Matt Burgess (WIRED)
@mattburgess1.bsky.social
Security writer @wired.com
Cybercrime, privacy, surveillance, and more.
Signal: mattburgess.20 | Email: [email protected]
Cybercrime, privacy, surveillance, and more.
Signal: mattburgess.20 | Email: [email protected]
Reposted by Matt Burgess (WIRED)
Scoop: Provisions of the NDAA that would ensure military members’ right to repair their own equipment are set to be removed from the funding act, replaced by language that will require the military to pay subscription fees to defense contractors via “data-as-a-service.”
www.wired.com/story/subscr...
www.wired.com/story/subscr...
The US Military Wants to Fix Its Own Equipment. Defense Contractors Are Trying to Shoot That Down
A push by military contractors could alter pending legislation that would have empowered servicemembers to repair equipment. Lobbyists are pitching a subscription service instead.
www.wired.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Scoop: Provisions of the NDAA that would ensure military members’ right to repair their own equipment are set to be removed from the funding act, replaced by language that will require the military to pay subscription fees to defense contractors via “data-as-a-service.”
www.wired.com/story/subscr...
www.wired.com/story/subscr...
Reposted by Matt Burgess (WIRED)
NEW: Myanmar has made a big show of destroying the notorious KK Park scam compound—even publishing a video of a steamroller driving over thousands of phones
But new images show buildings are only destroyed in one area. Hundreds are left untouched and experts say the crackdown is mostly propaganda
But new images show buildings are only destroyed in one area. Hundreds are left untouched and experts say the crackdown is mostly propaganda
The Destruction of a Notorious Myanmar Scam Compound Appears to Have Been ‘Performative’
Myanmar’s military has been blowing up parts of the KK Park scam compound. Experts say the actions are likely for show.
www.wired.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:11 PM
NEW: Myanmar has made a big show of destroying the notorious KK Park scam compound—even publishing a video of a steamroller driving over thousands of phones
But new images show buildings are only destroyed in one area. Hundreds are left untouched and experts say the crackdown is mostly propaganda
But new images show buildings are only destroyed in one area. Hundreds are left untouched and experts say the crackdown is mostly propaganda
NEW: Myanmar has made a big show of destroying the notorious KK Park scam compound—even publishing a video of a steamroller driving over thousands of phones
But new images show buildings are only destroyed in one area. Hundreds are left untouched and experts say the crackdown is mostly propaganda
But new images show buildings are only destroyed in one area. Hundreds are left untouched and experts say the crackdown is mostly propaganda
The Destruction of a Notorious Myanmar Scam Compound Appears to Have Been ‘Performative’
Myanmar’s military has been blowing up parts of the KK Park scam compound. Experts say the actions are likely for show.
www.wired.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:11 PM
NEW: Myanmar has made a big show of destroying the notorious KK Park scam compound—even publishing a video of a steamroller driving over thousands of phones
But new images show buildings are only destroyed in one area. Hundreds are left untouched and experts say the crackdown is mostly propaganda
But new images show buildings are only destroyed in one area. Hundreds are left untouched and experts say the crackdown is mostly propaganda
I missed this the other day, but Ofcom fined the creators of a prolific "nudification" service—that lets people create non-consensual nude images with just a couple of clicks—for... a lack of age verification technology 🤦
Ofcom fines deepfake nudification site for lack of age checks
The regulator said it had also opened new investigations into 20 porn sites over suspected online safety breaches.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 26, 2025 at 10:50 AM
I missed this the other day, but Ofcom fined the creators of a prolific "nudification" service—that lets people create non-consensual nude images with just a couple of clicks—for... a lack of age verification technology 🤦
Reposted by Matt Burgess (WIRED)
ICE arrests, detains British woman with US husband and newborn when she shows up for her green card interview. She’s now in a detention center, separated from her 6-month-old. No criminal record. She had overstayed her visa.
www.lbc.co.uk/article/brit...
www.lbc.co.uk/article/brit...
British mum detained by ICE agents in California as six-month old baby and stunned husband watch on | LBC
Katie Paul, 33, was in the process of applying for a green card when she was ambushed by immigration agents
www.lbc.co.uk
November 25, 2025 at 11:13 AM
ICE arrests, detains British woman with US husband and newborn when she shows up for her green card interview. She’s now in a detention center, separated from her 6-month-old. No criminal record. She had overstayed her visa.
www.lbc.co.uk/article/brit...
www.lbc.co.uk/article/brit...
Reposted by Matt Burgess (WIRED)
Born out of an internal hackathon, Amazon’s Autonomous Threat Analysis system uses a variety of specialized AI agents to detect weaknesses and propose fixes to the company’s platforms. www.wired.com/story/amazon...
Amazon Is Using Specialized AI Agents for Deep Bug Hunting
Born out of an internal hackathon, Amazon’s Autonomous Threat Analysis system uses a variety of specialized AI agents to detect weaknesses and propose fixes to the company’s platforms.
www.wired.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Born out of an internal hackathon, Amazon’s Autonomous Threat Analysis system uses a variety of specialized AI agents to detect weaknesses and propose fixes to the company’s platforms. www.wired.com/story/amazon...
Reposted by Matt Burgess (WIRED)
NEW: The US Department of Justice issued a warrant demanding SpaceX seize and disable Starlink devices and accounts being used at a scam compound in Myanmar.
At least 9 Starlink devices were linked to a crypto scam that stole $6 million people, an FBI affidavit says
Story with @lhn.bsky.social
At least 9 Starlink devices were linked to a crypto scam that stole $6 million people, an FBI affidavit says
Story with @lhn.bsky.social
DOJ Issued Seizure Warrant to Starlink Over Satellite Internet Systems Used at Scam Compound
A new US law enforcement initiative is aimed at crypto fraudsters targeting Americans—and now seeks to seize infrastructure it claims is crucial to notorious scam compounds.
www.wired.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:55 PM
NEW: The US Department of Justice issued a warrant demanding SpaceX seize and disable Starlink devices and accounts being used at a scam compound in Myanmar.
At least 9 Starlink devices were linked to a crypto scam that stole $6 million people, an FBI affidavit says
Story with @lhn.bsky.social
At least 9 Starlink devices were linked to a crypto scam that stole $6 million people, an FBI affidavit says
Story with @lhn.bsky.social
Reposted by Matt Burgess (WIRED)
legal documents cite a WIRED investigation from earlier this year, which revealed that scam compounds in Myanmar have been using Starlink
www.wired.com/story/doj-is...
www.wired.com/story/doj-is...
DOJ Issued Seizure Warrant to Starlink Over Satellite Internet Systems Used at Scam Compound
A new US law enforcement initiative is aimed at crypto fraudsters targeting Americans—and now seeks to seize infrastructure it claims is crucial to notorious scam compounds.
www.wired.com
November 14, 2025 at 9:53 PM
legal documents cite a WIRED investigation from earlier this year, which revealed that scam compounds in Myanmar have been using Starlink
www.wired.com/story/doj-is...
www.wired.com/story/doj-is...
Reposted by Matt Burgess (WIRED)
Affidavits reviewed by WIRED cite previous @mattburgess1.bsky.social reporting revealing the use of Starlink systems in scam compounds in Myanmar:
Elon Musk’s Starlink Is Keeping Modern Slavery Compounds Online
A WIRED investigation reveals that criminals who make billions from scam compounds in Myanmar—where tens of thousands of people are enslaved—are using Starlink to get online.
www.wired.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Affidavits reviewed by WIRED cite previous @mattburgess1.bsky.social reporting revealing the use of Starlink systems in scam compounds in Myanmar:
Reposted by Matt Burgess (WIRED)
NEW: DOJ issued warrant to Starlink over systems allegedly used in wire fraud and money laundering operations aimed at Americans; @lhn.bsky.social and @mattburgess1.bsky.social have the scoop
DOJ Issued Seizure Warrant to Starlink Over Satellite Internet Systems Used at Scam Compound
A new US law enforcement initiative is aimed at crypto fraudsters targeting Americans—and now seeks to seize infrastructure it claims is crucial to notorious scam compounds.
www.wired.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:36 PM
NEW: DOJ issued warrant to Starlink over systems allegedly used in wire fraud and money laundering operations aimed at Americans; @lhn.bsky.social and @mattburgess1.bsky.social have the scoop
NEW: The US Department of Justice issued a warrant demanding SpaceX seize and disable Starlink devices and accounts being used at a scam compound in Myanmar.
At least 9 Starlink devices were linked to a crypto scam that stole $6 million people, an FBI affidavit says
Story with @lhn.bsky.social
At least 9 Starlink devices were linked to a crypto scam that stole $6 million people, an FBI affidavit says
Story with @lhn.bsky.social
DOJ Issued Seizure Warrant to Starlink Over Satellite Internet Systems Used at Scam Compound
A new US law enforcement initiative is aimed at crypto fraudsters targeting Americans—and now seeks to seize infrastructure it claims is crucial to notorious scam compounds.
www.wired.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:55 PM
NEW: The US Department of Justice issued a warrant demanding SpaceX seize and disable Starlink devices and accounts being used at a scam compound in Myanmar.
At least 9 Starlink devices were linked to a crypto scam that stole $6 million people, an FBI affidavit says
Story with @lhn.bsky.social
At least 9 Starlink devices were linked to a crypto scam that stole $6 million people, an FBI affidavit says
Story with @lhn.bsky.social
Reposted by Matt Burgess (WIRED)
🚀 New on @isoc-pulse.bsky.social — I analyzed 3.5 years of Starlink IP geolocation data. From Gaza to Mars, the results reveal how this network has expanded (and surprised me) around the world.
Following a platform-wide outage in November 2022, #Starlink published a significantly different IP geolocation file, which included for the planet Mars:
98.97.73.224/27,XX,XX-XY,Mars
Learn more in @eldomador.bsky.social's latest post pulse.internetsociety.org/blog/blast-o...
98.97.73.224/27,XX,XX-XY,Mars
Learn more in @eldomador.bsky.social's latest post pulse.internetsociety.org/blog/blast-o...
Blast-Off: 3.5 Years of Starlink’s Growth (Part 2)
Starlink’s IP geolocation data shows the use of the satellite Internet service in isolated and disputed territories, an…
pulse.internetsociety.org
November 14, 2025 at 6:05 PM
🚀 New on @isoc-pulse.bsky.social — I analyzed 3.5 years of Starlink IP geolocation data. From Gaza to Mars, the results reveal how this network has expanded (and surprised me) around the world.
Reposted by Matt Burgess (WIRED)
Canadian Travel to the U.S. Declines for 10th Straight Month www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
Canadian Travel to the U.S. Declines for 10th Straight Month
www.nytimes.com
November 13, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Canadian Travel to the U.S. Declines for 10th Straight Month www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
Reposted by Matt Burgess (WIRED)
The most horrifying AI slop of ICE raids you can possibly imagine is wildly viral on Facebook, collectively totaling tens of millions of views from a single account. First spotted by @chadloder.bsky.social
www.404media.co/ai-generated...
www.404media.co/ai-generated...
AI-Generated Videos of ICE Raids Are Wildly Viral on Facebook
An account is spamming horrific, dehumanizing videos of immigration enforcement because the Facebook algorithm is rewarding them for it.
www.404media.co
November 12, 2025 at 5:51 PM
The most horrifying AI slop of ICE raids you can possibly imagine is wildly viral on Facebook, collectively totaling tens of millions of views from a single account. First spotted by @chadloder.bsky.social
www.404media.co/ai-generated...
www.404media.co/ai-generated...
The US Department of Justice, FBI, and Secret Service is creating a new "Scam Center Strike Force" to tackle cybercriminals running scam centers in Burma, Cambodia, and Laos
Treasury Sanctions Burma Armed Group and Companies Linked to Organized Crime Targeting Americans
WASHINGTON — Today, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), a Burmese armed group, along with four of its senio...
home.treasury.gov
November 12, 2025 at 4:31 PM
The US Department of Justice, FBI, and Secret Service is creating a new "Scam Center Strike Force" to tackle cybercriminals running scam centers in Burma, Cambodia, and Laos
Reposted by Matt Burgess (WIRED)
Google is suing 25 people it claims are associated with a massive scam text operation using a phishing-as-a-service platform called Lighthouse. @mattburgess1.bsky.social has the details on how all this works and ends up with you getting annoying texts from fraudsters:
This Is the Platform Google Claims Is Behind a 'Staggering’ Scam Text Operation
Google is suing 25 people it alleges are behind a “relentless” scam text operation that uses a phishing-as-a-service platform called Lighthouse.
www.wired.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Google is suing 25 people it claims are associated with a massive scam text operation using a phishing-as-a-service platform called Lighthouse. @mattburgess1.bsky.social has the details on how all this works and ends up with you getting annoying texts from fraudsters:
*Why* does it need to be AI-generated?
All schools in England to be given AI-generated pupil attendance targets
Unions decry move, saying it will put more pressure on headteachers without tackling absence from classrooms
www.theguardian.com
November 12, 2025 at 1:35 PM
*Why* does it need to be AI-generated?
NEW: Google is taking legal action against Chinese cybercriminals responsible for sending out millions of scam text messages—including those parcel delivery scams.
Google hopes the lawsuit will help to disrupt the scammers' sprawling infrastructure
Google hopes the lawsuit will help to disrupt the scammers' sprawling infrastructure
This Is the Platform Google Claims Is Behind a 'Staggering’ Scam Text Operation
Google is suing 25 people it alleges are behind a “relentless” scam text operation that uses a phishing-as-a-service platform called Lighthouse.
www.wired.com
November 12, 2025 at 10:36 AM
NEW: Google is taking legal action against Chinese cybercriminals responsible for sending out millions of scam text messages—including those parcel delivery scams.
Google hopes the lawsuit will help to disrupt the scammers' sprawling infrastructure
Google hopes the lawsuit will help to disrupt the scammers' sprawling infrastructure
Reposted by Matt Burgess (WIRED)
SCOOP: China's top 2 gay dating apps, Blued and Finka, became unavailable on app stores over the weekend. Apple confirmed to WIRED that it removed the two apps following "an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China."
latest with @lmatsakis.bsky.social
latest with @lmatsakis.bsky.social
Apple Pulls China’s Top Gay Dating Apps After Government Order
The removal of Blued and Finka marks another setback for China’s marginalized LGBTQ+ community.
www.wired.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:27 AM
SCOOP: China's top 2 gay dating apps, Blued and Finka, became unavailable on app stores over the weekend. Apple confirmed to WIRED that it removed the two apps following "an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China."
latest with @lmatsakis.bsky.social
latest with @lmatsakis.bsky.social
Reposted by Matt Burgess (WIRED)
"Paranoia is a constant friend of hackers." In an exclusive interview for our podcast, we went inside a Colorado prison to interview former Most Wanted cyber criminal 'Tank'. Vyacheslav Penchukov, climbed to the top of the Russian-speaking cyber-underworld.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Tank interview: A hacking kingpin reveals all to the BBC
One of the world's most prominent cyber-criminals speaks to the BBC in an exclusive interview.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 9:05 AM
"Paranoia is a constant friend of hackers." In an exclusive interview for our podcast, we went inside a Colorado prison to interview former Most Wanted cyber criminal 'Tank'. Vyacheslav Penchukov, climbed to the top of the Russian-speaking cyber-underworld.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Matt Burgess (WIRED)
I love that the Boston cop slide never got fixed and now people just willingly go down it in tribute. It’s basically a national landmark at this point
November 8, 2025 at 6:15 AM
I love that the Boston cop slide never got fixed and now people just willingly go down it in tribute. It’s basically a national landmark at this point
Reposted by Matt Burgess (WIRED)
Hey everyone, thank you so much for the outpouring of support.
I need to pay rent, and I launched a GoFundMe spot.fund/LahutRentFund
I need to pay rent, and I launched a GoFundMe spot.fund/LahutRentFund
Click here to support Jake Lahut's story *LahutRentFund
*spotfund is the easiest place to create beautiful and free online fundraisers. It takes just minutes to start raising money today.
spot.fund
November 7, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Hey everyone, thank you so much for the outpouring of support.
I need to pay rent, and I launched a GoFundMe spot.fund/LahutRentFund
I need to pay rent, and I launched a GoFundMe spot.fund/LahutRentFund
Reposted by Matt Burgess (WIRED)
"Research shows that features like Face ID and fingerprints enable violent, forced phone access by police and authorities" the-decenter.ghost.io/the-body-as-... by Afsaneh Rigot
The Body as a Password: The Cost of Face ID
Convenience is costing people their freedom. Research shows that features like Face ID and fingerprints enable violent, forced phone access by police and authorities, writes Afsaneh Rigot.
the-decenter.ghost.io
November 6, 2025 at 4:53 PM
"Research shows that features like Face ID and fingerprints enable violent, forced phone access by police and authorities" the-decenter.ghost.io/the-body-as-... by Afsaneh Rigot
Reposted by Matt Burgess (WIRED)
As my general two cents: don't cancel your WIRED subscriptions.
Best culture, best newsroom of anywhere I've worked. I love the living shit out of these folks, and they don't deserve to be negatively impacted by a decision that was made by the parent company, not them. And it's only $2 a month.
Best culture, best newsroom of anywhere I've worked. I love the living shit out of these folks, and they don't deserve to be negatively impacted by a decision that was made by the parent company, not them. And it's only $2 a month.
November 6, 2025 at 6:39 PM
As my general two cents: don't cancel your WIRED subscriptions.
Best culture, best newsroom of anywhere I've worked. I love the living shit out of these folks, and they don't deserve to be negatively impacted by a decision that was made by the parent company, not them. And it's only $2 a month.
Best culture, best newsroom of anywhere I've worked. I love the living shit out of these folks, and they don't deserve to be negatively impacted by a decision that was made by the parent company, not them. And it's only $2 a month.
Reposted by Matt Burgess (WIRED)
Jake did tremendous work at WIRED and I'm really going to miss working with him every day.
I was one of the four people who got canned.
In the interim, you can subscribe to my newsletter, Straight From The Hut. No paywall, but feel free to choose the pay to support model. I'm not going anywhere — the show goes on, and I'll be back on MSNBC Saturday night. straightfromthehut.substack.com
In the interim, you can subscribe to my newsletter, Straight From The Hut. No paywall, but feel free to choose the pay to support model. I'm not going anywhere — the show goes on, and I'll be back on MSNBC Saturday night. straightfromthehut.substack.com
November 6, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Jake did tremendous work at WIRED and I'm really going to miss working with him every day.