Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai
Senior Reporter, Cybersecurity
The Latest from Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai
Thousands of new honeypots deployed across Israel to catch hackers
On October 7, Hamas launched an unprecedented terrorist attack on Israel, killing more than 1,200 people, with hundreds taken hostage. The attack prompted a deadly response from the Israel Defense For
Children’s tablet has malware and exposes kids’ data, researcher finds
In May this year, Alexis Hancock’s daughter got a children’s tablet for her birthday. Being a security researcher, Hancock was immediately worried. “I looked at it kind of sideways because IR
PSA: Your chat and call apps may leak your IP address
Your favorite messaging and calling app could reveal your IP address to the person on the other end of a call. And that, essentially, is because most chat apps default to using peer-to-peer connection
Internet access in Gaza partially restored after blackout
After a weekend of almost complete internet blackout, connectivity in Gaza has been partially restored. On Friday, internet monitoring firms and experts reported that access to the internet had signif
Internet access in Gaza is collapsing as ISPs fall offline
As the conflict between Israel and Hamas reaches its third week, internet connectivity in Gaza is getting worse. On Thursday morning, internet monitoring firm NetBlocks wrote on X, formerly Twitter, t
Telegram is still leaking user IP addresses to contacts
The popular messaging app Telegram can leak your IP address if you simply add a hacker to your contacts and accept a phone call from them. Denis Simonov, a security researcher, who is also known as n0
Hacker leaks millions more 23andMe user records on cybercrime forum
The same hacker who leaked a trove of user data stolen from the genetic testing company 23andMe two weeks ago has now leaked millions of new user records. On Tuesday, a hacker who goes by Golem publis
Hackers advertised 23andMe stolen data two months ago
Genetic testing company 23andMe has been investigating a security incident after hackers advertised a trove of alleged stolen user data on a hacking forum last week. But the alleged stolen data may ha
23andMe resets user passwords after genetic data posted online
Days after user personal surfaced online, the genetic testing company 23andMe said it’s requiring all users to reset their passwords “out of caution.” On Friday, 23andMe confirmed that hackers h
Hacktivism erupts in response to Hamas-Israel war
Several groups of hacktivists have targeted Israeli websites with floods of malicious traffic following a surprise land, sea and air attack launched against Israel by militant group Hamas on Saturday,
Zero-days for hacking WhatsApp are now worth millions of dollars
Thanks to improvements in security mechanisms and mitigations, hacking cell phones — both running iOS and Android — has become an expensive endeavor. That’s why hacking techniques for apps like
FBI most-wanted Russian hacker reveals why he burned his passport
Russian hacker Mikhail Matveev, also known on the internet as “Wazawaka” and “Boriselcin,” is wanted by the FBI, which is offering a $10 million reward for information that could lead to his a
This startup wants to verify your ID without storing your personal data
As government and banking services move away from verifying identities in the real world, moving toward online ID verification, several companies have entered the market to solve this problem. A new s
Russian zero-day seller offers $20M for hacking Android and iPhones
A company that acquires and sells zero-day exploits — flaws in software that are unknown to the affected developer — is now offering to pay researchers $20 million for hacking tools that would all
Hackers steal $200M from crypto company Mixin
Hong Kong-based crypto company Mixin announced on Sunday that it was breached and that the hackers stole around $200 million. “In the early morning of September 23, 2023 Hong Kong time, the database
One of the FBI’s most wanted hackers is trolling the US government
Earlier this year, the U.S. government indicted Russian hacker Mikhail Matveev, also known by his online monikers “Wazawaka” and “Boriselcin,” accusing him of being “a prolific ransomware af
Polish Senate says use of government spyware is illegal in the country
A special commission within Poland’s Senate concluded that the government’s use of spyware, like the one made by NSO Group, is illegal. The commission announced on Thursday the conclusion of i
Apple fixes zero-day bugs used to plant Pegasus spyware
Apple released security updates on Thursday that patch two zero-day exploits — meaning hacking techniques that were unknown at the time Apple found out about them — used against a member of a civi
Hacking device Flipper Zero can spam nearby iPhones with Bluetooth pop-ups
Thanks to a popular and relatively cheap hacking tool, hackers can spam your iPhone with annoying pop-ups prompting you to connect to a nearby AirTag, Apple TV, AirPods and other Apple devices. A secu
Maker of ‘smart’ chastity cage left users’ emails, passwords, and locations exposed
A company that makes a chastity device for people with a penis that can be controlled by a partner over the internet exposed users’ email addresses, plaintext passwords, home addresses and IP addres