NSA
Microsoft and NSA say a security bug affects millions of Windows 10 computers
Microsoft has released a security patch for a dangerous vulnerability affecting hundreds of millions of computers running Windows 10. The vulnerability is found in a decades-old Windows cryptographic
Here are the security sessions you can’t miss at Disrupt SF
Security is in everything, it’s everywhere and it’s everyone’s responsibility. What part are you playing? At TechCrunch Disrupt SF on October 2-4, we’re proud to have onstage s
Hunters.ai raises $5.4M for its autonomous threat-hunting solution
Hunters.ai, a Tel Aviv-based startup that built an AI-based threat-hunting solution, today announced that it has raised a $5.4 million seed funding round led by YL Ventures and Blumberg Capital. Threa
Virtru secures $37 million Series B led by Iconiq
Virtru, the security startup that came out of research at the NSA, announced a $37 million Series B financing round today led by Iconiq Capital. The company also announced the formation of Virtru Labs
NSA triples metadata collection numbers, sucking up over 500 million call records in 2017
The National Security Agency revealed a huge increase in the amount of call metadata collected, from about 151 million call records in 2016 to over 530 million last year — despite having fewer targe
Dutch intelligence reportedly hacked Russian election hackers in 2014
As if the story of the 2016 election and associated cyberattacks wasn't already complicated enough, new information now suggests that Dutch intelligence has for years been aware of, and sharing, infor
AWS beefs up threat detection with Sqrrl acquisition
AWS has purchased Sqrrl, a Cambridge, Mass. security startup with roots in the NSA. The company helps analyze a variety of sources to track and understand security threats quickly using machine learni
Why you should care about the warrantless surveillance bill on its way to Trump’s desk
After debate ended in a close cloture vote on Tuesday, the Senate has voted to pass a bill that will renew for another six years one of the NSA's most controversial practices. The bill provides for an
In a close vote, the Senate ends debate on warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens
On Tuesday, the Senate undertook a cloture vote to end debate on a bill that would renew a controversial legal loophole that provides U.S. intelligence agencies with a means for the warrantless survei
Britain’s spy agency can’t stop losing cyber talent to major tech companies
The NSA isn't the only secretive national intelligence agency having trouble keeping its tech-savvy recruits. In a new document from the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament, Britain's sp
Security researcher finds classified US Army data sitting online with no password
In the latest edition of "uh-oh, we left that just sitting out in the open," a batch of NSA and Army files were discovered on a cloud storage server with no password protection, accessible to anyone w
Russian intelligence reportedly breached the NSA in 2015, stealing cybersecurity strategy
The NSA suffered a serious breach in 2015, exposing the agency's cyberwarfare strategy, including its own defenses and methods of attacking foreign networks, reports The Wall Street Journal today. Rus
Intel agencies want to make the most controversial foreign surveillance rule permanent
In a Senate Select Intelligence Committee hearing that often veered off route, two of the nation's most powerful intelligence figures made their case for extending a controversial portion of the Forei
After WannaCry, ex-NSA director defends agencies holding exploits
General Keith Alexander has warned there will be more ransomware attacks this year, and urged industry to work with government to try to defend against global cyber threats.
With the war far from over, privacy activists cautiously celebrate a battle won
After the NSA’s surprise announcement that it would pull back on a contentious surveillance tactic, privacy advocates found themselves in a strange place in 2017: They’d actually won a thi
Former NSA director explains why the spy agency will end a controversial surveillance technique
Earlier today, the NSA announced its intentions to limit a surveillance technique that had a nasty side effect of sweeping up communications to and from Americans. In a rare unprompted press statement
NSA ends controversial collection of Americans’ emails that mention foreign targets
Privacy advocates are finally getting (a little bit) of what they want. Friday, The New York Times reported that the NSA will end its practice of collecting texts and emails by American citizens sent
Security startup Synack scores $21M investment from Microsoft, HPE and Singtel
Synack, a startup that combines software security tools with a network of white-hat hackers to help keep its customers secure, announced a $21.25 million Series C funding round today. The round was le
FBI director fact-checks Trump’s tweets
A Congressional committee is grilling FBI director James Comey and NSA chief Admiral Mike Rogers on a Russian-led cyber campaign to influence the 2016 election, but representatives' questions have vee
New details emerge about Palantir’s custom software for spy agencies
A new report by The Intercept provides some compelling specifics on collaboration between Palo Alto's secretive big data shop Palantir and the intelligence agencies that it keeps on its client roster.