Chinese authorities are using a new tool to hack seized phones and extract data
Researchers warned that Chinese residents, and visitors to China, should be aware of the tool’s existence and the risks it poses.
Security
US Army soldier pleads guilty to hacking telcos and extortion
Cameron Wagenius had already pleaded guilty to other charges earlier this year.
Meta fixes bug that could leak users’ AI prompts and generated content
The tech giant fixed the security flaw, netting a security researcher $10,000 for privately disclosing the bug.
ICEBlock isn’t ‘completely anonymous’
The developer of ICEBlock, an iOS app for anonymously reporting sightings of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, promises that it “ensures user privacy by storing no personal data.” But that claim has come under scrutiny. ICEBlock creator Joshua Aaron has been accused of making false promises regarding user anonymity and privacy, being “misguided” […]
Ukrainian hackers claim to have destroyed servers of Russian drone maker
A coalition of Ukrainian hackers breached and wiped systems belonging to Gaskar Group, a Moscow-based drone maker.
DOGE staffer with access to Americans’ personal data leaked private xAI API key
The researcher who found the exposed key said it “raises questions” about how DOGE handles sensitive data.
Episource is notifying millions of people that their health data was stolen
The UnitedHealth-owned medical coding service was hacked earlier this year by a ransomware gang.
Trump administration to spend $1 billion on ‘offensive’ hacking operations
A top Democrat criticized the move to spend a billion on offensive hacking operations as the budget guts a billion from U.S. cyber defense.
The votes are in: TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 Audience Choice winners revealed for roundtables and breakouts
You voted — they made it onto the TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 agenda! After reviewing hundreds of standout Call for Content submissions and opening the vote to the TechCrunch audience, we’ve locked in the top five roundtables and top five breakout sessions. Without further ado, meet the exceptional tech voices — and the sessions they’ll lead […]
Elmo’s X account hacked to publish racist and antisemetic posts
A hacker compromised Elmo’s X account on Sunday and published abusive posts.