Federal Bureau of Investigation

Once again we look back at the past year in cybercrime and those who we lost… to the law. This year was no different to last: we saw another round of high-profile busts, arrests, sanctions, and prison time for some of the most prolific cybercriminals in recent years. This is our look back at who got nabbed or otherwise busted, featuring: why a Russian accused of ransomware burned his passport, which notorious malware gang reared its ugly head again, and why one country’s hackers targeted an unsuspecting phone maker.…

Photo: Michael M. Santiago (Getty Images)The Federal Bureau of Investigations confiscated New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ two cell phones and his iPad this week in a federal corruption investigation into his 2021 campaign, according to The New York Times. Top Takeaways from the Apple EventThe FBI is reportedly investigating whether Eric Adams’ campaign conspired with the Turkish government and others to funnel donations into the NYC Mayor’s campaign. Agents approached Mayor Adams on the street and asked his security…

In the three years since the covid-19 pandemic began, one of the most persistent questions has been how the virus that caused it—SARS-CoV2—first…

The Justice Department filed a motion on Thursday to hold Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira without bail, arguing he is a flight risk and presents “an ongoing risk both to the national security of the United States and to the community.” Teixeira, 21, allegedly released sensitive and confidential government information on Discord, an instant messaging site, according to an FBI investigation.Simone Giertz on Project Failures | Gizmodo Talks Teixeira signed multiple security and non-disclosure agreements with the Massachusetts…

Swatting refers to the act of lying to law enforcement about a bomb threat or by framing someone else in a certain location as having committed a crime or harboring illicit material.Image: bibiphoto (Shutterstock)A series of swatting calls that have occurred over several months across the United Stateshave been pinned down to a Telegram user, who claims to have left explosives in locations like high schools using a digitally synthesized voice.Why Banning TikTok Won’t Protect Our PrivacyVice broke the story on the user,…

This week, the FBI and a coalition of European police partners took aim at one of the biggest illicit marketplaces on the dark web: Genesis, known for selling stolen data to the highest bidder, has officially been dismantled. The crackdown is yet another big attempt by the government to disrupt the dark web’s cybercriminal ecosystem, which is known to aid and abet major cyberattacks on U.S. and Western targets. Pentagon Employees Too Horny to Follow RulesIn statements published to their website Wednesday, U.S. Justice…

This story was originally published by Grist. You can subscribe to its weekly newsletter here. This article was produced in partnership with the nonprofit newsroom Type Investigations, where Adam Federman is a reporting fellow. Subscribe to their newsletters here.Last summer, a “Chicago Against Cop City” Twitter account was created and began sharing information about a campaign unfolding some 700 miles away. Its first tweet, posted on July 18, promoted a talk at a community bookstore on Chicago’s west side featuring…

Photo: Chip Somodevilla (Getty Images)The Department of Energy now assesses that the Covid-19 pandemic most likely began as the result of a leak from a government laboratory, the Wall Street Journal reports. That assessment was laid bare in a classified intelligence report recently shared with the White House and with select members of Congress. The report, which appears to have been a brief survey of the U.S. intelligence community on the issue of Covid-19's origins, shows that the DOE has shifted its assessment about…

Photo: Kristi Blokhin (Shutterstock)In 2020, Colorado reported 12,325 cyber incidents to the FBI but a fairly high rate of losses, at $100,663,897. In 2021, the numbers dipped: 10,537 Coloradans reported being victimized, but, as with other states, the financial losses rose, in this case to $130,631,286. Photo: Kristi Blokhin (Shutterstock)In 2020, Colorado reported 12,325 cyber incidents to the FBI but a fairly high rate of losses, at $100,663,897. In 2021, the numbers dipped: 10,537 Coloradans reported being…

FBI Director Christopher Wray’s office is going to be involved in a hack-back squad with the rest of the Department of Justice, but first it must root out how its own systems may have been compromised.Photo: Drew Angerer (Getty Images)The FBI has reportedly been dealing with a malicious hacking attempt on its systems. It’s still unclear just which systems were compromised and for how long.CNN first reported Friday morning that the FBI is investigating a kind of “cyber incident” that hit one of its computer networks.…