New: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to gain access to controversial Israeli spyware designed to hack phones & read private messages after Trump administration jettisons Biden-era order: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

New: Microsoft curbs Chinese companies’ access to info on cybersecurity vulnerabilities after investigating whether a leak led to a global hacking campaign that exploited flaws in its SharePoint software: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

New: Microsoft is investigating whether a leak from its early alert system for cybersecurity companies allowed Chinese hackers to exploit flaws in SharePoint before they were patched, enabling a global campaign of cyberattacks, according to people familiar: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

A whistleblower shared 1 million two-factor authentication codes that had been sent to people by SMS from the world's largest tech companies, such as Google, Meta, & Amazon. We found the codes had been routed via an obscure Swiss company with links to spy agencies: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

New: How a Tiny Middleman Could Access Two-Factor Login Codes From Tech Giants www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

‘DragonForce’ Hacking Gang Takes Credit for UK Retail Attacks: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Initial probe into cause of power outages in Spain & Portugal today suggests fault rather than cyberattack, according to the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). “For the moment the investigation seems to point out to a technical/cable issue,” a spokesperson for the agency tells me.

New: US cuts to foreign aid are impacting Ukraine's cybersecurity. Dozens of people have had to stop work protecting the country from Russian hackers & shipments of vital cyber equipment have stopped, according to people familiar with the situation: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

A UK court has blocked the UK government's attempt to keep secret a legal case over its demand to access Apple users' encrypted data. Judges said in a ruling Monday that authorities’ efforts were a “fundamental interference with the principle of open justice”: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Trump envoy dismisses UK peacekeeping plan for Ukraine, says: "I don't regard Putin as a bad guy. He's super smart." www.bbc.com/news/article...

US national security agencies have halted work on a coordinated effort to counter Russian sabotage, disinformation & cyberattacks. Initiative had involved at least seven agencies working w/ European allies to disrupt plots targeting Europe & the US, Reuters reports: www.reuters.com/world/us-sus...

Researchers find evidence suggesting spyware from Israeli firm Paragon has been obtained by Australia, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark & Singapore. The technology - used to hack phones & read private msgs - was recently linked to hacks of Italian journalists & activists: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

New: Cybersecurity experts who worked to secure US government computers from Russian & Chinese hackers have been ousted from their roles following pressure from DOGE. One senior official resigned in protest over move sources say has created "massive security gaps": www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

New: A cyberattack that brought down Elon Musk’s X targeted servers that were insufficiently protected from malicious traffic & “should not be exposed on the internet”: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Swedish authorities investigate damaged cable discovered in the Baltic Sea between Germany & Finland, the latest in a string of similar incidents that have heightened fears of Russian sabotage & spying in the region: apnews.com/article/swed...

Apple pulls encrypted data storage feature from UK after government backdoor demand. Development comes after Apple criticized “unprecedented overreach" of UK surveillance powers: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Trump admin reassigns or forces out several dozen government employees who had been working to fight foreign interference in US elections. Among those targeted were people safeguarding elections from cyberattack: www.nytimes.com/2025/02/20/b...

A scandal has erupted in Italy after a prominent journalist & activists in the country had their phones hacked with spyware allegedly sold by Israeli company Paragon. Giorgia Meloni's government is under pressure to reveal whether it was involved: www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

The UK government has ordered Apple to build a backdoor to give it access to global user data, in a move that could spark one of the biggest privacy fights in the iPhone maker’s history: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

New: A cyberattack by a Russian gang that paralyzed hospitals and clinics in London last year resulted in harm to dozens of patients, leading to long-term or permanent damage to their health in at least two cases, according to data obtained by Bloomberg News: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

My latest story out today provides the inside account of a crippling cyberattack by a Russian ransomware gang that ended 158 years of history for one of the UK's oldest & best known transport companies, Knights of Old: www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Extraordinary sleuthing here that identifies prominent neo-Nazi accounts on X as being run by, among others, a JPMorgan Chase vice president in Texas & a guy who works at a US Navy center in Maryland that manufactures explosives: www.texasobserver.org/revealed-ope...

Important recent study from @citizenlab.ca finds Amazon censoring books in countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, on LGBTIQ & other issues. Company "violating its public commitments to both LGBTIQ & more broadly human rights", researchers say: citizenlab.ca/2024/11/anal...

US telecommunications companies still working to remove state-sponsored Chinese hackers from their networks after spying campaign uncovered, US officials say: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Some remarkable details emerging from UK trial of an alleged Russian spy ring. Allegedly directed by fugitive former Wirecard executive turned Kremlin agent Jan Marsalek, group used women as honeytraps, targeted prominent journalists & dissidents: news.sky.com/story/russia...

Chinese vessel suspected of deliberately severing two critical European data cables last week by dragging anchor along the Baltic seabed for 100 miles. Probe assessing whether ship's captain induced by Russian intelligence to engage in sabotage: www.wsj.com/world/europe...

UK troops deployed to defend US airbases in England from mysterious drones that have been flying over three facilities in recent days: news.sky.com/story/drones...

Another cyberattack on UK's national health service, this time the victims are a group of hospitals in north west England. Outpatient appointments cancelled, doctors locked out of IT systems: www.computerweekly.com/news/3666164...

FBI investigates Exxon Mobil consultant over alleged hack-and-leak operation that targeted hundreds of the oil company’s biggest critics: www.reuters.com/business/ene...

UK tech still getting to Russia despite sanctions, often via companies set up in Kyrgyzstan, BBC investigation finds. In one case, shipment of £1.6m ($2.1m) optical equipment that can be used in missiles, tanks & aircraft: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Sweden opens sabotage investigation after two undersea Baltic Sea telecom cables were cut, one linking Lithuania & Sweden & one linking Finland & Germany. “No one believes that these cables were cut accidentally," German defence minister says: www.france24.com/en/europe/20...

Excellent story from Wired on how digital advertising data, collected & sold legally on a massive scale, can be repurposed by anyone to track the movements of American military & spies, highlighting a serious security vulnerability: www.wired.com/story/phone-...

This is a really useful chrome extension for finding people on Bluesky who you follow on Twitter github.com/kawamataryo/... Thanks @kawamataryo.bsky.social!

First impressions of Bluesky after a couple days, pretty positive. No ads, fewer bots & content farms, less bigotry & abuse on display. Hope it lasts. Improvements would include bookmarks function, encrypted DMs & better search tools.

My story on a cybersecurity prodigy in the Netherlands who helped defend thousands of organizations from attack, but also led a secret life as a criminal who hacked & extorted companies internationally: www.bloomberg.com/features/202...

Hello folks. I'm trying out Bluesky to see what all the hype is about. How's it going?