Smashing Security podcast #458: How not to steal $46 million from the US government

A Wikipedia security engineer accidentally wakes a dormant JavaScript worm that hadn’t stirred since 2024 – and within minutes, giant woodpecker images are plastered across the internet’s favourite encyclopaedia.

Meanwhile, a crypto contractor hired t… Continue reading Smashing Security podcast #458: How not to steal $46 million from the US government

Twitter suspended 800 million accounts last year – so why does manipulation remain so rampant?

Elon Musk’s social media site says it suspended 800 million accounts in a year for spam and manipulation – but with state-backed campaigns still flooding the platform, the real question is how many fake accounts remain.

Read more in my article on the … Continue reading Twitter suspended 800 million accounts last year – so why does manipulation remain so rampant?

How hackers bypassed MFA with a $120 phishing kit – until a global takedown shut it down

In a co-ordinated public-private operation between law enforcement agencies and cybersecurity industry partners, Tycoon 2FA – one of the world’s most prolific phishing-as-a-service platforms – has been dismantled.

Read more in my article on the Hot fo… Continue reading How hackers bypassed MFA with a $120 phishing kit – until a global takedown shut it down

Smashing Security podcast #457: How a cybersecurity boss framed his own employee

When a top cybersecurity firm discovered it had a leak, you would expect the FBI to be called. Instead, the person put in charge of the investigation was the actual leaker… who promptly sent an innocent colleague into a career-ending ambush.

In this… Continue reading Smashing Security podcast #457: How a cybersecurity boss framed his own employee

They seized $4.8m in crypto… then gave the master key to the internet

South Korea’s National Tax Service (NTS) has found itself in the middle of a deeply embarrassing – and costly – blunder after accidentally handing thieves the master key to a seized cryptocurrency wallet.

Read more in my article on the Hot for Securit… Continue reading They seized $4.8m in crypto… then gave the master key to the internet

Your staff are your biggest security risk: AI is making it worse

A new report claims that the cost of insider security incidents has surged 20% in two years, reaching an average of US $19.5 million per organization annually, with no sign that the alarming figure is flattening.

Read more in my article on the Fortra … Continue reading Your staff are your biggest security risk: AI is making it worse

Notorious ransomware gang allegedly blackmailed by fake FSB officer

There is a certain poetic justice in a cybersecurity-related story that has emerged from Moscow this week: A man has been accused of trying to extort money… from a notorious Russian ransomware gang.

Read more in my article on the Hot for Security blog. Continue reading Notorious ransomware gang allegedly blackmailed by fake FSB officer

Smashing Security podcast #456: How to lose friends and DDoS people

When the mysterious operator of an internet archiving-service decided to silence a curious Finnish blogger, they didn’t just send a stroppy email – they allegedly weaponised their own CAPTCHA page to launch a DDoS attack, threatened to invent an entire… Continue reading Smashing Security podcast #456: How to lose friends and DDoS people

$10,000 bounty offered if you can hack Ring cameras to stop them sharing your data with Amazon

Amid a privacy backlash, a US $10,000 reward has been offered for anyone who can find a way to run Ring doorbell cameras locally, cutting off the flow of video data to Amazon’s servers.

Read more in my article on the Hot for Security blog. Continue reading $10,000 bounty offered if you can hack Ring cameras to stop them sharing your data with Amazon