Zack Whittaker

@zackwhittaker.com

Security editor, TechCrunch
Signal: zackwhittaker.1337
My stories: techcrunch.com/author/zack-whittaker
My newsletter/blog: this.weekinsecurity.com

@marisakabas.bsky.social Oct 12, 2026, 11:33 PMReposted by @zackwhittaker.com

New — I wrote about Republicans beclowning themselves heading into the midterms with clearly bullshit narratives about James Talarico and Rep. Ilhan Omar, and how the favorable conditions for Dems have produced a noticeable shift to nipping deranged stories in the bud.

thehandbasket.coWhy Democrats must keep calling out GOP bullsh*t on sightImmediately diffusing Republican desperation drastically shortens the life cycle of their clownish ideas.

@hypervisible.blacksky.app Oct 12, 2026, 7:23 PMReposted by @zackwhittaker.com

Probably nothing to worry about for homeowners unless there are a bunch of other devices taking images in your home and making that data available for sale. Good thing no one would do that.

404media.coAI Company Lets Cops Pinpoint Specific Houses Based on a Single Interior PhotoRaven, previously called GeoSpy, lets cops figure out what specific Airbnb or Zillow property a photo was taken in.

@mayor.nyc.gov Oct 12, 2026, 11:58 PMReposted by @zackwhittaker.com

This morning, the federal government turned the full force of the Department of Homeland Security against a sitting member of Congress for the offense of disagreeing with the White House.

The path to citizenship should not be weaponized against anyone, including Rep. Ilhan Omar, a naturalized American who swore an oath to this country — the same one that I took.

The promise of citizenship should not be contingent on someone agreeing with the federal government.

Ilhan Omar@ilhanmn.bsky.socialOct 12, 2026, 4:01 PM

I’m ok. Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement. For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation. I will not be silenced.

@bjkeefe.bsky.social Oct 13, 2026, 1:46 AMReposted by @zackwhittaker.com

Just tried the link mentioned in the article, and it works: I can see the last bunch of emails Amazon sent me.

@zackwhittaker.com Oct 13, 2026, 1:34 AM

For this.weekinsecurity.com: I recently learned that if you get a suspicious call, email, or text message purportedly from Amazon, you can find out in a flash if it was real or a scam by checking your account's message center online.

@zackwhittaker.com Oct 11, 2026, 2:57 PMReposted by @zackwhittaker.com

Also: A CIA officer pleads guilty to using a fake secret program to steal $194M+ and hundreds of gold bars. And, a bunch of solar and wind turbines across Europe have their web dashboards exposed.

Plus a very cute, brand new reader-submitted cyber-cat. 🐈

@reactiveashley.cat Oct 11, 2026, 5:44 PMReposted by @zackwhittaker.com

A single push notification and ASOS -15%... wow

@zackwhittaker.com Oct 11, 2026, 2:57 PM

Also: A CIA officer pleads guilty to using a fake secret program to steal $194M+ and hundreds of gold bars. And, a bunch of solar and wind turbines across Europe have their web dashboards exposed.

Plus a very cute, brand new reader-submitted cyber-cat. 🐈

@zackwhittaker.com Oct 11, 2026, 2:55 PM

In this.weekinsecurity.com: The FBI is closing in on the ShinyHunters hackers... Bad week if you're a ransomware negotiator... or Danish... or have a bank account in South Korea, or live in Japan. Plus: Hackers announce Asos' breach to customers via in-app notification; Flock cuts staff, and more.

@selenalarson.bsky.social Oct 10, 2026, 3:23 AMReposted by @zackwhittaker.com

’tis the season

Photo of my hand with a nightmare before Christmas themed manicure

@raphae.li Oct 9, 2026, 4:18 PMReposted by @zackwhittaker.com

Scoop: I spoke to Pryx, a.k.a. Adem El Adeb, friend of ShinyHunters suspect Saif Al-Din Khader.

El Adeb said Khader told him he was going to hack the FBI in *early* Sept. which (if true) pushes our timeline back a bit.

El Adeb says he told Khader he was "crazy."
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

reuters.comEXCLUSIVE: Friend of suspected FBI data thief says he warned 'crazy' teen not to hack bureauA friend of the suspected thief of a massive cache of personal data from the FBI says he begged the teenager not to do it.

@zackwhittaker.com Oct 9, 2026, 3:15 PM

NYT reports that the FBI has arrested a man in Pennsylvania, who is a Canadian citizen, on suspicion of carrying out the hack last month that exposed tens of thousands of FBI agents' personal information.

@zackwhittaker.com Oct 9, 2026, 1:51 PM

Flock confirms it's cutting staff, as the company faces mounting backlash over its surveillance technology. When asked by TechCrunch, a Flock spokesperson wouldn't say if chief executive Garrett Langley took a pay cut as part of the workforce reduction.

Bypass for ad-blockers: archive.is/epjKf

techcrunch.comSurveillance company Flock cuts staff as privacy backlash grows | TechCrunchFlock would not say if CEO Garrett Langley would take a pay cut following the reduction in workforce.

@onekade.bsky.social Oct 9, 2026, 12:53 AMReposted by @zackwhittaker.com

A sentence that may as well define our era: “Flock faces growing scrutiny from regulators, lawmakers, and privacy advocates, despite drawing strong investor interest among venture capitalists.” www.reuters.com/business/ai-...

@timmarchman.bsky.social Oct 9, 2026, 1:03 AMReposted by @zackwhittaker.com

I dislike being earnest, but the only answer I know of to the onslaught of dystopian and apocalyptic news is love. Foster a dog, plant some flowers, call up a friend you haven’t talked to in too long, try to be kind. This isn’t easy, it’s difficult—that’s the message of every religion I’m aware of.

@darthbluesky.bsky.social Oct 8, 2026, 9:49 PMReposted by @zackwhittaker.com

this is fucked up

Kyle Griffin@kylegriffin1.bsky.socialOct 8, 2026, 9:20 PM

WASHINGTON (AP) - Pentagon says the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan will be livestreamed in December.

@evacide.bsky.social Oct 8, 2026, 9:50 PMReposted by @zackwhittaker.com

Wikimedia Foundation: "AI companies are not doing enough to secure their systems and protect the public from the harm they cause. That burden is falling onto everyone else, including smaller organizations."

wikimediafoundation.org/news/2026/10...

@ddimolfetta.bsky.social Oct 8, 2026, 7:59 PMReposted by @zackwhittaker.com

Scoop: Forthcoming GAO audit of a key DHS information-sharing network will examine three known security incidents, including an intrusion by outside hackers that Nextgov/FCW first reported this summer, according to two sources.
www.nextgov.com/cybersecurit...

@arbiteriapetus.bsky.social Oct 7, 2026, 8:26 PMReposted by @zackwhittaker.com

“The ‘unauthorized users’ (plural!) went undetected for nine months until July…”

One thing about cybersecurity breaches is that it’s not always possible to know if a given vulnerability was exploited by more than a single adversary.

this.weekinsecurity.com/what-can-we-...

@zackwhittaker.com Oct 8, 2026, 3:26 PM

"When a CNN producer went to their office in New York and knocked on the door to ask in person, a male staffer emerged. The staffer refused to answer questions but listened, with a surprised expression, as the producer called the mission’s number and played the voicemail greeting in its entirety."

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