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6 stories in the last 30d

US military disabled ad tracking on troops’ devices following reports of targeted attacks

US DoD disabled ad tracking on troops' devices after foreign adversaries targeted service members using commercially bought location data.

Per letters shared with Senator Ron Wyden, the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Special Operations Command disabled advertising IDs on iPhones, Android devices, and Windows computers across the federal military enterprise. The protections rolled out earlier in 2026, with the Air Force implementing changes in July, to prevent adversaries from exploiting app-derived location data sold through data brokers. Wyden warned that personal devices brought onto military bases could still expose troops and facilities, and noted the intelligence community and FBI buy such data without warrants.

TechCrunch · Security · 12d agoPolicy & legal

Thorough reorganization at NSA will create five 'mission centers,' including cyber and AI

NSA is reorganizing into five mission centers covering China, cybersecurity, AI, combat support and global intelligence, with full capability targeted by January.

NSA Director Gen. Joshua Rudd announced a sweeping reorganization replacing existing directorates with five mission centers focused on China, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, combat support, and global intelligence. A 30-day implementation clock has started, and the centers are expected to reach full operational capability by January. Officials acknowledge the rapid realignment will 'break things' in the agency's bureaucracy; this is the largest restructuring since the NSA21 effort roughly a decade ago, which was widely viewed as a failure.

The Record · 2d agoPolicy & legal

Lawmakers call on Treasury to sanction hackers-for-hire

Bipartisan US lawmakers asked Treasury to sanction three India-based hack-for-hire firms accused of long-running espionage against Americans.

Sens. Ron Wyden and Sheldon Whitehouse and Rep. Pat Harrigan urged Treasury to add Sunkissed Organic Farms (formerly Appin), BellTroX, and CyberRoot to the Entity List. The letter says the mercenary groups conducted targeted espionage against US citizens, businesses, and lawyers for over fifteen years, allegedly including work for Qatar's government such as targeting opponents of Qatar's World Cup bid and Kristi Rogers, wife of Senate candidate Mike Rogers. Adding the firms to the Entity List would restrict their access to American software, cybersecurity tools, and cloud infrastructure. The lawmakers also accuse the groups of lawfare campaigns to censor investigative reporting on their hacking activities.

CyberScoop · 6d agoThreat actor in the wild

Retail theft bill spurs ‘very large and very dangerous’ surveillance fears

The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act advances toward Senate attachment to the defense bill, drawing ACLU warnings of expanded ICE surveillance powers.

The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA) passed the House 348-60 in June, and Senate supporters including Chuck Grassley are pushing to attach it to the annual defense policy bill. The bill would create an Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center within ICE's Homeland Security Investigations, add criminal penalties for laundering stolen-goods proceeds with a $5,000 charging threshold, and broaden data sharing with retailers. The ACLU, NAACP LDF, and allied groups warn the vaguely drafted provisions would effectively grant DHS access to retail surveillance feeds such as cameras and license plate readers, while industry backers say it only enhances existing information sharing and could help fight cyber-enabled crime.

CyberScoop · 27d agoPolicy & legal1

US takes down alleged Chinese hacking tools used against Federal Reserve, DOJ and Senate

DOJ takes down QScan and QTRouter Chinese obfuscation platforms used to breach Federal Reserve, DOE, DOJ, and Senate since 2018.

The DOJ and FBI seized domains hard-coded into QScan and QTRouter, platforms run by Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company and used by China's Ministry of State Security and PLA. QScan automatically infected IoT devices worldwide which were absorbed into QTRouter, allowing attackers to disguise intrusions as originating from other countries or local sources. Victims included the Federal Reserve, Department of Energy, DOJ, US Senate, NASA, HHS, NIH, plus hospitals, telecoms, power companies, financial institutions, and defense contractors. The FBI investigated QTFY since 2018, tracing a 2019 NASA incident through Pulse Secure VPN exploitation.

The Record · 21d agoThreat actor in the wild

Whistleblower says USPS deploying new, ‘untested’ IT systems governing mail

A whistleblower alleges USPS is rushing untested IT systems that could reject thousands of mail-in ballots ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

A whistleblower complaint released by Sen. Richard Blumenthal says USPS is deploying three new, largely untested IT systems — including the Federal Ballot Mail Portal — that could reject entire ballot batches over single scan errors. The systems were developed in weeks without standard testing or interoperability checks, and USPS allegedly continued work despite court injunctions against its rule changes. House Oversight Democrats demanded USPS halt implementation, and election experts warn the design could lead to new lawsuits and mass ballot denials.

CyberScoop · 14d agoPolicy & legal