It was another week of social distancing or quarantine for the majority of the world, but Google released findings that it has actually seen 12 government-backed hacking groups undeterred by the pandemic and, in reality, attempting to make the most of those conditions for intelligence-gathering. Another report found that China, for one, has actually been hectic throughout the pandemic hacking Uighurs’ iPhones in a recent months-long campaign.
We broke down how Apple and Google are utilizing aggregate smartphone location data to visualize social distancing trends. And in a special interview with WIRED, Federal Bureau of Examination director Christopher Wray warned that domestic terrorism is a growing hazard in the United States.
On top of all the other digital dangers, scientists stressed today that so-called “zero-click” hacks that don’t need any interaction from users to start may be more widespread and varied than the majority of people recognize. Such attacks are difficult to detect with existing tools.
And there’s more. Every Saturday we assemble the security and personal privacy stories that we didn’t break or report on in depth but think you ought to learn about. Click the headlines to read them, and stay safe out there.
On Wednesday, the video conferencing service Zoom revealed a number of small but necessary security enhancements. As Zoom usage has increased throughout the pandemic, so has scrutiny on the service’s security and personal privacy offerings. This week’s statement of incremental improvements is part of a 90- day prepare the company revealed to ove