Five for Fighting 2/27/09
* NSA should oversee cybersecurity: intel chief * Real World: Kabul * Don’t call ’em coffins * Convicted CIA big suspected of sharing woman with Russian mole * China’s Hummer knock-offs (High five: PJB)
(High five: PJB)
Cybercriminals Are Hiding Malicious Web Traffic in Plain Sight
In an effort to evade detection, cybercriminals are increasingly turning to “residential proxy” services that cover their tracks by making it look like everyday online activity.
Lily Hay Newman
A GPS Blackout Would Shut Down the World
GPS jamming and spoofing attacks are on the rise. If the global navigation system the US relies on were to go down entirely, it would send the world into unprecedented chaos.
Matt Burgess
Ross Ulbricht Got a $31 Million Donation From a Dark Web Dealer, Crypto Tracers Suspect
Crypto-tracing firm Chainalysis says the mysterious 300-bitcoin donation to the pardoned Silk Road creator appears to have come from someone associated with a different defunct black market: AlphaBay.
Andy Greenberg
Trump Cuts Are Killing a Tiny Office That Keeps Measurements of the World Accurate
A tiny but crucial agency that maintains physical coordinates like latitude and longitude in the US is struggling as the Trump administration forces out federal employees.
Molly Taft
The Epic Rise and Fall of a Dark-Web Psychedelics Kingpin
Interdimensional travel, sex with aliens, communion with God. Anything is possible with just a sprinkle of DMT. Akasha Song’s secret labs made millions of doses—and dollars—until the feds showed up.
Andy Greenberg
A Swedish MMA Tournament Spotlights the Trump Administration's Handling of Far-Right Terrorism
A member of a California-based fight club seems to have attended an event hosted by groups with ties to an organization the US government labeled a terrorist group. Will the Trump administration care?
Ali Winston
3 Teens Almost Got Away With Murder. Then Police Found Their Google Searches
An arson attack in Colorado had detectives stumped. The way they solved the case could put everyone at risk.
Raksha Vasudevan
Trumpworld Is Getting Tired of Laura Loomer. They Hope the President Is Too
Trump advisers tell WIRED that their mutually beneficial arrangements with the notorious right wing influencer may be coming to an end.
Jake Lahut
Analysts Say Trump Trade Wars Would Harm the Entire US Energy Sector, From Oil to Solar
US renewables stand to lose big in a trade war, but the sting extends to oil and other energy industries, say researchers from Wood Mackenzie.
Dan Gearino
‘A Billion Streams and No Fans’: Inside a $10 Million AI Music Fraud Case
A chart-topping jazz album! Loads of Spotify and Apple Music plays! Just one problem: The success might not be real.
Kate Knibbs
The Race to Build Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ Missile Defense System Is On
President Donald Trump has proposed building a massive antimissile system in space that could enrich Elon Musk if it materializes. But experts say the project’s feasibility remains unclear.
Caroline Haskins
Trump Appointees Blocked From Entering US Copyright Office
The two men appeared at the US Copyright Office days after the Trump administration fired its leader, who had just published a report about the use of copyrighted materials for AI training.
Kate Knibbs