Zack Whittaker
@zackwhittaker.com
Security editor, TechCrunch
Signal: zackwhittaker.1337
My stories: techcrunch.com/author/zack-whittaker
My newsletter/blog: this.weekinsecurity.com
Signal: zackwhittaker.1337
My stories: techcrunch.com/author/zack-whittaker
My newsletter/blog: this.weekinsecurity.com
I chatted with @thezedwards.bsky.social about the theft of 150+ million US/Canadian driver's licenses that he helped to confirm, and why this breach is a national security and privacy disaster unlike anything else.
Plus: More on Florida's drivers' leak, and why Revolut gave hackers customers' data.
Plus: More on Florida's drivers' leak, and why Revolut gave hackers customers' data.
A breach of over 150 million U.S. and Canadian driver's license photos is an anonymity disaster
The breach links the names and photos of millions of people across North America. One expert said this is likely the largest database of facial images ever breached.
this.weekinsecurity.com
September 17, 2026 at 11:49 AM
I chatted with @thezedwards.bsky.social about the theft of 150+ million US/Canadian driver's licenses that he helped to confirm, and why this breach is a national security and privacy disaster unlike anything else.
Plus: More on Florida's drivers' leak, and why Revolut gave hackers customers' data.
Plus: More on Florida's drivers' leak, and why Revolut gave hackers customers' data.
This is a really nice obit for Cat Frazier, who changed the internet for the better, not least for creating this incredible GIF. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/a...
September 17, 2026 at 10:55 AM
This is a really nice obit for Cat Frazier, who changed the internet for the better, not least for creating this incredible GIF. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/a...
By me, at this.weekinsecurity.com, I wrote about how a data breach of 150+ million driver's licenses and their photos is a privacy and anonymity disaster for an entire generation of people in the U.S. and Canada.
A breach of over 150 million U.S. and Canadian driver's license photos is an anonymity disaster
The breach links the names and photos of millions of people across North America. One expert said this is likely the largest database of facial images ever breached.
this.weekinsecurity.com
September 16, 2026 at 10:08 PM
By me, at this.weekinsecurity.com, I wrote about how a data breach of 150+ million driver's licenses and their photos is a privacy and anonymity disaster for an entire generation of people in the U.S. and Canada.
Reposted by Zack Whittaker
You can read all the details in my write-up, which also shows exactly where in this public dataset you can find all of this micahflee.com/flock-camera...
Flock cameras are riddled with security vulnerabilities and hard-coded credentials
This morning, DDoSecrets published an exciting new dataset: Filesystem images of the partitions from an in-use Flock ALPR camera. 404 Media and Wired published a joint investigation into it. I downloa...
micahflee.com
September 16, 2026 at 9:10 PM
You can read all the details in my write-up, which also shows exactly where in this public dataset you can find all of this micahflee.com/flock-camera...
Reposted by Zack Whittaker
ICE plans to spend millions more dollars on Tangles, and specifically Webloc. As we revealed, this is a tool that ICE can use to monitor entire neighborhoods. www.404media.co/inside-ices-...
September 16, 2026 at 1:10 PM
ICE plans to spend millions more dollars on Tangles, and specifically Webloc. As we revealed, this is a tool that ICE can use to monitor entire neighborhoods. www.404media.co/inside-ices-...
Reposted by Zack Whittaker
For the @theverge.com, I dug into a dating scam network that an @anthropic.com spoke about @sleuthcon.bsky.social. It was later described in Anthropic's extremely thorough threat intel report. www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
The sexy AI-powered dating app scams are here
Thousands of people were catfished by scammers supercharged with AI.
www.theverge.com
September 16, 2026 at 3:04 PM
For the @theverge.com, I dug into a dating scam network that an @anthropic.com spoke about @sleuthcon.bsky.social. It was later described in Anthropic's extremely thorough threat intel report. www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
I don't know who needs to hear this; please don't ask people in public/group settings if they have kids. It happens a lot. Today I said no. But it hurts like hell because all you want to say is, none that made it to term, so you can hold onto every precious memory of the happiest times in your life.
September 16, 2026 at 6:45 PM
I don't know who needs to hear this; please don't ask people in public/group settings if they have kids. It happens a lot. Today I said no. But it hurts like hell because all you want to say is, none that made it to term, so you can hold onto every precious memory of the happiest times in your life.
Reposted by Zack Whittaker
My first Russian disinfo campaign. Feel like I’ve made it.
It gets even crazier.
After MS NOW reporter @brandyzadrozny.bsky.social published an article debunking the celebrity deepfakes, she herself was woven into the narrative, with fabricated videos emerging that falsely claimed she had retracted her reporting and blamed Democrats for a "false flag."
After MS NOW reporter @brandyzadrozny.bsky.social published an article debunking the celebrity deepfakes, she herself was woven into the narrative, with fabricated videos emerging that falsely claimed she had retracted her reporting and blamed Democrats for a "false flag."
September 14, 2026 at 10:17 PM
My first Russian disinfo campaign. Feel like I’ve made it.
Reposted by Zack Whittaker
NEW: Hackers cut down a Flock camera, dumped its internal storage, and shared the files w/ WIRED and 404 Media. It includes thousands of videos and logs showing how the device took images of 50,000 vehicles in 21 days
The code reveals in new detail how Flock tracks the vehicles and people.
The code reveals in new detail how Flock tracks the vehicles and people.
Hackers Got Inside a Flock Camera. Its Data Shows How the System Really Works
A hacker collective pulled down a Flock camera and dumped its data. The files included thousands of videos and logs showing that the device captured 1.6 million images of 50,000 vehicles in 21 days.
www.wired.com
September 16, 2026 at 1:09 PM
NEW: Hackers cut down a Flock camera, dumped its internal storage, and shared the files w/ WIRED and 404 Media. It includes thousands of videos and logs showing how the device took images of 50,000 vehicles in 21 days
The code reveals in new detail how Flock tracks the vehicles and people.
The code reveals in new detail how Flock tracks the vehicles and people.
ICYMI: The U.S. military has confirmed for the first time that it launched a weapon into space. An Air Force spokesperson told me the space-based weapon is designed to work “against space-enabled attack,” amid threats from Russia and China.
Bypass for ad-blockers: web.archive.org/web/20260916...
Bypass for ad-blockers: web.archive.org/web/20260916...
US military says it has launched weapons into space | TechCrunch
This is the first public acknowledgment that the U.S. military put a space weapon in Earth's orbit.
techcrunch.com
September 16, 2026 at 2:16 PM
ICYMI: The U.S. military has confirmed for the first time that it launched a weapon into space. An Air Force spokesperson told me the space-based weapon is designed to work “against space-enabled attack,” amid threats from Russia and China.
Bypass for ad-blockers: web.archive.org/web/20260916...
Bypass for ad-blockers: web.archive.org/web/20260916...
Tankers can get hacked (they're floating cities with complex systems). But I haven't heard of this happening before:
> One of the tankers was *boarded* by a "highly specialized team" of U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement officers, cyber protection members and an FBI cyber team in the Gulf of Mexico.
> One of the tankers was *boarded* by a "highly specialized team" of U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement officers, cyber protection members and an FBI cyber team in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Coast Guard and FBI are investigating after two oil tankers bound for the U.S. were hit with suspected cyberattacks last month
abcnews.com/Politics/coa...
abcnews.com/Politics/coa...
Coast Guard, FBI investigating after 2 oil tankers bound for US hit with cyberattacks: Sources
U.S. authorities said there were no reports of "operational disruptions."
abcnews.com
September 16, 2026 at 11:21 AM
Tankers can get hacked (they're floating cities with complex systems). But I haven't heard of this happening before:
> One of the tankers was *boarded* by a "highly specialized team" of U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement officers, cyber protection members and an FBI cyber team in the Gulf of Mexico.
> One of the tankers was *boarded* by a "highly specialized team" of U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement officers, cyber protection members and an FBI cyber team in the Gulf of Mexico.
DOJ is seeking a reporter’s LinkedIn records in a secretive First Amendment court fight.
Joshua Ferrentino, a Justice Department national security attorney, told the court that prosecutors are demanding details of about 1,900 LinkedIn interactions from six users as part of the unspecified probe.
Joshua Ferrentino, a Justice Department national security attorney, told the court that prosecutors are demanding details of about 1,900 LinkedIn interactions from six users as part of the unspecified probe.
DOJ seeking reporter’s LinkedIn records in secretive First Amendment court fight
The fight comes at a sensitive moment for national media, which has seen reporters targeted by subpoenas and search warrants in leak probes.
www.politico.com
September 15, 2026 at 8:04 PM
DOJ is seeking a reporter’s LinkedIn records in a secretive First Amendment court fight.
Joshua Ferrentino, a Justice Department national security attorney, told the court that prosecutors are demanding details of about 1,900 LinkedIn interactions from six users as part of the unspecified probe.
Joshua Ferrentino, a Justice Department national security attorney, told the court that prosecutors are demanding details of about 1,900 LinkedIn interactions from six users as part of the unspecified probe.
Reposted by Zack Whittaker
I'll be speaking Thursday at the online #opensourcesecuritysummit about Cult of the Dead Cow and why ethical work in software is more possible and more important than ever. This is a FREE event, with no cost to you the consumer. Hope to see you there!
September 15, 2026 at 7:17 PM
I'll be speaking Thursday at the online #opensourcesecuritysummit about Cult of the Dead Cow and why ethical work in software is more possible and more important than ever. This is a FREE event, with no cost to you the consumer. Hope to see you there!
Reposted by Zack Whittaker
The piece "How Money Laundering, Scams, and Espionage Hide in a Web Full of Casino Garbage" can be found @ www.infoblox.com/blog/threat-... but I've got a lot more to say here...
Illegal Gambling Sites Reveal Three Types of Cybercrime
Casino websites that look nearly identical disguise three major types of crime: money laundering, gambling scams, and a front for China-aligned APT malware C2.
www.infoblox.com
September 15, 2026 at 5:33 PM
The piece "How Money Laundering, Scams, and Espionage Hide in a Web Full of Casino Garbage" can be found @ www.infoblox.com/blog/threat-... but I've got a lot more to say here...
Reposted by Zack Whittaker
If you’re being pressured by wealthy, powerful people to abandon your sense of morality and justice, and you give in, “not taking sides” is taking a side. The wrong side.
September 15, 2026 at 5:39 PM
If you’re being pressured by wealthy, powerful people to abandon your sense of morality and justice, and you give in, “not taking sides” is taking a side. The wrong side.
This is a *really* good read.
The last couple of weeks have been such a tornado of nonsense, I couldn't help myself.
Everone Is Lying To You For Money
The recent cyber incidents required a pivot from the frontier AI labs. The pivot? Lie and distract.
taggart-tech.com
September 15, 2026 at 2:24 PM
This is a *really* good read.
Reposted by Zack Whittaker
this.weekinsecurity.com/watch-what-y... what in the luxury surveillance is this??? am I going to be made a glasshole suddenly?!
Watch what you say: Apple opens the door to a nightmare world of always-listening tech
Apple's new upcoming ambient audio recording features set a risky precedent in normalizing intrusive surveillance. Privacy experts weigh in.
this.weekinsecurity.com
September 14, 2026 at 7:27 PM
this.weekinsecurity.com/watch-what-y... what in the luxury surveillance is this??? am I going to be made a glasshole suddenly?!
Reposted by Zack Whittaker
Check out the cyber pupper of the week! this.weekinsecurity.com/this-week-in...
this week in security — september 13 2026 edition
Berlin responding to data breach ahead of elections, Apple to roll out 'always-listening' features, experts stress-test GPS jamming attacks, Russians are targeting sub-sea cables, FBI says don't let A...
this.weekinsecurity.com
September 14, 2026 at 3:31 AM
Check out the cyber pupper of the week! this.weekinsecurity.com/this-week-in...
Reposted by Zack Whittaker
"wow, everyone knew this already" is such a cynical, annoying and unfortunately extremely common response to tech news. assuming your privacy is being violated and proving that it is are two very different things, and the latter is the result of hard work and rigorous reporting
September 14, 2026 at 3:41 PM
"wow, everyone knew this already" is such a cynical, annoying and unfortunately extremely common response to tech news. assuming your privacy is being violated and proving that it is are two very different things, and the latter is the result of hard work and rigorous reporting
Reposted by Zack Whittaker
EXCLUSIVE: Humans are reading ChatGPT users’ prompts to improve OpenAI’s models, and those chats can include sensitive, personal information, according to leaked internal documents and real prompts seen by 404 Media.
Inside ‘Project Lily’: The Humans Reading Your ChatGPT Chats
Humans are reading ChatGPT users’ prompts to improve OpenAI’s models, and those chats can include sensitive, personal information, according to leaked internal documents and real prompts seen by 404 M...
www.404media.co
September 14, 2026 at 2:26 PM
EXCLUSIVE: Humans are reading ChatGPT users’ prompts to improve OpenAI’s models, and those chats can include sensitive, personal information, according to leaked internal documents and real prompts seen by 404 Media.
Reposted by Zack Whittaker
The only person in public service who has consistently made 100% sense on issues of "AI," which is why they hate her so much.
![As the Supreme Court has noted: “A method of competition which casts upon one's competitors the burden of the loss of business unless they will descend to a practice which they are under a powerful moral compulsion not to adopt, even though it is not criminal, was thought to involve the kind of unfairness at which the [unfair methods of competition] statute was aimed."
3. The highly concentrated and interconnected structure of these markets could be creating major risks and conflicts of interest. We had started investigating these partnerships and cross-investments across the stack (and released a preliminarily overview of some findings: https://ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/01/ftc-issues-staff-report-ai-partnerships-investments-study).
Both federal and state enforcers should be scrutinizing these opaque relationships and inter-dependencies. We are already seeing how these relationships could undermine accountability. For example, OpenAI could face liability given the Hugging Face incident, but Hugging Face being bought up by Nvidia means that we’re unlikely to see it file a lawsuit over this — given Nvidia’s strong incentive to see OpenAI continue full speed ahead.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:azpq3hfq3llpowyqpjkqwgxs/bafkreibpynfdssvr5aehvgzmcuerbo3romumydje4qsdhog7a3tnazrh2u)
September 13, 2026 at 11:03 PM
The only person in public service who has consistently made 100% sense on issues of "AI," which is why they hate her so much.
Reposted by Zack Whittaker
In this.weekinsecurity.com: Apple goes all-in on "always-listening," Berlin is in crisis mode as breach hits before elections, IDScan confirms breach of huge cache of driver's licenses, and 404's brilliant reporting on predictive policing. Plus: Revolut falls for fake gov't data demand; plus, more.
this week in security — september 13 2026 edition
Berlin responding to data breach ahead of elections, Apple to roll out 'always-listening' features, experts stress-test GPS jamming attacks, Russians are targeting sub-sea cables, FBI says don't let A...
this.weekinsecurity.com
September 13, 2026 at 6:47 PM
In this.weekinsecurity.com: Apple goes all-in on "always-listening," Berlin is in crisis mode as breach hits before elections, IDScan confirms breach of huge cache of driver's licenses, and 404's brilliant reporting on predictive policing. Plus: Revolut falls for fake gov't data demand; plus, more.
Reposted by Zack Whittaker
“Bloomberg reports lawyers are already finding that Apple's always-listening tech is at odds with the law in several U.S. states. Some states require all parties' consent before being recorded, setting up the feature for potential legal battles down the line”
this.weekinsecurity.com/watch-what-y...
this.weekinsecurity.com/watch-what-y...
Watch what you say: Apple opens the door to a nightmare world of always-listening tech
Apple's new upcoming ambient audio recording features set a risky precedent in normalizing intrusive surveillance. Privacy experts weigh in.
this.weekinsecurity.com
September 13, 2026 at 1:44 AM
“Bloomberg reports lawyers are already finding that Apple's always-listening tech is at odds with the law in several U.S. states. Some states require all parties' consent before being recorded, setting up the feature for potential legal battles down the line”
this.weekinsecurity.com/watch-what-y...
this.weekinsecurity.com/watch-what-y...
In this.weekinsecurity.com: Apple goes all-in on "always-listening," Berlin is in crisis mode as breach hits before elections, IDScan confirms breach of huge cache of driver's licenses, and 404's brilliant reporting on predictive policing. Plus: Revolut falls for fake gov't data demand; plus, more.
this week in security — september 13 2026 edition
Berlin responding to data breach ahead of elections, Apple to roll out 'always-listening' features, experts stress-test GPS jamming attacks, Russians are targeting sub-sea cables, FBI says don't let A...
this.weekinsecurity.com
September 13, 2026 at 6:47 PM
In this.weekinsecurity.com: Apple goes all-in on "always-listening," Berlin is in crisis mode as breach hits before elections, IDScan confirms breach of huge cache of driver's licenses, and 404's brilliant reporting on predictive policing. Plus: Revolut falls for fake gov't data demand; plus, more.
Sign up (or RSS) today to get this week's latest edition: this.weekinsecurity.com 🐈⬛
I also have a cyber newsletter that goes out every Sunday, just in case reading a hand-curated digest of how absolutely cooked we all are every week is your thing. Sign up/RSS:
~this week in security~
a weekly cybersecurity newsletter by Zack Whittaker, plus articles and more.
this.weekinsecurity.com
September 13, 2026 at 1:39 PM
Sign up (or RSS) today to get this week's latest edition: this.weekinsecurity.com 🐈⬛