Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Tim Starks

Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 10m

CDT’s @aliyabhatia.bsky.social in BankInfoSecurity: “This case lays bare the privacy risks of even so-called 'privacy-protective' age-assurance approaches.”

Discord Vendor Hack Exposes ID Data in Ransom Bid

A vendor breach linked to Discord exposed government ID uploads used in age verification, raising alarms among privacy experts who warn that third-party data

www.bankinfosecurity.com

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Reposted by Tim Starks

David DiMolfetta @ddimolfetta.bsky.social · 20h

In July, we first reported plans for mass cuts in I&A were paused after stakeholder backlash. Since then, I&A has reignited efforts to more gradually shed its workforce. The office now aims to reduce its size to around 500 people via a second DRP offer:
www.nextgov.com/people/2025/...

DHS intelligence office sent deferred resignation offers to shed staff in recent months

The DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis is working to incrementally reduce the size of its workforce, following plans for mass cuts that faced severe pushback from stakeholders over the summer.

www.nextgov.com

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Reposted by Tim Starks

Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai @lorenzofb.bsky.social · 22h

NEW: ICE purchased custom-made vans from a company called TechOps Specialty Vehicles (TOSV) that are equipped with fake cellphone towers designed to spy on phones.

TOSV president said the company integrates the cell-site simulators into their vans, but does not manufacture the surveillance tool.

ICE bought vehicles equipped with fake cell towers to spy on phones | TechCrunch

The federal contract shows ICE spent $825,000 on vans equipped with “cell-site simulators” which allow the real-world location tracking of nearby phones and their owners.

techcrunch.com

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Tim Starks @timstarks.bsky.social · 23h

And we all know Brian isn't capable of being stupid. ;)

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Tim Starks @timstarks.bsky.social · 23h

They definitely still have some talented folk there, but it's shrunken. And I hear you, on the second part.

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Tim Starks @timstarks.bsky.social · 23h

Yeah. Although that dude did a lot of things to nearly kill it.

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Tim Starks @timstarks.bsky.social · 23h

Fuck it, subtweets are a bit weak. www.washingtonian.com/2016/09/13/r...

Roll Call Was Once Capitol Hill’s Newspaper of Record. What Happened? - Washingtonian

It had been a few days since Roll Call reporters had last seen their editor-in-chief, Melinda Henneberger. That wasn’t too unusual. Henneberger was often absent from the newsroom, working erratic hour...

www.washingtonian.com

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Tim Starks @timstarks.bsky.social · 23h

I had a boss just like the last kind once, and exactly undertook the recommended action.

Bradford William Davis @bwd.bsky.social · 1d

I know what I can tolerate at work:

smart, but mean: watch your 6, but possible ally through commitment to excellence

stupid, but nice: doesn't know much but has your best interest at heart.

stupid AND mean: irredeemable. leave yesterday.

anyway, good luck to the fine folks at CBS News!

max tani @maxtani.bsky.social · 1d

Bari Weiss introduced herself to CBS News staff today on the network's 9AM call, saying she wants to "win," which requires restoring trust to CBS. She also said she was excited for staff to get to know the Free Press, and ended her remarks by saying: "Let's do the fucking news."

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Reposted by Tim Starks

CyberScoop @cyberscoop.bsky.social · 2d

Okta thwarted the supply-chain attack with security controls it had in place. Zscaler did not. Their experiences provide insights into the root of a much broader problem. via @mattkapko.com cyberscoop.com/okta-zscaler...

Security leaders at Okta and Zscaler share lessons from Salesloft Drift attacks

Okta thwarted the supply-chain attack with security controls it had in place. Zscaler did not. Their experiences provide insights into the root of a much broader problem.

cyberscoop.com

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Tim Starks @timstarks.bsky.social · 1d

The three lawmakers said the reported lifting of a stop-work order on a $2 million Paragon Solutions contract threatens Americans’ fundamental rights. cyberscoop.com/house-dems-s...

House Dems seek info about ICE spyware contract, wary of potential abuses

Three House Democrats questioned the Department of Homeland Security on Monday over a reported Immigration and Customs Enforcement contract with a spyware provider that they warn potentially “threaten...

cyberscoop.com

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Reposted by Tim Starks

DefenseScoop @defensescoop.bsky.social · 4d

The changes are to be “implemented expeditiously,” per Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s directive. defensescoop.com/2025/10/03/d...

DOD to cut back on mandatory cybersecurity training

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a new edict this week to relax the mandatory frequency for cybersecurity training at DOD.

defensescoop.com

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Reposted by Tim Starks

CyberScoop @cyberscoop.bsky.social · 4d

The Administrative Office of the United States Courts denied ignoring expert advice in a letter to Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who blasted Chief Justice Roberts in a response statement. via @timstarks.bsky.social cyberscoop.com/federal-judi...

Federal judiciary touts cybersecurity work in wake of latest major breach

Federal courts are upgrading their cybersecurity on a number of fronts, but multifactor authentication for the system that gives the public access to court data poses “unique challenges.”

cyberscoop.com

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Reposted by Tim Starks

CyberScoop @cyberscoop.bsky.social · 5d

Okta Threat Intelligence uncovered a large-scale and sustained operation, reflecting the North Korean regime’s pursuit of any opportunity that allows for remote employment. via @mattkapko.com cyberscoop.com/north-korea-...

North Korea IT worker scheme swells beyond US companies

Okta Threat Intelligence uncovered a large-scale and sustained operation, reflecting the North Korean regime’s pursuit of any opportunity that allows for remote employment.

cyberscoop.com

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Reposted by Tim Starks

Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 5d

LinkedIn sues software company scraping data from millions of user accounts

therecord.media/linkedin-sue...

LinkedIn sues software company allegedly scraping data from millions of profiles

ProAPIs, a software company, and its CEO Rahmat Alam allegedly run an operation which LinkedIn says charges customers up to $15,000 per month for scraped user data taken from the social media platform...

therecord.media

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Reposted by Tim Starks

CyberScoop @cyberscoop.bsky.social · 5d

The open-source software company said exposure is limited to consulting engagements, adding that it hasn’t found evidence of personal or sensitive data theft. via @mattkapko.com cyberscoop.com/red-hat-gitl...

Red Hat confirms breach of GitLab instance, which stored company’s consulting data

The open-source software company said exposure is limited to consulting engagements, adding that it hasn’t found evidence of personal or sensitive data theft.

cyberscoop.com

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Reposted by Tim Starks

Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · 5d

NEW: ICE is planning to hire a team of nearly 30 people to surveil social media 24/7, build dossiers on people, and flag them for arrest and deportation. @dell.bsky.social has the scoop: www.wired.com/story/ice-so...

ICE Wants to Build Out a 24/7 Social Media Surveillance Team

Documents show ICE plans to hire dozens of contractors to scan X, Facebook, TikTok, and other platforms to target people for deportation.

www.wired.com

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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 5d

A Dutch judge ruled Thursday that Meta violated Europe’s Digital Services Act (DSA) by customizing users’ recommendation feeds based on their personal data and has given the tech giant two weeks to change its practices.

therecord.media/dutch-court-...

Dutch court rules Meta violated European law by pushing users to profiled feeds

The decision comes in response to a lawsuit filed by the Dutch nonprofit Bits of Freedom, which argued that by controlling users’ feeds Meta has been improperly skewing what news consumers receive.

therecord.media

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Reposted by Tim Starks

ProPublica @propublica.org · 6d

NEW: In newly unsealed testimony, a SpaceX insider revealed that Elon Musk’s company had directly received money from Chinese investors, raising questions about foreign ownership interests in one of the United States’ most important military contractors.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Took Money Directly From Chinese Investors, Company Insider Testifies

The newly unsealed testimony marks the first time direct Chinese investment in the company has been disclosed, raising new questions about foreign ownership interests in one of America’s most importan...

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Tim Starks

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 6d

Surreal moment for America. Needless to say, if the normal police ever pulled something like this — pulling every single person out of an apartment building and handcuffing them to run warrant checks — they would be sued into oblivion.

Yet ICE is going to get away with it entirely.

"It was scary, because I had never had a gun in my face," Fisher said. "They asked my name and my date of birth and asked me, did I have any warrants? And I told them, 'No, 'Ididn't."
Fisher said she was handcuffed before being released around 3 a.m., and she was told that if anyone had any kind of warrant out for them, even if it was unrelated to immigration, they would not be released.

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Tim Starks @timstarks.bsky.social · 5d

Android spyware disguised as legitimate messaging apps targets UAE victims, researchers reveal cyberscoop.com/android-spyw...

Android spyware disguised as legitimate messaging apps targets UAE victims, researchers reveal

Researchers have found two Android spyware families masquerading as messaging apps Signal and ToTok, apparently targeting residents of the United Arab Emirates.

cyberscoop.com

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Reposted by Tim Starks

Joe Tidy BBC News @joetidy.bsky.social · 6d

Exclusive: Even in the cut throat world of cyber crime, it seems - there is a line. Hackers delete children's pictures and data after nursery attack backlash. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Hackers delete data stolen in nursery cyber-attack after backlash

The hackers tell the BBC they are sorry for their actions - but experts say it's a practical rather than moral move.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Reposted by Tim Starks

CyberScoop @cyberscoop.bsky.social · 6d

Researchers tell CyberScoop that notorious ransomware group Clop may be behind the email barrage. via @mattkapko.com cyberscoop.com/clop-claims-...

Oracle customers being bombarded with emails claiming widespread data theft

Researchers tell CyberScoop that notorious ransomware group Clop may be behind the email barrage.

cyberscoop.com

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Reposted by Tim Starks

Greg Otto @gregotto.bsky.social · 6d

Nearly every industry has been duped into hiring North Koreans in violation of sanctions, as technology companies represent only half of all targeted victims, threat researchers at Okta said in a report this week. cyberscoop.com/north-korea-...

North Korea IT worker scheme swells beyond US companies

Okta Threat Intelligence uncovered a large-scale and sustained operation, reflecting the North Korean regime’s pursuit of any opportunity that allows for remote employment.

cyberscoop.com

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Reposted by Tim Starks

evacide @evacide.bsky.social · 6d

Yes, I know that October is both Cybersecurity Awareness month and Domestic Violence Awareness month. It is my month of maximum awareness, when I am at my most powerful.

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Reposted by Tim Starks

Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 7d

The Trump administration is escalating its surveillance of tens of millions of *legal* immigrants, forcing them to refrain from expressing opinions that someone might deem “anti-American.” It’s a clear attack on free speech and the First Amendment. bit.ly/4823Brc

“Continuous Vetting” of All Visa Holders Is Impossible, but the Threat Alone Chills Free Speech

Government claims of AI-powered surveillance create an illusion of total oversight that encourages self-censorship without actually improving security.

www.brennancenter.org

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