Working on my skydiving license in between security assessments, keynotes, and research. Here’s my first jump in Empuriabrava, Spain with two instructors and my own parachute.

Thanks to ODA-Nettverk for inviting me to keynote Inspiration Day yesterday! Really enjoyed being back in Oslo and talking about the importance of end-to-end encryption.

Had the pleasure of being a guest on the Adventures of Alice & Bob Podcast recently! Check out the interview for stories about my work with journalists and high-risk people — and that one time I hacked a smart-rifle in 2015. www.beyondtrust.com/podcast/ep-7...

The Kaspersky researchers who discovered Careto more than a decade ago privately concluded that the group was run by the Spanish government. Careto relied heavily on phishing emails impersonating Spanish newspapers. techcrunch.com/2025/05/23/m...

I’ll be in Stockholm in mid-June! Available for consulting, presentations, workshops for journalists and security folks. Also planning on spending some time in the wind tunnel. 🥳

A team of journalists in Norway spent a year secretly monitoring a credit card fraud gang to uncover who's behind it and how they operate. Here's the story -- in English -- of how they unmasked Darcula and the crime-as-a-service software Magic Cat. www.nrk.no/dokumentar/x...

I’m really looking forward to speaking at ODA Inspiration Day in Oslo on May 28! I’ll be there a couple of days prior and would love to meet folks for coffee and/or work. odanettverk.no/2025/04/22/r...

News articles often focus on spyware victims who had their devices checked and opted to go public. We rarely hear about those who didn’t. New court documents from WhatsApp v. NSO shed some light on the true scale of the targeting in a 2019 campaign. techcrunch.com/2025/04/09/c...

More of this, please. bsky.app/profile/prop...

If you’re interested in aviation security, check out this fantastic 2013 talk from Hugo Teso on leveraging ADS-B, ACARS, and on-board systems to attack virtual airplanes systems. www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk1j...

In November, Apple told @davidyambio.bsky.social he was targeted by “a mercenary spyware attack.” Yambio, an activist in Italy, has long criticized Italy’s dealings with Libya. He did not receive a notification from WhatsApp, so unclear what he was targeted with. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...

In Chasing Shadows, @rondeibert.bsky.social writes that Ben Hubbard was the first case “of an American journalist being targeted with Pegasus.” Hubbard was targeted in June 2018, but due to “concerns of New York Times management about going public,” @citizenlab.ca didn’t publish until early 2020.

Apple’s Lockdown Mode feature for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS remains the best protection we have against sophisticated spyware. Here’s what you should know about the feature, to turn it on: Settings > Privacy & Security. www.glitchcat.xyz/p/four-thing...

The U.K. government doesn't want you to encrypt your iCloud data, which means you should definitely turn on Advanced Data Protection under Settings and iCloud. freedom.press/issues/secre...

In May 1984, two top officials from the Norwegian Police Surveillance Agency visited FBIHQ and participated “as guest lecturers at an Advanced Techniques In-Service” at Quantico. The two men uncovered several illegal Soviet spies in Norway, including Arne Treholt.

On February 6, The Guardian reported that Paragon had “terminated its client relationship with Italy.” Italy is now denying this, saying “Paragon has never suspended the service and has not terminated its contract.” jpost.com/internationa...

Mediterranea Saving Humans has rescued hundreds of migrants at sea; delivered food and medicine to Ukraine in early 2022; and brought 170+ refugees fleeing the war back to Italy. Last year, someone targeted two co-founders with spyware from Paragon. techcrunch.com/2025/02/11/a...

We now know of four people targeted with spyware from Paragon: three in Italy, one in Sweden. Two are co-founders of Mediterranea Saving Humans, an Italian NGO rescuing migrants at sea.

Three individuals have publicly stated they received a notification from WhatsApp about being targeted with Paragon spyware. All three have been critical of Giorgia Meloni, Italy's prime minister. The Guardian reported there may be seven victims in Italy. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Paragon and Pegasus have both leveraged WhatsApp to silently install spyware onto people's devices -- with no user interaction. Paragon used the ability to send malicious PDF documents in 2024, Pegasus used the call functionality in 2019. www.reuters.com/technology/c...

I often work with organizations that want to better support staff facing threats and harassment, including doxing. This site by @penamerica.bsky.social is a fantastic resource for victims, allies, and employers. onlineharassmentfieldmanual.pen.org

I love that phone number privacy is the default on @signal.org. This means you can send tips to journalists without sharing your number. You can also choose not to let anyone discover you on Signal by your phone number. support.signal.org/hc/en-us/art...

WhatsApp recently notified individuals in “over two dozen countries” that they’d been targeted with Paragon spyware. Lots of unanswered question still, but good on WhatsApp for referring civil society victims to Citizen Lab for assistance. www.reuters.com/technology/c...

11 months, 11 tunnels, 13:35 hours.

TIL @emiratesairways.bsky.social has in-flight Tetris with a per-plane scoreboard. So next time you are on a 380, go see if my name is listed there.

Incredible reporting from NRK coming out this week: Bjørn Hallstrøm claims he worked for the CIA in the 80s and 90s; posed as a journalist in Afghanistan, Colombia, Libya; and produced documentaries for Norwegian television. www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/jeg-...

Emirates A380 (#EK2552) took off from DXB this morning and now doing training circuits over DWC. www.flightradar24.com/BAW1/38d2997e

The U.S. State Department’s “stop-work-order” for “existing foreign assistance awards” may also include work done by non-profits to benefit civil society abroad — including journalists. www.politico.com/news/2025/01...

I’ve focused on security for at-risk civil society groups for over a decade now (🙀), including human rights defenders, lawyers, and journalists. I’m available for collaboration, consulting, and presenting, so please get in touch if you’d like to work together!

I wrote a very timely introduction to digital security for journalists for @gijn.org last fall. This guidance may also apply to activists, lawyers, and anyone else doing at-risk work these days. gijn.org/resource/int...

Reminder that a handful of U.S. states have confidentiality programs offering protection to abortion providers, patients, and family members. The majority expanded their programs after the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022. www.glitchcat.xyz/p/11-states-...

The Cyber Safety Review Board was investigating a Chinese hack of U.S. telcos, prev. Log4j, Lapsus$, a Microsoft Exchange Online breach. I served on the Technical Advisory Council and helped write guidance for the High-Risk Community Protection initiative. www.nextgov.com/cybersecurit...

The UK released new documents about Kim Philby, a British intelligence officer turned Soviet double agent during the Cold War. In Journalist and Spy, I wrote that Philby was also a journalist, writing for both The Times and The Daily Telegraph. 1/10 www.journalistandspy.com/p/kim-philby

Trump does not need to own Greenland. Anything the U.S. might want to do there is already possible. Worth considering that this simple reason may be correct, that’s assuming there’s a reason at all — Trump has so far not been able to articulate one. www.theatlantic.com/internationa...

In Dubai for indoor skydiving and to check out the aerial indoor racing championships in Abu Dhabi next week. Do I know anyone here? Recommendations for good food and coffee always welcome!

Curious to see what the report on the Azerbaijan Airlines crash in Kazakhstan last month says about the impact of GPS jamming, if any, given the numerous 2024 news articles highlighting the risk that Russian jamming poses to aviation. www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/wha...

Great piece from @lorenzofb.bsky.social about the work Apple is doing for spyware victims and some thoughts on why the company should not get into the business of doing forensics on people’s devices. techcrunch.com/2024/12/20/w...

Visiting Dubai for the first time since 2006 and safe to say the city has changed a *lot*.

Adding to @sulliview.bsky.social here: newsrooms must discuss how to work safely on sensitive stories, that means protecting not only journalist and source communications, but all the internal discussions, drafts, notes, questions, edits, photos too. margaretsullivan.substack.com/p/my-plea-to...

I wrote a very timely introduction to digital security for journalists for @gijn.org, this guidance may also apply to activists, lawyers, and anyone else doing at-risk work these days. gijn.org/resource/int...

For those new to my work, here’s a 2023 profile of me in @columjournreview.bsky.social where I talk about my approach to helping journalists and other groups of at-risk people work safely. www.cjr.org/the_feature/...

I’d love to see these orgs do more to make people aware of secure comms tools, such as Tor and Signal. And yes, also set up an Onion site like a lot of newsrooms have done already.

For those who enjoy threat assessments and thinking through all sorts of what ifs, here's a fascinating look at the risks to civil aviation in the Middle East and how international operators are navigating the airspace. ops.group/blog/dodging...

I’ve focused on security for at-risk civil society groups for over a decade now (🙀), including human rights defenders, lawyers, and journalists. I've got some availability these next few months, please get in touch for collaboration, consulting, training, presenting, etc!

Had the pleasure of speaking to @agreenberg.bsky.social for @wireddotcom.bsky.social’s guide to protecting yourself from government surveillance. Also great quotes here from @harloholm.es and @geminiimatt.bsky.social. www.wired.com/story/the-wi...

👋 A few friends in the U.S. have recently asked me how to get into cybersecurity, where to start, whether to go for a degree or certification, where to find work, etc. If you have any ideas or resources on this topic that I can pass along, please share them here.

My Virus Bulletin keynote next month is titled “Solving puzzles: protecting high-risk communities.” Here’s what I’ll talk about. I don’t think there’s a live stream, but it will be recorded and available on YouTube later.

Had the pleasure of being interviewed by @mediaphyter.bsky.social for her SecurityWeek column about the work I do for and with high-risk communities. www.securityweek.com/rising-tides...

I’ll be giving the opening keynote at the Virus Bulletin conference in October! Can’t wait to see everyone in Dublin. www.virusbulletin.com/conference/v...

I’m also very excited to be back in Oslo in October for SKUP with Jonas Alsaker Vikan, an amazing investigative reporter and great friend. We’ll cover tools etc to protect yourself and sources, plus real use cases to demonstrate this in practice. skup.hoopla.no/event/418893...