, Sweden, and EU have made fresh attacks on end-to-end encryption. Some of the attacks are more “crude” than those in recent years, experts say.
‘People Are Scared’: Inside CISA as It Reels From Trump’s Purge
Employees at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency tell WIRED they’re struggling to protect the US while the administration dismisses their colleagues and poisons their partnerships.
What Really Happened With the DDoS Attacks That Took Down X
Elon Musk said a “massive cyberattack” disrupted X on Monday and pointed to “IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area” as the source of the attack. Security experts say that’s not how it works.
Cybercriminals Allegedly Used a StubHub Backdoor to Steal Taylor Swift Tickets
Plus: The world’s “largest illicit online marketplace” gets hit by regulators, police seize the Garantex crypto exchange, and scammers trick targets by making up ransomware attacks.