2025
CISA slammed for role in ‘censorship industrial complex’ as budget faces possible $500M cut
Because who needs cybersecurity when there’s culture wars to win President Trump's dream 2026 budget would gut the US govt's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, aka CISA, by $491 million - about 17 percent – and accuses the organization of abandoning its core mission in favor of policing…
Signal chat app clone used by Signalgate’s Waltz was apparently an insecure mess
No, really? That's a shocking surprise An unidentified miscreant is said to have obtained US government communications from TeleMessage, a messaging and archiving app based on the open-source Signal app and used by ousted national security advisor Michael Waltz.…
Trump promises protection for TikTok, for which he has a ‘warm spot in my heart’
Hails DOGE operatives for computer skills during interview in which he also flubbed some tech investment figures US President Donald Trump has said TikTok will be “very strongly protected” as the made-in-China social network has “a warm spot in my heart”.…
Altman’s eyeball-scanning biometric blockchain orbs officially come to America
El Reg checks out shop in SF On Thursday, six stores across America opened their doors with a curious proposition: Come on in, let a metal orb scan your irises, and walk out with a new online profile that promises you're an individual human – and a few…
Disney Slack attack wasn’t Russian protesters, just a Cali dude with malware
25-year-old fella pleads guilty to stealing, dumping 1.1TB of data from the House of Mouse When someone stole more than a terabyte of data from Disney last year, it was believed to be the work of Russian hacktivists protesting for artist rights. We now know it was actually…
Generative AI makes fraud fluent – from phishing lures to fake lovers
Real-time video deepfakes? Not convincing yet RSAC Spam messages predate the web itself, and generative AI has given it a fluency upgrade, churning out slick, localized scams and letting crooks hit regions and dialects they used to ignore.…
Three Brits charged over ‘active shooter threats’ swattings in US, Canada
UK starts prosecution days after FBI vowed to clamp down on the crime Three young Brits are accused of stateside swatting offences and will appear in a UK court today to face their charges after a joint investigation by the FBI and Merseyside cops.…
British govt agents step in as Harrods becomes third mega retailer under cyberattack
Experts suggest the obvious: There is an ongoing coordinated attack on UK retail sector Harrods, a globally recognized purveyor of all things luxury, is the third major UK retailer to confirm an attempted cyberattack on its systems in under two weeks.…
Dems look to close the barn door after top DOGE dog has bolted
House Oversight probes missing Musk disclosures, background checks, data mess at NLRB Elon Musk is backing away from his Trump-blessed government gig, but now House Democrats want to see the permission slip that got him in the door.…
How Amazon red-teamed Alexa+ to keep your kids from ordering 50 pizzas
Will the personal assistant shop for groceries? Or get hijacked by a teen? RSAC If Amazon's Alexa+ works as intended, it could show how an AI assistant helps with everyday tasks like making dinner reservations or arranging an oven repair. Or things could go terribly wrong: it might…