Zack Whittaker
Security editor
The Latest from Zack Whittaker
Security flaw in EA’s Origin client exposed gamers to hackers
Electronic Arts has fixed a vulnerability in its online gaming platform Origin after security researchers found they could trick an unsuspecting gamer into remotely running malicious code on their com
Scranos, a new rootkit malware, steals passwords and pushes YouTube clicks
Security researchers have discovered an unusual new malware that steals user passwords and account payment methods stored in a victim’s browser — and also silently pushes up YouTube subscriber
I asked the US government for my immigration file and all I got were these stupid photos
“Welcome to the United States of America.” That’s the first thing you read when you find out your green card application was approved. Those long-awaited words are printed on fancier
Microsoft: Hackers compromised support agent’s credentials to access customer email accounts
On the heels of a trove of 773 million emails, and tens of millions of passwords, from a variety of domains getting leaked in January, Microsoft has faced another breach affecting its web-based email
Hackers publish personal data on thousands of US police officers and federal agents
A hacker group has breached several FBI-affiliated websites and uploaded their contents to the web, including dozens of files containing the personal information of thousands of federal agents and law
Homeland Security warns of security flaws in enterprise VPN apps
Several enterprise virtual private networking apps are vulnerable to a security bug that can allow an attacker to remotely break into a company’s internal network, according to a warning issued
Robocaller firm Stratics Networks exposed millions of call recordings
If you’ve ever had a voicemail appear out of nowhere, there’s a good chance Stratics Networks was involved. The Toronto-based company is the self-proclaimed inventor of “ringless voi
WikiLeaks founder charged with hacking, now faces US extradition
In a fast-moving development since Julian Assange’s arrest inside the Ecuadorian embassy earlier today for breaching U.K. bail conditions, the WikiLeaks founder has been rearrested on behalf of
How to stop robocalls spamming your phone
No matter what your politics, beliefs, or even your sports team, we can all agree on one thing: robocalls are the scourge of modern times. These unsolicited auto-dialed spam calls bug you dozens of ti
The hacker group behind the Triton malware strikes again
A highly capable hacker group reportedly behind a failed plot to blow up a Saudi petrochemical plant has now been found in a second facility. FireEye researchers said it found traces of the so-called
No one, not even the Secret Service, should randomly plug in a strange USB stick
If you’ve been on Twitter today, you’ve probably seen one story making the rounds. So the Secret Service stuck Zhang's thumbdrive into their computer. https://t.co/0T6LAfOtEl pic.twitt
A powerful spyware app now targets iPhone owners
Security researchers have discovered a powerful surveillance app first designed for Android devices can now target victims with iPhones. The spy app, found by researchers at mobile security firm Looko
TrickBot malware attacks are ramping up ahead of Tax Day
A powerful data-stealing malware campaign with a tax theme is on the rise to target unsuspecting filers ahead of Tax Day. TrickBot, a financially motivated trojan, infects Windows computers through a
AeroGarden maker says hackers stole months of credit card data
Bad news for home gardeners: criminals might have your credit card data. AeroGrow, the maker of the at-home garden kit AeroGarden, said in a letter to customers that its website had credit card scrapi
Thousands of ‘take action’ messages to lawmakers exposed by political advocacy giant
If you emailed your local or federal lawmaker in the last couple of years about legislative reform, there’s a good chance you sent your message through a form built by a little-known Washington,
Researchers find 540 million Facebook user records on exposed servers
Security researchers have found hundreds of millions of Facebook user records sitting on an inadvertently public storage server. The two batches of user records were collected and exposed from two thi
WordPress says iOS app bug exposed account tokens to third parties
WordPress said it has fixed a bug in its iOS app that inadvertently exposed account tokens to third-party sites. In an email to customers seen by TechCrunch, the content management giant said it ̶
Arizona Beverages knocked offline by ransomware attack
Arizona Beverages, one of the largest beverage suppliers in the U.S., is recovering after a massive ransomware attack last month, TechCrunch has learned. The company, famous for its iced tea beverages
We found a massive spam operation — and sunk its server
For ten days in March, millions were caught in the same massive spam campaign. Each email looked like it came from someone the recipient knew: the spammer took stolen email addresses and passwords, qu
New book looks inside Apple’s legal fight with the FBI
A new biography of Apple chief executive Tim Cook out this month describes the moment — and the deliberations — after the FBI issued an unprecedented legal order demanding Apple undermine the secu