Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai
@lorenzofb.bsky.social
Real-time historian of the late cyber capitalist era @TechCrunch, writing about the intersection of hackers, human rights, and spies.
🍕, ⚽️, 🎸, 🎮 by night.
☎️ Signal: +1 917 257 1382
Past lives: VICE Motherboard, Mashable, WIRED.
🍕, ⚽️, 🎸, 🎮 by night.
☎️ Signal: +1 917 257 1382
Past lives: VICE Motherboard, Mashable, WIRED.
This is a very good point. And the answer lies in the licenses that spyware makers give their customers. In this case, "licenses" means the number of concurrent targets customers could use.
For example, these were the no. of targets Hacking Team gave its customers (note Morocco):
For example, these were the no. of targets Hacking Team gave its customers (note Morocco):
November 6, 2025 at 5:56 PM
This is a very good point. And the answer lies in the licenses that spyware makers give their customers. In this case, "licenses" means the number of concurrent targets customers could use.
For example, these were the no. of targets Hacking Team gave its customers (note Morocco):
For example, these were the no. of targets Hacking Team gave its customers (note Morocco):
October 27, 2025 at 10:15 PM
In these dark times, let's remember that there were better days.
Fun times when the NSA was so worried about Furbys, and the recording device embedded in them, that it banned them from its premises.
web.archive.org/web/20060826...
Fun times when the NSA was so worried about Furbys, and the recording device embedded in them, that it banned them from its premises.
web.archive.org/web/20060826...
October 20, 2025 at 5:05 PM
In these dark times, let's remember that there were better days.
Fun times when the NSA was so worried about Furbys, and the recording device embedded in them, that it banned them from its premises.
web.archive.org/web/20060826...
Fun times when the NSA was so worried about Furbys, and the recording device embedded in them, that it banned them from its premises.
web.archive.org/web/20060826...
Still, WhatsApp sees this as a huge win.
October 18, 2025 at 1:59 AM
Still, WhatsApp sees this as a huge win.
Barcelona-based zero-day maker Paradigm Shift is at Hexacon.
At their booth: “We do not make exploits. We make art.”
Can you tell the founders are Italian?
At their booth: “We do not make exploits. We make art.”
Can you tell the founders are Italian?
October 10, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Barcelona-based zero-day maker Paradigm Shift is at Hexacon.
At their booth: “We do not make exploits. We make art.”
Can you tell the founders are Italian?
At their booth: “We do not make exploits. We make art.”
Can you tell the founders are Italian?
Me planning my next trip to visit family in Meloni's Italy.
September 24, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Me planning my next trip to visit family in Meloni's Italy.
Dealing with PR people is always fun. I sent 15 questions, they responded with a couple of short paragraphs.
My follow-up:
My follow-up:
September 5, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Dealing with PR people is always fun. I sent 15 questions, they responded with a couple of short paragraphs.
My follow-up:
My follow-up:
Yesterday my life changed forever. I discovered that the deli on the corner of my apartment sells these.
August 20, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Yesterday my life changed forever. I discovered that the deli on the corner of my apartment sells these.
Zero-day developer and seller Exodus casually brags in a blog post about having found a WebKit zero-day and sold it for a year and a half.
blog.exodusintel.com/2025/08/04/o...
Clément Lecigne and Benoît Sevens of Google's Threat Analysis Group were the ones that reported it to Apple.
blog.exodusintel.com/2025/08/04/o...
Clément Lecigne and Benoît Sevens of Google's Threat Analysis Group were the ones that reported it to Apple.
August 12, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Zero-day developer and seller Exodus casually brags in a blog post about having found a WebKit zero-day and sold it for a year and a half.
blog.exodusintel.com/2025/08/04/o...
Clément Lecigne and Benoît Sevens of Google's Threat Analysis Group were the ones that reported it to Apple.
blog.exodusintel.com/2025/08/04/o...
Clément Lecigne and Benoît Sevens of Google's Threat Analysis Group were the ones that reported it to Apple.
Pretty badass slide from the German police here at the FBI/Fordham conference ICCS.
July 15, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Pretty badass slide from the German police here at the FBI/Fordham conference ICCS.
I am at SummerCon today too, and ~ extremely ~ easy to find, so come say hi.
If you prefer, I’m also on Signal (+1 917 257 1382)
If you prefer, I’m also on Signal (+1 917 257 1382)
July 12, 2025 at 3:09 PM
I am at SummerCon today too, and ~ extremely ~ easy to find, so come say hi.
If you prefer, I’m also on Signal (+1 917 257 1382)
If you prefer, I’m also on Signal (+1 917 257 1382)
Very strong meme energy here.
July 11, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Very strong meme energy here.
If you are at SummerCon and want to say hi, I’m here.
DM me or ping me on Signal +1 917 257 1382
DM me or ping me on Signal +1 917 257 1382
July 11, 2025 at 4:02 PM
If you are at SummerCon and want to say hi, I’m here.
DM me or ping me on Signal +1 917 257 1382
DM me or ping me on Signal +1 917 257 1382
As a risotto-maker, this is an accurate statement. The newsworthiness here was that Podesta, an American, was good at making risotto, which only Italians are.
(Thank you to @lfschleusener.bsky.social for reminding me of this classic hack and leak dumb revelation).
(Thank you to @lfschleusener.bsky.social for reminding me of this classic hack and leak dumb revelation).
July 5, 2025 at 3:58 AM
As a risotto-maker, this is an accurate statement. The newsworthiness here was that Podesta, an American, was good at making risotto, which only Italians are.
(Thank you to @lfschleusener.bsky.social for reminding me of this classic hack and leak dumb revelation).
(Thank you to @lfschleusener.bsky.social for reminding me of this classic hack and leak dumb revelation).
UPDATE: COPASIR, the Italian parliament committee that investigated the Paragon scandal referred to a section in its report that says it could expand its inquiry, including into "the alleged mobile device intrusions disclosed by two other journalists in recent weeks."
techcrunch.com/2025/06/12/r...
techcrunch.com/2025/06/12/r...
June 12, 2025 at 3:29 PM
UPDATE: COPASIR, the Italian parliament committee that investigated the Paragon scandal referred to a section in its report that says it could expand its inquiry, including into "the alleged mobile device intrusions disclosed by two other journalists in recent weeks."
techcrunch.com/2025/06/12/r...
techcrunch.com/2025/06/12/r...
According to my sources, Cellebrite used to purchase iPhone prototypes (aka dev-fused devices), which had lower security features, to develop its zero-days.
Corellium's founder Chris Wade also purchased them back in the day, according to sources.
www.vice.com/en/article/t...
Corellium's founder Chris Wade also purchased them back in the day, according to sources.
www.vice.com/en/article/t...
June 5, 2025 at 1:24 PM
According to my sources, Cellebrite used to purchase iPhone prototypes (aka dev-fused devices), which had lower security features, to develop its zero-days.
Corellium's founder Chris Wade also purchased them back in the day, according to sources.
www.vice.com/en/article/t...
Corellium's founder Chris Wade also purchased them back in the day, according to sources.
www.vice.com/en/article/t...
In case you are wondering, this chart shows what U.S. carriers do if they receive a government surveillance request.
May 21, 2025 at 7:50 PM
In case you are wondering, this chart shows what U.S. carriers do if they receive a government surveillance request.
Might go back to fiction while I write my book, to get some inspiration from something that's not another non-fiction book about surveillance or startups.
May 13, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Might go back to fiction while I write my book, to get some inspiration from something that's not another non-fiction book about surveillance or startups.
.@jsrailton.bsky.social has some words that underscore just how important and potentially impactful this ruling is. Huge win for WhatsApp, but more than that, a devastating loss for NSO, and for all its spyware competitors.
techcrunch.com/2025/05/06/n...
techcrunch.com/2025/05/06/n...
May 6, 2025 at 9:49 PM
.@jsrailton.bsky.social has some words that underscore just how important and potentially impactful this ruling is. Huge win for WhatsApp, but more than that, a devastating loss for NSO, and for all its spyware competitors.
techcrunch.com/2025/05/06/n...
techcrunch.com/2025/05/06/n...
Skype is getting shut down today. It was surely one of the most revolutionaries chat apps ever.
Skype was the first major chat app to implement end-to-end encryption, prompting authorities all over the world to freak out about it, and look at spyware as a solution.
techcrunch.com/2025/03/03/a...
Skype was the first major chat app to implement end-to-end encryption, prompting authorities all over the world to freak out about it, and look at spyware as a solution.
techcrunch.com/2025/03/03/a...
May 5, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Skype is getting shut down today. It was surely one of the most revolutionaries chat apps ever.
Skype was the first major chat app to implement end-to-end encryption, prompting authorities all over the world to freak out about it, and look at spyware as a solution.
techcrunch.com/2025/03/03/a...
Skype was the first major chat app to implement end-to-end encryption, prompting authorities all over the world to freak out about it, and look at spyware as a solution.
techcrunch.com/2025/03/03/a...
Do you have any tips about cybersecurity, surveillance, spyware, zero-days...all things cyber?
Contact me here:
☎️ Signal: + 1 917 257 1382
📷Keybase/Telegram: lorenzofb
Contact me here:
☎️ Signal: + 1 917 257 1382
📷Keybase/Telegram: lorenzofb
April 23, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Do you have any tips about cybersecurity, surveillance, spyware, zero-days...all things cyber?
Contact me here:
☎️ Signal: + 1 917 257 1382
📷Keybase/Telegram: lorenzofb
Contact me here:
☎️ Signal: + 1 917 257 1382
📷Keybase/Telegram: lorenzofb
A European Commission spokesperson just denied this report in an email to me:
"We deny having given guidance to our staff recommending the use of burner phones while on official missions in the US."
(Screenshot of full email below)
"We deny having given guidance to our staff recommending the use of burner phones while on official missions in the US."
(Screenshot of full email below)
April 14, 2025 at 5:11 PM
A European Commission spokesperson just denied this report in an email to me:
"We deny having given guidance to our staff recommending the use of burner phones while on official missions in the US."
(Screenshot of full email below)
"We deny having given guidance to our staff recommending the use of burner phones while on official missions in the US."
(Screenshot of full email below)
The official website of zero-day broker Zerodium has been updated in December of last year. There are no price lists nor any information anymore, just an email and a PGP public key.
🤔
If you know what's happening there...let me know.
Zerodium.com
🤔
If you know what's happening there...let me know.
Zerodium.com
March 20, 2025 at 9:05 PM
The official website of zero-day broker Zerodium has been updated in December of last year. There are no price lists nor any information anymore, just an email and a PGP public key.
🤔
If you know what's happening there...let me know.
Zerodium.com
🤔
If you know what's happening there...let me know.
Zerodium.com