Technology News and Updates
Innovative Hacking for Good
In perhaps the most adorable hacker story of the year, a trio of technologists in India found an innovative way to circumvent Apple’s location restrictions on AirPod Pro 2s so they could enable the earbuds’ hearing aid feature for their grandmas. The hack involved a homemade Faraday cage, a microwave, and a lot of trial and error.
AI-Enabled Machine Gun
On the other end of the tech-advancements spectrum, the US military is currently testing an AI-enabled machine gun that is capable of auto-targeting swarms of drones. The Bullfrog, built by Allen Control Systems, is one of several advanced weapons technologies in the works to combat the growing threat of cheap, small drones on the battlefield.
Swatting Attacks
The US Department of Justice announced this week that an 18-year-old from California has admitted to making or orchestrating more than 375 swatting attacks across the United States.
Government Surveillance
Then, of course, there’s the Donald Trump of it all. This week, we published a practical guide to protecting yourself from government surveillance. WIRED has covered the dangers of government surveillance for decades, of course. But when the president-elect is explicitly threatening to jail his political enemies—whoever that may be—now’s probably a good time to brush up on your digital best practices.
Cybersecurity News
In addition to potential dragnet surveillance of US citizens, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement started ramping up its surveillance arsenal the day after Trump won reelection. Meanwhile, experts are expecting the incoming administration to roll back cybersecurity rules instituted under president Joe Biden while taking a harder line against adversarial state-sponsored hackers. And if all this political upheaval has you in the mood to protest, beware: An investigation copublished by WIRED and The Marshall Project found that mask bans instituted in several states add a complicated new layer to exercising freedom of speech.
Weekly Roundup
And that’s not all. Each week, we round up the privacy and security news we didn’t cover in depth ourselves. Click the headlines to read the full stories, and stay safe out there.
Crypto Heist
In August 2016, approximately 120,000 bitcoin—at the time worth around $71 million—were stolen in a hack on the Bitfinex cryptocurrency exchange. Then in 2022, as the value of cryptocurrency had rocketed skywards, law enforcement officials in New York arrested husband and wife Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan in relation to the hack and laundering the much-inflated $4.5 billion of stolen cryptocurrency. (At the time, $3.6 billion of the funds were recouped by law enforcement investigators.) This week, after pleading guilty in 2023, Lichtenstein was sentenced to five years of jail time for conducting the hack and laundering the profits. With subsequent cryptocurrency spikes and additional seizures related to the hack, the US government has now been able to recover more than $10 billion in assets.
AI-Fueled Scams
Scammers are increasingly adopting AI as part of their criminal toolkits—using the technology to create deepfakes, translate scripts, and make their operations more efficient. But artificial intelligence is also being turned against the scammers. British telecoms firm Virgin Media and its mobile operator O2 have created a new "AI granny" that can answer phone calls from scammers and keep them talking. The system uses different AI models, according to The Register, that listen to what a scammer says and respond immediately. In one case, the company says it kept a scammer on the line for 40 minutes and has fed others fake personal information.
Commercial Spyware Lawsuit
In a new legal strategy for those attempting to hold commercial spyware vendors responsible, lawyer Andreu Van den Eynde, who was allegedly hacked with NSO Group spyware, is directly accusing two of the company’s founders, Omri Lavie and Shalev Hulio, and one of its executives, Yuval Somekh, of hacking crimes in a lawsuit. The Barcelona-based human rights nonprofit Iridia announced this week that it filed the complaint in a Catalan court. Van den Eynde was reportedly a victim of a hacking campaign that used NSO’s notorious Pegasus spyware against at least 65 Catalans.
Mac Malware
Research published this week by the mobile device management firm Jamf found that hackers who have been linked to North Korea have been working to implant malware inside macOS applications built with a particular open-source software development kit. The campaigns focused on cryptocurrency-related targets and involved infrastructure similar to systems that have been used by North Korea’s notorious Lazarus Group.
Conclusion
As we continue to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of technology and cybersecurity, it’s essential to stay informed about the latest developments and innovations. From innovative hacking for good to AI-enabled machine guns, and from crypto heists to AI-fueled scams, there’s no shortage of fascinating and sometimes alarming stories in the world of tech.
FAQs
Q: What is the "AI granny" system?
A: The "AI granny" system is a new technology developed by Virgin Media and O2 that uses artificial intelligence to answer phone calls from scammers and keep them talking.
Q: What is the purpose of the "AI granny" system?
A: The purpose of the "AI granny" system is to help prevent scammers from successfully carrying out their operations by keeping them on the line and providing fake personal information.
Q: What is the status of the "AI granny" system?
A: The "AI granny" system is currently in use and has been successful in keeping scammers on the line for extended periods of time.
Q: What is the significance of the Mac malware discovered by Jamf?
A: The Mac malware discovered by Jamf is significant because it indicates that hackers linked to North Korea are targeting macOS applications built with a particular open-source software development kit.
