Frank Bajak

Former Egyptian lawmaker and opposition figure Ahmed Altantawy. (Screenshot: YouTube; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

September 24, 2023, 4:49 am

Researchers discover bid to target top Egyptian opposition figure with spyware

Ahmed Altantawy said targeted with Israeli-linked Predator tool; discovery prompts Apple to rush out OS updates for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches to patch vulnerabilities

By Frank Bajak

A special edition of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo marking one year after the attacks on it, on a newsstand in Paris, January 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)

February 3, 2023, 8:39 pm

Iran cyber unit attacked Charlie Hebdo over Khamenei cartoon contest, Microsoft says

State-backed hackers who have targeted Israel publish database of French outlet’s users after it called for caricatures of Iranian supreme leader

By Frank Bajak

US Attorney General Merrick Garland is joined by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Doha Mekki of the Antitrust Division (left), US Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta (second from left) and Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Antitrust Division (right), as he speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department to announce a new antitrust lawsuit against Google on January 24, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images via AFP)

January 25, 2023, 4:57 am

US Justice Department sues Google over digital advertising dominance

Amid push to rein in big tech firms, government alleges tech giant looking to ‘neutralize or eliminate’ rivals in online ad marketplace through acquisitions, forced use of products

By Barbara Ortutay, Eric Tucker and Frank Bajak

Ukrainian soldiers launch a drone at Russian positions near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, December 15, 2022. (LIBKOS/AP)

January 4, 2023, 8:37 am

Drone advances in Ukraine could herald battlefield dawn of autonomous killer robots

Experts warn it’s likely only a matter of time before both sides take relatively small step of deploying even smarter lethal weapons, setting stage for profound change in warfare

By Frank Bajak and HANNA ARHIROVA

In this handout photo provided by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on September 19, 2021, Palantin-K EW systems are parked during a rehearsal in Voronezh region, Russia. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

June 3, 2022, 8:58 pm

They’re jamming everything: How secretive electronic warfare shapes war in Ukraine

Ukrainian intelligence official calls Russian threat ‘pretty severe’ when it comes to disrupting reconnaissance efforts, commanders’ communications with troops

By OLEKSANDR STASHEVSKYI and Frank Bajak

A woman walks with a power plant in the background, in Vinnytsia, Ukraine, on March 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd, File)

April 12, 2022, 10:16 pm

Ukraine says it thwarted ‘serious’ Russian hack against its power grid

Kyiv says millions would have been left without electricity had attack been successful; officials say operation was weeks in the making and launched ahead of Moscow’s invasion

By Frank Bajak

A man is seen through a bullet hole of a machine-gunned bus after an ambush in the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

March 5, 2022, 8:26 pm

Ukraine volunteer ‘hacker’ corps fights Russia with cyberattacks, intel and infowar

Hackers’ actions range from taking down official Russian sites, reporting troop locations, and even offering instructions on assembling Molotov cocktails and basic first aid

By Frank Bajak

An employee of Global Cyber Security Company Group-IB develops a computer code in an office in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, October 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

February 24, 2022, 9:53 am

Cyberattacks strike Ukrainian ministries as Russia assaults country

Cybersecurity researchers say attackers infected hundreds of computers with destructive malware; move was expected as accompaniment to Russian military incursion

By Frank Bajak

January 13, 2022, 7:46 am

Dozens of El Salvador journalists, activists said hacked with Israeli-made spyware

Watchdog says NSO Group’s Pegasus software found on phones which were then surveilled using local infrastructure; government denies involvement despite circumstantial evidence

By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN and Frank Bajak

Polish Senator Krzysztof Brejza on the night of parliamentary elections, on October 13, 2019. (AP Photo)

December 23, 2021, 8:15 pm

Polish opposition senator hacked with spyware from Israel’s NSO Group

Text messages stolen from Krzysztof Brejza were used in political campaign; he says hacking may have tipped 2019 elections

By Vanessa Gera and Frank Bajak

Polish lawyer Roman Giertych, left, poses for a portrait in Rome, and Polish prosecutor Ewa Wrzosek, right, is photographed in Warsaw, December 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, left, Czarek Czarek Sokolowski)

December 20, 2021, 11:49 pm

Polish opposition duo hacked by Israeli NSO Group’s spyware, watchdog says

Digital sleuths claim lawyer Roman Giertych’s cellphone tapped in final weeks of 2019 election, prosecutor Ewa Wrzosek targeted in 2021 as she challenged gov’t purge of judiciary

By Frank Bajak and Vanessa Gera

Egyptian politician Ayman Nour, a target of commercial military-grade Israeli spyware, speaks during a news conference organized by Muslim Brotherhood for former Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi, in Istanbul, on June 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici, File)

December 17, 2021, 9:57 am

Israeli involvement in hacker-for-hire industry highlighted in latest spyware find

Meta announces a flurry of takedowns of accounts affiliated with seven surveillance-for-hire firms that may have affected some 50,000 people in more than 100 countries

By Frank Bajak

Illustrative: A cybersecurity expert stands in front of a map of Iran as he speaks to journalists about the techniques of Iranian hacking, on September 20, 2017, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP/Kamran Jebreili)

November 17, 2021, 10:30 pm

Iran-backed hackers accused of targeting ‘broad range of victims’ in US

American cyber firm says Iran targeting Israel in espionage attacks; Microsoft reports 6 Iranian groups deploying ransomware in past year

By Eric Tucker, Alan Suderman and Frank Bajak

Illustrative: People walk past a Microsoft office in New York, November 10, 2016. (AP Photo/Swayne B. Hall)

October 8, 2021, 12:24 pm

Russia behind 58% of detected state-backed hacks in past year, Microsoft says

Attacks mostly target Western government agencies and think tanks; their success rate rises to 32% compared to 21% in the previous year

By Frank Bajak

October 5, 2021, 2:40 am

Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram gradually resume after worldwide outage

Social media giant not saying what caused the hours-long collapse of its services; experts say it may have deleted some of its own vital Domain Name System data

By Frank Bajak and Barbara Ortutay