18:46 April 15, 2054 (GMT‑5)Arlington National CemeteryThat night in her apartment Julia Hunt ordered in sushi and watched the coverage of Slake’s botched press conference on her living room sofa. Days later, Slake’s panicked responses to the questions about Castro’s death continued to air, and they appeared even worse on the news.Hunt raised a piece of salmon sashimi between two chopsticks as she … [Read more...]
A Celebrated Cryptography-Breaking Algorithm Just Got an Upgrade
The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine.In our increasingly digital lives, security depends on cryptography. Send a private message or pay a bill online, and you’re relying on algorithms designed to keep your data secret. Naturally, some people want to uncover those secrets—so researchers work to test the strength of these systems to make sure they won’t crumble at the hands … [Read more...]
How 3 Million ‘Hacked’ Toothbrushes Became a Cyber Urban Legend
Documents exclusively obtained by WIRED reveal that AI surveillance software tracked thousands of people using the London Underground to detect crime or unsafe situations. The machine learning software scoured live CCTV footage to spot aggressive behavior, weapons being brandished, and people dodging fares. The documents also detail errors made during the trial—for instance, mistakenly identifying … [Read more...]
2054, Part V: From Tokyo With Love
18:12 April 03, 2054 (GMT‑3)São PauloChowdhury checked into his hotel, an anodyne Grand Hyatt booked by the staff at Neutronics due to its proximity to their clinic. As the receptionist scanned his retina, she informed Chowdhury that “the other guest in your party has already arrived and is checked into your suite.” He had no idea who this other guest might be and didn’t ask. He trundled his … [Read more...]
The Far-Right's Favorite Web Host Has a Shadowy New Owner
A technology company that has been essential in keeping far-right and extremist websites online was acquired last year by a firm that operates an empire of shell companies across the United States, according to people familiar with the deal.Epik.com has been for years the go-to domain registrar for websites that other companies refuse to do business with. Sites dedicated to white nationalism, … [Read more...]
London Underground Is Testing Real-Time AI Surveillance Tools to Spot Crime
Thousands of people using the London Underground had their movements, behavior, and body language watched by AI surveillance software designed to see if they were committing crimes or were in unsafe situations, new documents obtained by WIRED reveal. The machine learning software was combined with live CCTV footage to detect aggressive behavior, guns or knives being brandished, as well as looking … [Read more...]
I Stopped Using Passwords. It's Great—and a Total Mess
For two years, my Netflix password has been: tricke22ry-notiLonal-freely-soSak-lice-slacken. Yes, really. It is a strong, unique password, and it ticked boxes for reducing the chances of me getting hacked. But for all its security protections, the password was a nightmare to type into an onscreen TV keyboard, and it constantly annoyed members of my family who shared my Netflix login. It’s just the … [Read more...]
2054, Part IV: A Nation Divided
03:37 March 25, 2054 (GMT‑5)Columbia Heights Metro StationJulia Hunt had finally returned to sleeping in her apartment, a drab studio on 11th Street NW that she rented fully furnished, with a single window that opened onto an alley. When she arrived the night before, she’d had to clean out her fridge—all the food had spoiled during her vigil alongside Hendrickson at the White House. Exhausted, … [Read more...]
Ransomware Payments Hit a Record $1.1 Billion in 2023
A year ago, there seemed to be a glimmer of hope in the cybersecurity industry's long-running war of attrition against ransomware gangs. Fewer corporate victims of those hackers, it seemed, had paid ransoms in 2022, and cybercriminals were earning less from their ruthless attacks. Perhaps the cocktail of improved security measures, increased focus from law enforcement, international sanctions on … [Read more...]
2054, Part III: The Singularity
21:15 March 23, 2054 (GMT‑5)Rosslyn, VirginiaB.T. had proven easy enough to find. When he went dark, Lily figured he was in one of the world’s three gambling capitals—Vegas, Monte Carlo, or Macau. It only became a matter of checking with a handful of five-star hotels in each, something Sherman was happy to handle for her. In the days since Castro’s death, it was Sherman who’d stoked Lily’s concern … [Read more...]
WhatsApp Chats Will Soon Work With Other Encrypted Messaging Apps
A frequent annoyance of contemporary life is having to shuffle through different messaging apps to reach the right person. iMessage, WhatsApp, Messenger, Signal—they all exist in their own silos of group chats and contacts. Soon, though, WhatsApp will do the previously unthinkable for its 2 billion users: allow people to message you from another app. At least, that's the plan.For about the last … [Read more...]
2054, Part II: Next Big Thing
01:41 March 17, 2054 (GMT+9)Middle of the night, alone in his lab, was just how he liked to work. News of Castro’s death was everywhere, and he’d come here to escape it. Stylishly dressed in a cashmere Cucinelli hoodie, he was blasting his music. Tonight it was Dean Martin, and he was mouthing the words to “That’s Amore,” muttering to himself about the moon hitting his eye like a big pizza pie … [Read more...]
2054, Part I: Death of a President
12:02 March 12, 2054 (GMT‑5)São Paulo to JFKHe knew the land beneath him carried scars, but when observed from such a height those scars appeared to vanish. The geometric partitions of farmland, the crowns of pure snow on distant mountains, the rebuilt cities studding the vague horizon, all of it evidence of how the nation had seemed to heal itself. It was as if the events of 20 years past had … [Read more...]
China’s Hackers Keep Targeting US Water and Electricity Supplies
An indictment from the US Department of Justice may have solved the mystery of how disgraced cryptocurrency exchange FTX lost over $400 million in crypto. The indictment, filed last week, alleges that three individuals used a SIM-swapping attack to steal hundreds of millions in virtual currency from an unnamed company. The timing and the amount stolen coincides with FTX's theft. Meanwhile, in a … [Read more...]
The Mystery of the $400 Million FTX Heist May Have Been Solved
When more than $400 million worth of crypto was mysteriously pulled out of the coffers of what was once the world's biggest cryptocurrency exchange, FTX, on the very day that it declared bankruptcy in November of 2022, many initially suspected insiders at the company—including, potentially, then CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, now convicted of fraud. But clues left across blockchains over the past year … [Read more...]
A Startup Allegedly ‘Hacked the World.’ Then Came the Censorship—and Now the Backlash
Hacker-for-hire firms like NSO Group and Hacking Team have become notorious for enabling their customers to spy on vulnerable members of civil society. But as far back as a decade ago in India, a startup called Appin Technology and its subsidiaries allegedly played a similar cyber-mercenary role while attracting far less attention. Over the past two years, a collection of people with direct and … [Read more...]
YouTube, Discord, and ‘Lord of the Rings’ Led Police to a Teen Accused of a US Swatting Spree
A California teenager prosecutors say is responsible for hundreds of swatting attacks around the United States was exposed after law enforcement pieced together a digital trail left on some of the internet’s largest platforms, according to court records released this week.Alan Winston Filion, a 17-year-old from Lancaster, California, faces four felony charges in Florida’s Seminole County related … [Read more...]
Apple and Google Just Patched Their First Zero-Day Flaws of the Year
It’s only a month into 2024, but Apple and Google have already patched their first zero-day flaws of the year. Enterprise firms are also gearing up for another year of bug squashing, with important fixes available from the likes of Cisco and SAP.So what are you waiting for? Read on and take note of all the big patches issued in January so you can apply them to your systems as soon as … [Read more...]
Robots Are Fighting Robots in Russia's War in Ukraine
Near the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, a boxy robot zips along the rocky, cracked road. Snaking from side to side, the robot—a four-wheeled machine, around knee height—carries cargo and ammunition for Russian troops. However, it’s being watched. Hovering above the road, tracking the movements of the robot, is a Ukrainian drone. Suddenly, another drone smashes into the robot, blowing it to pieces.The … [Read more...]
US Lawmakers Tell DOJ to Quit Blindly Funding ‘Predictive’ Police Tools
The United States Department of Justice has failed to convince a group of US lawmakers that state and local police agencies aren't awarded federal grants to buy AI-based “policing” tools known to be inaccurate, if not prone to exacerbating biases long observed in US police forces.Seven members of Congress wrote in a letter to the DOJ, first obtained by WIRED, that the information they pried loose … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- …
- 28
- Next Page »