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jsrailton.bsky.social
Chasing digital badness. Senior Researcher at Citizen Lab, but words here are mine.
299 posts 22,868 followers 405 following
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“Unless addressed and tackled, the proliferation of mercenary #spyware will continue to erode the national security of more European countries. 🇪🇺European institutions ignore this problem at their peril,” said @citizenlab.ca’s @jsrailton.bsky.social. www.euractiv.com/section/poli...

NEW: update your #iPhone. Today's #Apple security update fixes a bypass used by a sophisticated attacker to get around the USB Restricted Mode on locked devices. Props to my brilliant @citizenlab.ca colleague @billmarczak.org for the discovery!👇

In our latest report, co-authors @sanstis.bsky.social, @noura.bsky.social, and @mmichae1sen.bsky.social unpack the unique digital tactics used to silence women activists living in exile. Read the report: citizenlab.ca/2024/12/the-...

It shouldn’t take a panic over Chinese AI to remind people that most companies in the business set the terms for how they use your private data. And when you use their AI apps, you’re doing work for them, not the other way round.

Yeah, it looks like Europe is preparing an assault on encryption. Just more good things to come from Davos.

At a meeting of the United Nations Security Council yesterday, @jsrailton.bsky.social mentioned our story on Barcelona's spyware ecosystem.

We need #encryption backdoors to 'enforce' democracy says Europol chief. Says anonymity "not a fundamental right" I disagree. Giving governments total access to private communications lays the technical groundwork for undermining democracy 1/ www.ft.com/content/1e6a...

📢 @opentechfund.bsky.social's Information Controls Fellowship Program, supporting researchers tackling internet #censorship & #surveillance, is accepting applications. As one of the host organizations, @citizenlab.ca welcomes proposals. Learn more and apply by Feb 28. citizenlab.ca/2025/01/call...

Exciting that @criterion.bsky.social has a curated list of “Surveillance” related films! Their list, which includes THX1130, Citizen Four, The Conversation, The Anderson Tapes, & others inspired me to post a 🧵 with my own surveillance-related film picks www.criterionchannel.com/surveillance...

Happy New Years. Friends, colleagues & strangers fighting good fights for freedom, thank you. May the autocrats sleep queasy, dictators have nightmares & spirit of resistance to tyranny keep burning bright.

NEW: #China gov hackers breached #TreasuryDept... How? STEP 1:Targeted Treasury security vendor #BeyondTrust STEP 2: Stole BT's key for a remote support platform STEP3: Platform became the backdoor on Treasury machines Ouch. By @raphae.li @ajvicens.bsky.social www.reuters.com/technology/c...

The volume of scam phone calls targeting elderly people in the US is insane. If you've visited an aging person, you know what I'm talking about. Ring after ring on that landline. Several calls a day isn't out of the ordinary. Each of them a risk of wiping out their savings.

VPN advertising is the most common source of security misinformation that I encounter. By far. So many people misplace their trust in dubious consumer VPN products. The industry is a scourge. #cybersecurity #infosec

BREAKING: court finds NSO Group liable for #Pegasus hacking of #WhatsApp users. Big win for spyware victims. Big loss for NSO. Bad time to be a spyware company. Landmark case. Huge implications. 1/ 🧵

NEW: Top guidance for phone security from #CISA? Use end-to-end communications exclusively. Great thread here by @boblord.bsky.social

NEW: US considering banning #TPLINK routers. #Chinese company has majority of the US market for homes & small biz. Concerns stem from use in #China-origin attacks, failures to fix vulns & supply chain security. 1/ By Heather Somerville, Dustin Volz & Aruna Viswanatha www.wsj.com/politics/nat...