Security

Playing Defense

The White House Has a New Master Plan to Stop Worst-Case Scenarios

President Joe Biden has updated the directives to protect US critical infrastructure against major threats, from cyberattacks to terrorism to climate change.

Eric Geller

Buying Guide

The Best Password Managers to Secure Your Digital Life

Scott Gilbertson

security roundup

School Employee Allegedly Framed a Principal With Racist Deepfake Rant

Matt Burgess

Cyberattacks and Hacks

Cyberspies Hacked Cisco Firewalls to Access Government Networks

Sources suspect China is behind the targeted exploitation of two zero-day vulnerabilities in Cisco’s security appliances.

Andy Greenberg

Change Healthcare Finally Admits It Paid Ransomware Hackers—and Still Faces a Patient Data Leak

The company belatedly conceded both that it had paid the cybercriminals extorting it and that patient data nonetheless ended up on the dark web.

Andy Greenberg

AI-Controlled Fighter Jets Are Dogfighting With Human Pilots Now

Plus: New York’s legislature suffers a cyberattack, police disrupt a global phishing operation, and Apple removes encrypted messaging apps in China.

Dell Cameron and Andrew Couts

Hackers Linked to Russia’s Military Claim Credit for Sabotaging US Water Utilities

Cyber Army of Russia Reborn, a group with ties to the Kremlin’s Sandworm unit, is crossing lines even that notorious cyberwarfare unit wouldn’t dare to.

Andy Greenberg

Privacy

Russian Hackers Stole Microsoft Source Code—and the Attack Isn’t Over

Plus: An ex-Google engineer gets arrested for allegedly stealing trade secrets, hackers breach the top US cybersecurity agency, and X’s new feature exposes sensitive user data.

Dhruv Mehrotra and Andrew Couts

The Secrets Factory

Registered Agents Inc. has for years allowed businesses to register under a cloak of anonymity. A WIRED investigation reveals that its secretive founder has taken the practice to an extreme.

William Turton and Dhruv Mehrotra

The UK’s GPS Tagging of Migrants Has Been Ruled Illegal

The UK’s privacy regulator says the government did not take into account the intrusiveness of ankle tags that continuously monitor a person’s location.

Morgan Meaker

Biden Bans Rival Nations From Buying Sensitive US Data—Good Luck

The White House issued an executive order on Wednesday that aims to prevent the sale of Americans' data to “countries of concern,” including China and Russia. Its effectiveness may vary.

Dell Cameron

Security Advice

The Best VPNs to Protect Yourself Online

It won’t solve all of your privacy problems, but a virtual private network can make you a less tempting target for hackers.

Scott Gilbertson

How to Protect Yourself (and Your Loved Ones) From AI Scam Calls

AI tools are getting better at cloning people’s voices, and scammers are using these new capabilities to commit fraud. Avoid getting swindled by following these expert tips.

Reece Rogers

It's Time to Switch to a Privacy-Focused Browser You Can Trust

Ad trackers are out of control. Use a browser that reins them in.

David Nield

You Should Update Apple iOS and Google Chrome ASAP

Plus: Microsoft patches over 60 vulnerabilities, Mozilla fixes two Firefox zero-day bugs, Google patches 40 issues in Android, and more.

Kate O'Flaherty

Security News

Russia Vetoed a UN Resolution to Ban Space Nukes

A ban on weapons of mass destruction in orbit has stood since 1967. Russia apparently has other ideas.

Stephen Clark, Ars Technica

ShotSpotter Keeps Listening for Gunfire After Contracts Expire

Internal emails suggest that the company continued to provide gunshot data to police in cities where its contracts had been canceled.

Max Blaisdell and Jim Daley

The Next US President Will Have Troubling New Surveillance Powers

Over the weekend, President Joe Biden signed legislation not only reauthorizing a major FISA spy program but expanding it in ways that could have major implications for privacy rights in the US.

Dell Cameron