AJ Vicens
@ajvicens.bsky.social
Cybersecurity correspondent at Reuters; former Mother Jones, CyberScoop. Will bore you with skateboarding, UFO lore or Denver Broncos minutiae on request. Signal: ajvicens.57, additional contact methods: https://tinyurl.com/47jc45h7
Pinned
AJ Vicens
@ajvicens.bsky.social
· Apr 25
Hello! Let's chat.
I'm a cybersecurity correspondent with Reuters focused on cybercrime, state-aligned threats, intelligence, data breaches, influence/info ops.
Get in touch:
Signal (pref): ajvicens.57
Email(s): a.j.vicens@tr.com, aj_vicens@proton.me
Latest work: www.reuters.com/authors/a-j-...
I'm a cybersecurity correspondent with Reuters focused on cybercrime, state-aligned threats, intelligence, data breaches, influence/info ops.
Get in touch:
Signal (pref): ajvicens.57
Email(s): a.j.vicens@tr.com, aj_vicens@proton.me
Latest work: www.reuters.com/authors/a-j-...
Reposted by AJ Vicens
US cyber responses will be ‘linked to adversary actions’ and involve industry coordination, official says
www.nextgov.com/cybersecurit...
www.nextgov.com/cybersecurit...
US cyber responses will be ‘linked to adversary actions’ and involve industry coordination, official says
That dynamic will be outlined in a national cyber strategy, which will be released “soon,” said ONCD’s Alexandra Seymour.
www.nextgov.com
February 19, 2026 at 4:44 PM
US cyber responses will be ‘linked to adversary actions’ and involve industry coordination, official says
www.nextgov.com/cybersecurit...
www.nextgov.com/cybersecurit...
Reposted by AJ Vicens
"An Associated Press reporter was beaten by the police and detained along with three other journalists on Tuesday in Cameroon while reporting on a secretive Trump administration program to deport migrants to the Central African country, according to two of the people detained." (gift link)
Journalists Arrested in Cameroon While Reporting on Trump’s Secretive Deportation Program
www.nytimes.com
February 18, 2026 at 11:10 PM
"An Associated Press reporter was beaten by the police and detained along with three other journalists on Tuesday in Cameroon while reporting on a secretive Trump administration program to deport migrants to the Central African country, according to two of the people detained." (gift link)
US agency sought transcript of Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime performance - www.reuters.com/business/med...
US agency sought transcript of Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime performance
The Federal Communications Commission requested transcripts of Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show performance from Comcast's NBC after a Republican lawmaker suggested it could violate federal indece...
www.reuters.com
February 19, 2026 at 3:37 AM
US agency sought transcript of Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime performance - www.reuters.com/business/med...
Reposted by AJ Vicens
February 18, 2026 at 2:18 PM
Reposted by AJ Vicens
1/ Today, Insikt Group is publishing on GrayCharlie, a threat actor active since mid-2023 that overlaps with SmartApeSG. GrayCharlie compromises WordPress sites and turns them into malware delivery hubs: www.recordedfuture.com/research/gra...
GrayCharlie Hijacks Law Firm Sites in Suspected Supply-Chain Attack
GrayCharlie turns compromised WordPress sites into malware delivery machines. Discover how this threat actor chains fake browser updates and ClickFix lures to deploy NetSupport RAT, Stealc, and Sectop...
www.recordedfuture.com
February 18, 2026 at 5:13 PM
1/ Today, Insikt Group is publishing on GrayCharlie, a threat actor active since mid-2023 that overlaps with SmartApeSG. GrayCharlie compromises WordPress sites and turns them into malware delivery hubs: www.recordedfuture.com/research/gra...
Let's go, @andykroll.bsky.social
"The Shadow President," @andykroll.bsky.social's deep dive into Russell Vought, has just won a George Polk award for political reporting.
The piece chronicles Vought’s rise from the Senate mailroom to his position as one of the most influential players in the Trump administration.
Read it here:
The piece chronicles Vought’s rise from the Senate mailroom to his position as one of the most influential players in the Trump administration.
Read it here:
Russell Vought, Trump’s Shadow President
From the wholesale gutting of federal agencies to the ongoing government shutdown, Russell Vought has drawn the road map for Trump’s second term. Vought has consolidated power to an extent that inside...
www.propublica.org
February 18, 2026 at 5:46 PM
Let's go, @andykroll.bsky.social
Reposted by AJ Vicens
Reuters has launched a new Visual Investigations unit, which I'll be joining on secondment for the next six months.
I'll be drawing on the threat intelligence techniques I've studied on the cyber beat, as well as leaning on the various OSINT skills I've developed in information-scarce datelines.
I'll be drawing on the threat intelligence techniques I've studied on the cyber beat, as well as leaning on the various OSINT skills I've developed in information-scarce datelines.
February 18, 2026 at 5:44 PM
Reuters has launched a new Visual Investigations unit, which I'll be joining on secondment for the next six months.
I'll be drawing on the threat intelligence techniques I've studied on the cyber beat, as well as leaning on the various OSINT skills I've developed in information-scarce datelines.
I'll be drawing on the threat intelligence techniques I've studied on the cyber beat, as well as leaning on the various OSINT skills I've developed in information-scarce datelines.
ICE tripled its reliance on Microsoft in last six months, leaked files reveal @972mag.com www.972mag.com/ice-microsof...
ICE tripled its reliance on Microsoft in last six months, files reveal
Documents show the U.S. agency is storing large amounts of data on Microsoft's cloud while making use of its AI tools to analyze videos and images.
www.972mag.com
February 18, 2026 at 4:17 PM
ICE tripled its reliance on Microsoft in last six months, leaked files reveal @972mag.com www.972mag.com/ice-microsof...
US reveals new details of alleged Chinese nuclear test www.reuters.com/world/china/...
US reveals new details of alleged Chinese nuclear test
A senior U.S. official on Tuesday revealed what he said were new details of an underground nuclear test blast that China allegedly conducted in June 2020.
www.reuters.com
February 18, 2026 at 3:24 PM
US reveals new details of alleged Chinese nuclear test www.reuters.com/world/china/...
Good to know!
www.semafor.com/article/02/1...
www.semafor.com/article/02/1...
February 17, 2026 at 11:39 PM
Good to know!
www.semafor.com/article/02/1...
www.semafor.com/article/02/1...
Reposted by AJ Vicens
Rev. Jesse Jackson's "I *am* somebody..." remains one of the all-time great pieces of 20th century rhetoric / agitprop
And he could deliver it at a Black separatist meeting, the Democratic National Convention, or on god-blessed Sesame Street (see below 🥹)
RIP to the Voice of the Voiceless
And he could deliver it at a Black separatist meeting, the Democratic National Convention, or on god-blessed Sesame Street (see below 🥹)
RIP to the Voice of the Voiceless
February 17, 2026 at 11:29 AM
Rev. Jesse Jackson's "I *am* somebody..." remains one of the all-time great pieces of 20th century rhetoric / agitprop
And he could deliver it at a Black separatist meeting, the Democratic National Convention, or on god-blessed Sesame Street (see below 🥹)
RIP to the Voice of the Voiceless
And he could deliver it at a Black separatist meeting, the Democratic National Convention, or on god-blessed Sesame Street (see below 🥹)
RIP to the Voice of the Voiceless
Reposted by AJ Vicens
Software engineer Brandon Li has released yt-media-storage, a tool to store files on YouTube by encoding them as lossless video files and then retrieving them when needed. This sounds like a perfect way to store malware on the site, ngl
github.com/PulseBeat02/...
github.com/PulseBeat02/...
GitHub - PulseBeat02/yt-media-storage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l03Os5uwWmk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l03Os5uwWmk. Contribute to PulseBeat02/yt-media-storage development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
February 17, 2026 at 2:42 AM
Software engineer Brandon Li has released yt-media-storage, a tool to store files on YouTube by encoding them as lossless video files and then retrieving them when needed. This sounds like a perfect way to store malware on the site, ngl
github.com/PulseBeat02/...
github.com/PulseBeat02/...
Reposted by AJ Vicens
New Mexico approves comprehensive probe of Epstein’s Zorro Ranch reut.rs/4bZFN9d
New Mexico approves comprehensive probe of Epstein’s Zorro Ranch
The so-called truth commission seeks to identify ranch guests and state officials who may have known what was going on at the 7,600-acre property or taken part in alleged sexual abuse in its hacienda-style mansion and guest houses.
reut.rs
February 17, 2026 at 12:35 AM
New Mexico approves comprehensive probe of Epstein’s Zorro Ranch reut.rs/4bZFN9d
Reposted by AJ Vicens
Hollywood is COOKED
I made this $50,000,000 movie for free using AI
I made this $50,000,000 movie for free using AI
February 17, 2026 at 1:54 AM
Hollywood is COOKED
I made this $50,000,000 movie for free using AI
I made this $50,000,000 movie for free using AI
Reposted by AJ Vicens
Reposted by AJ Vicens
feels cruel for Bluesky to have a Popular With Friends tab, if any of us were popular with friends we wouldn't be on Bluesky
February 16, 2026 at 8:53 AM
feels cruel for Bluesky to have a Popular With Friends tab, if any of us were popular with friends we wouldn't be on Bluesky
Reposted by AJ Vicens
American surveillance giant Palantir has filed a lawsuit against Swiss magazine Republik over two articles that exposed vulnerabilities in its products.
The articles triggered a government investigation. The government eventually dropped the Palantir contract.
www.republik.ch/2026/02/14/p...
The articles triggered a government investigation. The government eventually dropped the Palantir contract.
www.republik.ch/2026/02/14/p...
Palantir klagt gegen die Republik
Unsere Recherchen zum Unternehmen haben internationales Echo ausgelöst.
www.republik.ch
February 15, 2026 at 6:13 PM
American surveillance giant Palantir has filed a lawsuit against Swiss magazine Republik over two articles that exposed vulnerabilities in its products.
The articles triggered a government investigation. The government eventually dropped the Palantir contract.
www.republik.ch/2026/02/14/p...
The articles triggered a government investigation. The government eventually dropped the Palantir contract.
www.republik.ch/2026/02/14/p...
Reposted by AJ Vicens
This NYT column by @polgreen.bsky.social is the truest thing I've ever seen about the REAL reason public trust in the media collapsed
February 14, 2026 at 2:31 PM
This NYT column by @polgreen.bsky.social is the truest thing I've ever seen about the REAL reason public trust in the media collapsed
Reposted by AJ Vicens
NEW: Hundreds of judges around the country have ruled more than 4,400 times since October that President Donald Trump’s administration is detaining immigrants unlawfully, a Reuters review of court records found.
The government keeps doing it nonetheless.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
The government keeps doing it nonetheless.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
February 14, 2026 at 12:14 PM
NEW: Hundreds of judges around the country have ruled more than 4,400 times since October that President Donald Trump’s administration is detaining immigrants unlawfully, a Reuters review of court records found.
The government keeps doing it nonetheless.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
The government keeps doing it nonetheless.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
Reposted by AJ Vicens
I wrote some words for this.weekinsecurity.com about how social media giants (aka: ad tech companies!) track you around the web, even if you don't have an account or use their apps. Follows from a brilliant column in the BBC about TikTok's use of website "pixels" to track people's browsing activity.
How tech giants track you across the web, even if you don't use their apps
Ad tech giants use near-invisible "pixels" on web pages to track what you do online, even if you don't have an account or use their apps. Thankfully, there is a solution.
this.weekinsecurity.com
February 14, 2026 at 2:16 PM
I wrote some words for this.weekinsecurity.com about how social media giants (aka: ad tech companies!) track you around the web, even if you don't have an account or use their apps. Follows from a brilliant column in the BBC about TikTok's use of website "pixels" to track people's browsing activity.
Reposted by AJ Vicens
February 11, 2026 at 8:21 AM
Reposted by AJ Vicens
Hate to say it but I believe most, if not all, of my followers can be replaced by AI in 12-18 months
February 14, 2026 at 3:33 AM
Hate to say it but I believe most, if not all, of my followers can be replaced by AI in 12-18 months
Reposted by AJ Vicens
Because the Department of Justice appears to have removed the .zip archives for the Epstein files, @ddosecrets.org is now the best place to get all of the data in bulk.
ddosecrets.org/article/epst...
Help us keep publishing: donorbox.org/ddosecrets
ddosecrets.org/article/epst...
Help us keep publishing: donorbox.org/ddosecrets
February 13, 2026 at 4:19 AM
Because the Department of Justice appears to have removed the .zip archives for the Epstein files, @ddosecrets.org is now the best place to get all of the data in bulk.
ddosecrets.org/article/epst...
Help us keep publishing: donorbox.org/ddosecrets
ddosecrets.org/article/epst...
Help us keep publishing: donorbox.org/ddosecrets
Reposted by AJ Vicens
We've been taking a close look at court documents on the FBI's raid on a Washington Post reporter's home. There's a lot journalists can learn from this incident. freedom.press/digisec/blog...
Five security lessons from the FBI’s Washington Post raid
Court documents show how investigators can track digital activities, and reveal ways to harden journalists’ devices
freedom.press
February 13, 2026 at 7:02 PM
We've been taking a close look at court documents on the FBI's raid on a Washington Post reporter's home. There's a lot journalists can learn from this incident. freedom.press/digisec/blog...