Scott Thompson
@echoterrorist.bsky.social
Hacker, Philosopher, & Bringer of Bad News | They’re My Opinions™️ that’s why I skied them? #GPEN
Reposted by Scott Thompson
The hate crime charge against Alexa Wilkinson for photographing vandalism of the New York Times building is a dangerous precedent, no matter what you think of Wilkinson.
Journalist or not, photography isn’t a hate crime
Gatekeeping over hate crime charges misses the forest for the trees
freedom.press
October 6, 2025 at 12:05 AM
The hate crime charge against Alexa Wilkinson for photographing vandalism of the New York Times building is a dangerous precedent, no matter what you think of Wilkinson.
Reposted by Scott Thompson
U.S. agencies are expanding zero-click attacks to install spyware, like Pegasus, on citizens' phones to access, alter, & plant data and log our conversations.
SCA's on everyone's devices + AI is how the regime is instituting the surveillance state.
SCA's on everyone's devices + AI is how the regime is instituting the surveillance state.
Zero-Click Exploits
Zero-click spyware is a malicious hack that requires no interaction from the user. Zero-click vulnerabilities, how does a zero-click attack work & how to protect yourself.
usa.kaspersky.com
September 19, 2025 at 6:36 PM
U.S. agencies are expanding zero-click attacks to install spyware, like Pegasus, on citizens' phones to access, alter, & plant data and log our conversations.
SCA's on everyone's devices + AI is how the regime is instituting the surveillance state.
SCA's on everyone's devices + AI is how the regime is instituting the surveillance state.
Reposted by Scott Thompson
Earlier this year, I complained about how many hyphens there were in Unicode. It turns out a Soft Hyphen was abused last year in a creative PHP exploit.
CVE-2024-4577 exploits Windows’ Best Fit character conversion feature that auto-converts certain Unicode characters to ASCII equivalents.
1/3
CVE-2024-4577 exploits Windows’ Best Fit character conversion feature that auto-converts certain Unicode characters to ASCII equivalents.
1/3
September 19, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Earlier this year, I complained about how many hyphens there were in Unicode. It turns out a Soft Hyphen was abused last year in a creative PHP exploit.
CVE-2024-4577 exploits Windows’ Best Fit character conversion feature that auto-converts certain Unicode characters to ASCII equivalents.
1/3
CVE-2024-4577 exploits Windows’ Best Fit character conversion feature that auto-converts certain Unicode characters to ASCII equivalents.
1/3
Reposted by Scott Thompson
New: ChatGPT is now going to guess user ages, tailor the content users receive based on that, and may demand ID for age verification. This comes after a wave of teen suicides. “We know this is a privacy compromise for adults but believe it is a worthy tradeoff.”
www.404media.co/chatgpt-will...
www.404media.co/chatgpt-will...
ChatGPT Will Guess Your Age and Might Require ID for Age Verification
OpenAI introduces new age prediction and verification methods after wave of teen suicide stories involving chatbots.
www.404media.co
September 16, 2025 at 3:17 PM
New: ChatGPT is now going to guess user ages, tailor the content users receive based on that, and may demand ID for age verification. This comes after a wave of teen suicides. “We know this is a privacy compromise for adults but believe it is a worthy tradeoff.”
www.404media.co/chatgpt-will...
www.404media.co/chatgpt-will...
Israeli startup pitch:
We developed this technology to better oppress Palestinians, but we think we can help you oppress YOUR enemies too!
VC: here's half a billion bucks
We developed this technology to better oppress Palestinians, but we think we can help you oppress YOUR enemies too!
VC: here's half a billion bucks
A New Israeli Cybersecurity Startup Is Already Valued at $400 Million.
A New Israeli Cybersecurity Startup Is Already Valued at $400 Million. - BeyondLINK
Venture investors are pouring money into Israeli cybersecurity startups. The latest is Vega, a company coming out of stealth mode that has landed $65 million
beyondlink.live
September 16, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Israeli startup pitch:
We developed this technology to better oppress Palestinians, but we think we can help you oppress YOUR enemies too!
VC: here's half a billion bucks
We developed this technology to better oppress Palestinians, but we think we can help you oppress YOUR enemies too!
VC: here's half a billion bucks
Reposted by Scott Thompson
Every day we get a new scandal that should be career-ending for people working at the highest levels of government but we see this stuff so often the public barely flinches.
Today, we learn DHS isn't keeping text message records for its leaders
americanoversight.org/american-ove...
Today, we learn DHS isn't keeping text message records for its leaders
americanoversight.org/american-ove...
American Oversight Obtains Startling DHS Admission: It No Longer Preserves Text Messages for Noem, Other Top Officials - American Oversight
DHS decision to halt text message retention coincided with timing of scrutiny over Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s wrongful deportation.
americanoversight.org
August 25, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Every day we get a new scandal that should be career-ending for people working at the highest levels of government but we see this stuff so often the public barely flinches.
Today, we learn DHS isn't keeping text message records for its leaders
americanoversight.org/american-ove...
Today, we learn DHS isn't keeping text message records for its leaders
americanoversight.org/american-ove...
Reposted by Scott Thompson
New from 404 Media: ICE added a random person to group chat, exposed highly sensitive details about an active manhunt in real-time. The person says they were added weeks ago, thought they were scam texts until start seeing data lookups etc. Incredible security failure www.404media.co/ice-adds-ran...
ICE Adds Random Person to Group Chat, Exposes Details of Manhunt in Real-Time
The texts were sent to a group called “Mass Text” and show ICE using DMV and license plate reader data in an attempt to find their target, copies of the messages obtained by 404 Media show.
www.404media.co
August 14, 2025 at 4:56 PM
New from 404 Media: ICE added a random person to group chat, exposed highly sensitive details about an active manhunt in real-time. The person says they were added weeks ago, thought they were scam texts until start seeing data lookups etc. Incredible security failure www.404media.co/ice-adds-ran...
Reposted by Scott Thompson
More than $300 million worth of cryptocurrency linked to cybercrime and fraud schemes has been frozen due to two separate initiatives involving law enforcement and private companies.
Over $300 million in cybercrime crypto seized in anti-fraud effort
More than $300 million worth of cryptocurrency linked to cybercrime and fraud schemes has been frozen due to two separate initiatives involving law enforcement and private companies.
www.bleepingcomputer.com
August 14, 2025 at 8:15 PM
More than $300 million worth of cryptocurrency linked to cybercrime and fraud schemes has been frozen due to two separate initiatives involving law enforcement and private companies.
Reposted by Scott Thompson
The video shows a desolate and dust-coated urban landscape with no obvious signs of life.
There are no cars, carts or people visible on the streets and almost every building shows signs of damage. Many are completely flattened.
http://jrnl.ie/6782706
There are no cars, carts or people visible on the streets and almost every building shows signs of damage. Many are completely flattened.
http://jrnl.ie/6782706
Overhead footage of Gaza offers rare glimpse of the scale of destruction brought by Israel's war
The airdrop by the French military is one of a number being carried out by European countries, including the UK.
jrnl.ie
August 5, 2025 at 11:49 AM
The video shows a desolate and dust-coated urban landscape with no obvious signs of life.
There are no cars, carts or people visible on the streets and almost every building shows signs of damage. Many are completely flattened.
http://jrnl.ie/6782706
There are no cars, carts or people visible on the streets and almost every building shows signs of damage. Many are completely flattened.
http://jrnl.ie/6782706
Reposted by Scott Thompson
“The power company, whose job it is to give us energy, is acting as the deputy police department, treating everyone in the city as a suspect and coming up with leads for the police to do investigations,” EFF’s Adam Schwartz told @sacbee.com.
SMUD shared customer data with police, prompting privacy, racism concerns
Lawsuits say the public utility improperly shared its data with law enforcement agencies.
www.sacbee.com
August 5, 2025 at 3:09 PM
“The power company, whose job it is to give us energy, is acting as the deputy police department, treating everyone in the city as a suspect and coming up with leads for the police to do investigations,” EFF’s Adam Schwartz told @sacbee.com.
Reposted by Scott Thompson
Ok, this site is funny. Sharing with all the framing to be clear this is a JOKE and not a real NYT hed
July 8, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Ok, this site is funny. Sharing with all the framing to be clear this is a JOKE and not a real NYT hed
Reposted by Scott Thompson
I've obtained a trove of leaked documents about today's federal crackdown on Los Angeles' MacArthur Park. One revelation is its codename: "Operation Excalibur"
Exclusive: Operation Excalibur in Los Angeles “Show of Presence”
Leaks from military's LA deployment reveal Coca Cola vs. Pepsi rivalry, sweaty guardsmen, and abject failure
www.kenklippenstein.com
July 7, 2025 at 10:50 PM
I've obtained a trove of leaked documents about today's federal crackdown on Los Angeles' MacArthur Park. One revelation is its codename: "Operation Excalibur"
Reposted by Scott Thompson
Pretty solid description
July 8, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Pretty solid description
Reposted by Scott Thompson
Ana Aslanishvili, CEO of Pine Risk Management, shares her experience using a fake pregnancy belly during physical red teaming operations and how it helps her manipulate perceptions and bypass security measures. 🤰
Watch the full episode: bit.ly/4jTxpIL
#OSINT #redteam
Watch the full episode: bit.ly/4jTxpIL
#OSINT #redteam
June 30, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Ana Aslanishvili, CEO of Pine Risk Management, shares her experience using a fake pregnancy belly during physical red teaming operations and how it helps her manipulate perceptions and bypass security measures. 🤰
Watch the full episode: bit.ly/4jTxpIL
#OSINT #redteam
Watch the full episode: bit.ly/4jTxpIL
#OSINT #redteam
Reposted by Scott Thompson
The Trump administration claimed that the leak of this memo was so dangerous that it necessitated opening criminal investigations and creating new, stricter rules around leaks to the media.
We wanted to see if that was true — and it wasn’t.
freedom.press/the-classifi...
We wanted to see if that was true — and it wasn’t.
freedom.press/the-classifi...
May 6, 2025 at 3:07 PM
The Trump administration claimed that the leak of this memo was so dangerous that it necessitated opening criminal investigations and creating new, stricter rules around leaks to the media.
We wanted to see if that was true — and it wasn’t.
freedom.press/the-classifi...
We wanted to see if that was true — and it wasn’t.
freedom.press/the-classifi...
Not sending our best
NEW: Tulsi Gabbard, now the US director of national intelligence, used the same easily cracked password for different online accounts including a personal Gmail account and Dropbox over a period of years, leaked records reviewed by WIRED reveal.
Tulsi Gabbard Reused the Same Weak Password on Multiple Accounts for Years
Tulsi Gabbard, now the US director of national intelligence, used the same easily cracked password for different online accounts including a personal Gmail account and Dropbox over a period of years, ...
www.wired.com
May 6, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Not sending our best
Reposted by Scott Thompson
Reposted by Scott Thompson
Elon Musk may be good at making money (with the help of gov't subsidies), but he is Earth’s greatest walking proof that wealth does not confer intelligence.
He is stupid about a great many things—and people will die because of what he’s done.
He is stupid about a great many things—and people will die because of what he’s done.
Elon Musk Is an Evil Piece of Garbage—and an A-Level Fraud Too
He is stupid. He is incompetent. He is cruel. He is sinister. And people will die because of what he’s done.
newrepublic.com
May 2, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Elon Musk may be good at making money (with the help of gov't subsidies), but he is Earth’s greatest walking proof that wealth does not confer intelligence.
He is stupid about a great many things—and people will die because of what he’s done.
He is stupid about a great many things—and people will die because of what he’s done.
Reposted by Scott Thompson
NEW: A DOGE staffer who is helping carry out the downsizing of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau owns stock in companies that could benefit from the agency’s dismantling, ProPublica has found.
A DOGE Aide Involved in Dismantling Consumer Bureau Owns Stock in Companies That Could Benefit From the Cuts
Gavin Kliger helped oversee mass firings at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau while holding stock in companies that experts say likely stand to benefit from dismantling that agency — a potentia...
www.propublica.org
April 29, 2025 at 5:31 PM
NEW: A DOGE staffer who is helping carry out the downsizing of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau owns stock in companies that could benefit from the agency’s dismantling, ProPublica has found.
This is exactly why the cybersecurity industry cozying up to law enforcement has proven to be a cancer to all that remains of hacker culture. Law enforcement DOES NOT have people’s best interests at heart
As cybersecurity professionals and infosec community members, "we counter with a strong stand in defense of our professional obligation to report truthful findings, even–and especially–when they do not fit the playbook of the powerful,” EFF’s letter said.
Infosec pros rally against Trump's attack on Chris Krebs
: Top voices warn that political retaliation puts democracy and national defense at risk
www.theregister.com
April 30, 2025 at 7:04 PM
This is exactly why the cybersecurity industry cozying up to law enforcement has proven to be a cancer to all that remains of hacker culture. Law enforcement DOES NOT have people’s best interests at heart
Reposted by Scott Thompson
A Tennessee man has been stranded in Guatemala for nearly 3 years — all because of a tattoo.
Read the story by @mazmhussain.bsky.social linked below. A video recap by @ryangrim.bsky.social 👇🏼
Read the story by @mazmhussain.bsky.social linked below. A video recap by @ryangrim.bsky.social 👇🏼
April 29, 2025 at 9:46 PM
A Tennessee man has been stranded in Guatemala for nearly 3 years — all because of a tattoo.
Read the story by @mazmhussain.bsky.social linked below. A video recap by @ryangrim.bsky.social 👇🏼
Read the story by @mazmhussain.bsky.social linked below. A video recap by @ryangrim.bsky.social 👇🏼
Reposted by Scott Thompson
If there's one thing I've learned about covering cybersecurity over the past decade or so, is that the cybersecurity community (the fixers and breakers) and the cybersecurity industry (profits above all else) are two very, very different things.
April 30, 2025 at 12:16 PM
If there's one thing I've learned about covering cybersecurity over the past decade or so, is that the cybersecurity community (the fixers and breakers) and the cybersecurity industry (profits above all else) are two very, very different things.
Reposted by Scott Thompson
Duolingo announced it's going "AI-first" and plans to replace contract workers with AI.
The company also said it plans to utilize AI in its hiring process and performance reviews.
"Duolingo will remain a company that cares deeply about its employees," the CEO said.
The company also said it plans to utilize AI in its hiring process and performance reviews.
"Duolingo will remain a company that cares deeply about its employees," the CEO said.
April 30, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Duolingo announced it's going "AI-first" and plans to replace contract workers with AI.
The company also said it plans to utilize AI in its hiring process and performance reviews.
"Duolingo will remain a company that cares deeply about its employees," the CEO said.
The company also said it plans to utilize AI in its hiring process and performance reviews.
"Duolingo will remain a company that cares deeply about its employees," the CEO said.
Reposted by Scott Thompson
"When students face detention or deportation for lawful expression, it sends a chilling message to all that the price of dissent is exile."
Read the rest of the letter we wrote alongside 10 other rights organizations:
splc.org/2025/03/splc...
Read the rest of the letter we wrote alongside 10 other rights organizations:
splc.org/2025/03/splc...
March 28, 2025 at 7:46 PM
"When students face detention or deportation for lawful expression, it sends a chilling message to all that the price of dissent is exile."
Read the rest of the letter we wrote alongside 10 other rights organizations:
splc.org/2025/03/splc...
Read the rest of the letter we wrote alongside 10 other rights organizations:
splc.org/2025/03/splc...
Reposted by Scott Thompson
We’ve slid to a deeply dangerous place for civil liberties, Jay Caspian Kang writes. “Anyone who was hoping that the Trump Administration would loosen the strictures of ‘wokeness’ and bring us into a relatively freer speech era can officially chalk themselves up as a fool.”
The Detention of Mahmoud Khalil Is a Flagrant Assault on Free Speech
Whatever legal rationale the Trump Administration cooks up, deporting protesters for things they say is wildly un-American—and possibly unpopular, too.
www.newyorker.com
March 14, 2025 at 2:34 PM
We’ve slid to a deeply dangerous place for civil liberties, Jay Caspian Kang writes. “Anyone who was hoping that the Trump Administration would loosen the strictures of ‘wokeness’ and bring us into a relatively freer speech era can officially chalk themselves up as a fool.”