ZeroHour

Search: “Defender”

924 stories

ICE Wants to Know Everyone Who Bought a Certain Green Beanie From REI in the Last 2 Years

DHS subpoenaed REI for all Minneapolis-area customers who bought a specific green beanie since 2024, part of an investigation into 39 ICE protest defendants.

Court filings allege Homeland Security Investigations agents subpoenaed REI in March for transaction records of all persons in the greater Minneapolis–St. Paul area who purchased a specific dark green beanie since 2024. The subpoena was one of 92 sent in a federal case against 39 people, including journalists, who attended an ICE protest at a church. Companies responded differently: T-Mobile handed over six months of a defendant's call and text logs, Google refused a request for YouTube viewers, Reddit withdrew after a First Amendment objection, and Meta pushed back on at least one summons. The 1509 customs summonses require no judicial oversight, and the total number issued under the Trump administration is unknown.

WIRED · Security · 14d agoPolicy & legal

Ukrainian software developer faces 12 years in Swiss ransomware trial

Swiss prosecutors seek a 12-year sentence for a Ukrainian developer accused in LockerGoga, MegaCortex and Nefilim ransomware attacks causing roughly $160 million in losses.

A 52-year-old Ukrainian software developer went on trial at Zurich District Court over alleged involvement in ransomware attacks using LockerGoga, MegaCortex and Nefilim, with victims including Stadler Rail, Crealogix and Meier Tobler. Prosecutors allege he participated in attacks on 10 companies between December 2018 and May 2020, causing more than 130 million Swiss francs (~$160 million) in losses, and seek a 12-year sentence plus 1.8 million Swiss francs in proceeds. He denies developing malware, and his defense challenges digital evidence handling. The case ties to Oleksandr Ieremenko, who allegedly directed the attacks, was said to have FSB protection, and died falling from a Moscow window in 2022.

The Record · Aug 18, 2026Policy & legal in the wild1

Eight years later, federal authorities re-up charges against alleged Iranian hackers at Mabna Institute

US prosecutors unsealed a superseding indictment charging 17 Iranians in the Mabna Institute's state-sponsored theft of 31.5 terabytes from universities and companies.

The superseding indictment unsealed in the Southern District of New York charges 17 people affiliated with Tehran's Mabna Institute, adding eight defendants to the 2018 indictment of nine. The institute allegedly compromised over 100,000 professor email accounts worldwide, including 8,000 accounts at 144 US universities, and stole at least 31.5 terabytes of academic journals, dissertations, and e-books. US universities spent approximately $3.4 billion procuring the stolen data, and victims also included at least five federal and state agencies, 42 US companies, and 11 foreign companies including HBO. The State Department's Rewards for Justice program is offering up to $10 million for information on four of the defendants.

CyberScoop · Aug 18, 2026Policy & legal