ÉS
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tacops.bsky.social
ÉS
@tacops.bsky.social
Just a small cog in the UK’s cyber defence.
“An outright ban on payments sounds tough on crime, but in reality it could turn a solvable crisis into a catastrophic one
www.ft.com/content/3dc8...
UK cyber ransom ban risks collapse of essential services
Companies and security groups warn government’s proposed measure is unlikely to stop hacking attacks
www.ft.com
November 17, 2025 at 12:50 PM
“Meta, the largest social media company in the world, knowingly makes billions from scam ads” www.theverge.com/tech/820906/...
Meta must rein in scammers — or face consequences
Scams are ruinous to users — but, reportedly, big business to Meta.
www.theverge.com
November 15, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Reposted by ÉS
Brilliant, essential thread from @doublepulsar.com on hype around AI cyber threats. My summary:

1. Google release a really honest paper saying some malware has used AI to morph into new capabilities but..

2. …goes on to point out that the capabilities are crap

3. Industry hype ignores part 2
There's some really big caveats to this. A thread.
New: Google says it has discovered at least 5 malware families that use AI to rewrite their code and generate new capabilities on the fly, suggesting AI-powered malware is finally starting to take off. cloud.google.com/blog/topics/...

Report also has interesting stories about state actors' AI use.
November 9, 2025 at 9:13 AM
September 27, 2025 at 9:37 AM
“Sovereignty, it seems, doesn't matter when American conservatives threaten it.” www.ft.com/content/09c9...
Won’t the British right stand up for sovereignty?
A hatred of interference in national affairs disappears when American conservatives are doing it
www.ft.com
September 17, 2025 at 11:29 AM
“Does Big Tech want scams on their platforms? No. I don’t believe they do. But this is a financial decision, not a technological decision… The reason they don’t crack down on scams is because it would slow down the advertising process and decrease their revenue.” www.ft.com/content/8625...
Martin Lewis: ‘Fine tech companies tens of billions for deepfake scams’
Money Saving Expert founder calls for tougher penalties to prevent growing menace of AI-enabled fraud
www.ft.com
September 14, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Reposted by ÉS
NEW: We got access to Jeffrey Epstein’s personal Yahoo inbox — more than 18,000 emails.

It shows Epstein’s world in his own words: an unfiltered look at how his operation worked, who enabled it, and how Ghislaine Maxwell stayed at the center of it all.
Jeffrey Epstein Email Trove Reveals Ghislaine Maxwell’s Secrets
A cache of 18,000 messages obtained by Bloomberg News reveals Maxwell’s deep ties and involvement with the disgraced financier and sex offender.
www.bloomberg.com
September 11, 2025 at 10:36 AM
Reposted by ÉS
“I’m the only door between the Iranians and our water system.”

Powerful reporting by @npr.org @jennamclaughlin.bsky.social on how Franklin - and volunteer Tim Pappa - are stepping in to help water operators defend against foreign cyber threats. #CyberCivilDefense #Take9

www.npr.org/2025/09/08/n...
Inside one town's efforts to prevent cyberattacks at water treatment plant
NPR gets an inside look at how one small Vermont town is protecting its water plant from hackers.
www.npr.org
September 10, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Reposted by ÉS
Well, well, well: in a court filing, Google finally admits 'the web is in rapid decline.' Sharply at odds' with executives' public comments this year www.theverge.com/news/773928/...
Google admits the open web is in ‘rapid decline’
One Google exec recently said the web is “thriving.”
www.theverge.com
September 8, 2025 at 5:30 PM
“experts estimate around 200,000 victims of human trafficking have been forced to run scams 24 hours a day”

www.wired.com/story/child-...
493 Cases of Sextortion Against Children Linked to Notorious Scam Compounds
Scam compounds in Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos have conned people out of billions. New research shows they may be linked to child sextortion crimes too.
www.wired.com
August 19, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Reposted by ÉS
Some key facts about passkeys and how they work
Some key facts about passkeys and how they work
The passkey was introduced with some excitement by Apple and varying degrees of hurrahs from Microsoft and Google a few years ago.1 This humble method...
sixcolors.com
August 18, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Reposted by ÉS
Opinion: This year is on course to show the lowest rate of violent crime in decades in both Britain and America. While dreadful incidents like Tuesday’s shooting in New York deservedly receive widespread attention, they are increasingly exceptional. https://on.ft.com/4fgSDiV
August 1, 2025 at 10:15 AM
@reckless.bsky.social London’s West End is filled with these, and all of them have giant speakers under the seat!
May 11, 2025 at 12:44 PM
@reckless.bsky.social @davidpierce.xyz Just listened to your convo about Google being unrecognisable in 3 years. Is the assumption that most people won’t choose Google as default when presented a list of choices in Safari? Chrome still has 60%+ market share in Europe despite browser ballot.
May 11, 2025 at 12:41 PM
“Government finds it hard to compete with the private sector for the best talent in cyber security. This is in part because it has not been willing to pay market-rate salaries, which would save money over the longer term compared to using contractors” committees.parliament.uk/committee/12...
Cyber threats: Government defences have been outpaced by hostile states and criminals - Committees - UK Parliament
Government resilience to cyberattack far from where it needs to be as PAC calls for details of fundamentally different approach to meet aim of shielding wider public sector by 2030.
committees.parliament.uk
May 9, 2025 at 10:52 AM
“Retailers generally don’t prioritise cyber security in the same way the regulated industries do, and there are more opportunities to target companies in retail and hospitality, manufacturing, and healthcare.” www.ft.com/content/5444...
UK retailers under attack: why hackers hit household names
M&S, the Co-op and Harrods have all been targeted by cyber criminals in recent days
www.ft.com
May 3, 2025 at 11:21 PM
Reposted by ÉS
It’s #WorldPasswordDay! Strong passwords are your first line of defence to protect your data, but don’t stop there!

Boost your protection by turning on 2-step verification. Only takes a few mins to set up & stops fraudsters getting in.

Learn more ⬇️
stopthinkfraud.campaign.gov.uk
May 1, 2025 at 8:33 AM
Reposted by ÉS
For those interested in the broader security issues around #signalgate I wrote a piece for @foreignaffairs.com on the topic, here: www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
May 2, 2025 at 3:52 PM
“AI is a bigger deal than fire or electricity” 🙄 #ai www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Google Is Searching for an Answer to ChatGPT
Big changes are underway for the internet’s most popular product, and Google (and the web) may never be the same.
www.bloomberg.com
April 7, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Reposted by ÉS
To mark my 1,000th post on BlueSky (🤔) here’s a piece I wrote on the changing, more dangerous nature of the Chinese cyber threat, the most significant change to the cyber threat landscape for ages

It’s published today, with my thanks, by the think thank @rusi.bsky.social

rusi.org/explore-our-...
Typhoons in Cyberspace
The transformation of China’s digital attack capabilities is the most important change in the cyber threat to the West in more than a decade, writes Ciaran Martin.
rusi.org
March 21, 2025 at 3:00 PM
“We can’t run any form of complex military operation without them, or sustain even simple tasks.” www.ft.com/content/beb3...
How Europe can defend itself without US help
European capitals are scrambling to fill the security gap should Donald Trump withdraw American military assets
www.ft.com
February 19, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Reposted by ÉS
I’m on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme (c1hr18:30) talking about @joemenn.bsky.social’s scoop that 🇬🇧 gov’t has apparently ordered Apple to unlock encrypted cloud services

I try to explain why, as well as provoking a needless 🇺🇸backlash, it probably can’t even work 1/4

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Today - 08/02/2025 - BBC Sounds
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 8, 2025 at 9:25 AM