"Instead, far-right and MAGA politicians, influencers, and podcasters will immediately use the most divisive language possible in order to make voters as angry as possible, as fast as possible, regardless of what actually happened." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

The Far Right Is Distorting Ceuta

We’ve seen this before.

theatlantic.com

In addition to lots of indoor skydiving this week, I also started a book on Iran’s 2022 anti-government protests; discussed the GrapheneOS + U.S. border search case; and went down the manosphere rabbit hole. www.runasandvik.com/p/waypoints-...

Waypoints: About Iran, U.S. border searches, and the manosphere

I’ve been reading For the Sun After Long Nights about Iran’s 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom uprising by Fatemeh Jamalpour and former New York Times colleague Nilo Tabrizy.

runasandvik.com

While reading this @forbidden-stories.bsky.social report on Morocco's use of the Pegasus spyware, remember that Morocco in early 2023 organized an in-person hearing to "disprove" years of research by @amnestytech.bsky.social and @citizenlab.ca. forbiddenstories.org/codename-mor...

Codename “Morgan”: A look back at Morocco’s acquisition of Pegasus, involving Israel and the United Arab Emirates

From product demonstrations at a secret villa in Rabat to training sessions at NSO’s Herzliya headquarters, Forbidden Stories and its partners retrace the early stages of Morocco’s use of Pegasus.

forbiddenstories.org

Spoke to @zackwhittaker.com about the case of U.S. federal prosecutors going after an American for allegedly wiping his phone with a duress password during a border search. First case I've seen, though I've discussed the potential scenario with at-risk folks. techcrunch.com/2026/07/24/u...

US accuses American of allegedly wiping his phone using a 'duress' password during border search | TechCrunch

A U.S. citizen has asked a court to throw out the government's claim that he gave over a passcode to border authorities that wiped his phone's data, opening up fresh questions about a person's constit...

techcrunch.com

Wrote short blurbs about TrueCrypt, my Journalist and Spy project, MSG surveillance and the WIRED lawsuit, and AI in this week’s Waypoints newsletter. www.runasandvik.com/p/waypoints-...

Waypoints: About TrueCrypt, spies, and AI

Crazy to think that while Edward Snowden and I taught people to keep their data safe with TrueCrypt, the tool’s alleged creator Paul Le Roux was busy plotting murders, buying drugs from the North Kore...

runasandvik.com

Great writeup from @lorenzofb.bsky.social on the recent OpenAI vs. Hugging Face incident. Turns out it started with a human mistake at OpenAI: someone forgot to set up an isolated environment prior to testing a model; the model went rogue; and attacked Hugging Face. techcrunch.com/2026/07/22/h...

The WSJ has the backstory on the U.S.-UAE agreement on AI, w/spycraft, diplomacy and lobbying. AI giant G24 is there too, run by former DarkMatter staff -- the firm created to help the UAE spy on rivals, activists, and journalists with former NSA hackers. www.wsj.com/world/middle...

The CIA Operative Who Spied on the U.A.E.—and Played a Role in Its AI Win

While conducting espionage against sheikh’s tech company, Jonny Gannon helped Gulf country quash U.S. suspicions about China ties.

wsj.com

Sky News looked into the deadly strike on an Iranian primary school in February and found that (1) "the evidence points towards US responsibility," and (2) US analysts had "ample opportunities ... to spot that the building had become a school." news.sky.com/story/reveal...

Revealed: A catalogue of failures and the devastating aftermath of Iran school bombing

Revealed: A catalogue of failures and the devastating aftermath of Iran school bombing

news.sky.com

I miss microblogging. I miss Twitter. I still enjoy sharing bits and pieces on a regular basis. So I decided to create yet-another-newsletter. Here's the first post! www.runasandvik.com/p/waypoints-...

Waypoints: About spyware, the OneCoin fraud scheme, and Asma al-Assad

I miss microblogging.

runasandvik.com

If you’re looking for a podcast to binge this summer and don’t mind an older story — still unresolved(!) — check out Jamie Bartlett’s The Missing Cryptoqueen. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

The Missing Cryptoqueen

Documentary Podcast · Dr Ruja Ignatova persuaded millions to join her financial revolution. Then she disappeared. Why? Jamie Bartlett presents a story of greed, deceit and herd madness.

podcasts.apple.com

Incredibly excited to attend this four-day OSINT course by @giselilla.bsky.social and Haley Willis next month! Check out the page for details and to sign-up. The course will cover tools for investigating bombings, cartels, and disinfo. gisela-perez-de-acha.mykajabi.com/osint_summit

FactFinder OSINT Summit

Four days of live OSINT training for journalists, lawyers, and researchers who already know the basics. War, conflict, and disinformation. July 14–17.

gisela-perez-de-acha.mykajabi.com

Spoke to @lorenzofb.bsky.social last week about settings that help you defend against sophisticated spyware on Android, iOS, Gmail, and WhatsApp. Includes Lockdown Mode, Advanced Protection Program, Advanced Protection Mode, and Strict Account Settings. techcrunch.com/2026/05/23/y...

These special phone and app features can help protect you from spyware | TechCrunch

Apple, Meta, and Google offer special security modes that provide your devices more secure against targeted spyware attacks. Here are how those modes work, what they do, and how to switch them on.

techcrunch.com

Crazy to think that while Snowden and I taught people to keep their data safe with TrueCrypt, the tool's alleged creator Paul Le Roux was busy plotting murders, buying meth by the North Koreans, and helping the Colombians set up their own meth lab. www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/549566...

The Mastermind by Evan Ratliff: 9780399590436 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

The incredible true story of the decade-long quest to bring down Paul Le Roux—the creator of a frighteningly powerful Internet-enabled cartel who merged the ruthlessness of a drug lord with the techno...

penguinrandomhouse.com

My latest for Journalist and Spy: Louis Budenz was an American journalist and communist spy. A member of the Communist Party USA, he shared gossip with Soviet intelligence. He later renounced communism and debriefed the FBI on the party's inner workings. www.journalistandspy.com/p/louis-budenz

Louis Budenz

Louis F. Budenz was an American labor activist, journalist, and decade-long communist spy.

journalistandspy.com

Curious to see what happens to the Hungarian media landscape following the end of Orbán’s regime. So far, employees with state media orgs have fired prominent staff; expressed a desire to host guests opposing Orbán; and demanded editorial impartiality. www.cjr.org/analysis/hun...

Journalists reporting on China should be aware of ways the authorities may respond to their work. Here's what happened to @icij.org and its network following a 2025 exposé on Beijing’s tactics to threaten, coerce and intimidate regime critics overseas. www.icij.org/investigatio...

Phony whistleblowers, fake journalists and cyber spies: ICIJ network targeted after China Targets probe  - ICIJ

Shortly after publication, a slew of fake ICIJ reporters approached journalists, Taiwanese officials, and human rights advocates seeking sensitive data. With Citizen Lab, we investigated.

icij.org

I’ll be in Oslo next month! I’ve got extra time for security assessments; policy / process design; and presentations, please reach out if you’d like to work together.

Iranian journalists in London “say they fear for their lives after a recent spate of threats and physical attacks,” and I’m willing to bet the regime is leveraging digital attacks against critics too. www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Stabbings, kidnap threats and arson attacks: how the Iranian regime targets UK journalists

Staff at outlets critical of Tehran have faced chilling intimidation and violence, amid calls for greater protection and support

theguardian.com

Updated my post about journalist and spy Vicky Peláez yesterday to include some quotes from @gordoncorera.bsky.social’s book, including that the FBI listened in as she discussed Moscow’s feedback on her husband’s intelligence reports. www.journalistandspy.com/p/vicky-pelaez

Have there been any cases in Denmark or Sweden where the authorities have gained access to a journalist’s device using Touch ID or Face ID? Ref: the FBI and WaPo in January.

An investigation by journalists with NRK in Norway and SVT in Sweden found that a multimillion-dollar, prestige ferry project in Lofoten, Norway relies on hydrogen fuel cell technology that "cannot live up to what it promises." www.nrk.no/trondelag/xl...

Billion-kroner project: Technology failure concerns

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nrk.no

Apple’s Lockdown Mode feature is the best defense we have against spyware on iOS, macOS, watchOS, and iPadOS. Apple launched the feature four years ago and has not yet seen a device with Lockdown Mode on be compromised. techcrunch.com/2026/03/27/a...

Apple says no one using Lockdown Mode has been hacked with spyware | TechCrunch

The tech giant's claim that it has not seen any successful spyware attacks targeting Apple devices with Lockdown Mode enabled comes amid a leak of hacking tools targeting users running devices with ol...

techcrunch.com

We still don't know if Trenchant and L3Harris notified Apple once it learned its iPhone-hacking toolkit had been stolen/leaked. The toolkit was later used to target people in China and Ukraine. techcrunch.com/2026/03/09/a...

Nomma Zarubina, who once drunk-texted an FBI agent saying "Catch me baby. So many spies," is heading to U.S. prison for spying for Russian intelligence. www.occrp.org/en/news/russ...

Russian Woman Who Drunk-Texted FBI Agent Pleads to Spying for FSB

Nomma Zarubina heading U.S. prison for spying for Russian intelligence after a few tumultuous months in which her bail was revoked for harassing an investigator on her case.

occrp.org

Huge win for Hannah Natanson and the Washington Post today: the judge ruled that the government cannot search the devices they seized from her. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

A new investigation from @amnesty.org found that a journalist in Angola was targeted with Predator spyware in 2024. We also know that @citizenlab.ca found links to Predator infrastructure in Angola in 2023, and links to FinFisher infrastructure in 2015. www.amnesty.org/en/latest/ne...

Prominent Angolan journalist targeted with Predator spyware

An Amnesty International investigation has established that prominent, Angolan journalist, Teixeira Cândido was targeted with Predator spyware in 2024.

amnesty.org

Latest research from @citizenlab.ca shows @cellebrite.bsky.social tech used for human rights abuse in Kenya. Imagine if the company spent more time discussing who *not* to sell to. citizenlab.ca/research/cel...

Not Safe for Politics: Cellebrite Used on Kenyan Activist and Politician Boniface Mwangi - The Citizen Lab

Following the widely-condemned arrest in July 2025 of prominent Kenyan opposition voice Boniface Mwangi, the Citizen Lab analyzed artefacts from devices seized during the arrest. We found that Cellebr...

citizenlab.ca

Two years ago, a Norwegian researcher skeptical that pulsed-energy weapons could do damage to human brains — aka “Havana syndrome” — built a device and tested it on himself. It didn’t go well. Someone from FFI, perhaps? www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Researcher skeptical of ‘Havana syndrome’ tested secret weapon on himself

The CIA investigated a Norwegian government experiment with a pulsed-energy machine in which a researcher built and tested a “Havana syndrome” device on himself.

washingtonpost.com

Decided to try Claude by revisiting a malware analysis project that I originally presented at OBTS in 2021: the CIA's OS X implant called Green Lambert. It's amazing what you can do with a terminal and ~15 min of free time these days.

Former exec at exploit development firm Trenchant, owned by L3Harris, admitted to selling internal hacking tools to a Russian broker. Did the company notify the vendors whose products were exploited so that they could be patched? techcrunch.com/2026/02/11/d...

DOJ says Trenchant boss sold exploits to Russian broker capable of accessing 'millions of computers and devices' | TechCrunch

The former boss of the L3Harris-owned hacking and surveillance tools maker Trenchant faces nine years in prison for selling several exploits to a Russian broker, which counts the Russian government am...

techcrunch.com