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Dustin Volz

@dustinvolz.bsky.social
37K followers 1.1K following 574 posts

Washington correspondent for The New York Times focused on cyber conflict, digital espionage and intelligence. Prior stops at WSJ, Reuters, National Journal. www.nytimes.com/by/dustin-volz

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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/u...
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
New: OpenAI ignored warnings from its own employees and independent security researchers who said they needed better safety measures at the company. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/t...
nytimes.com
OpenAI Ignored Employees’ Warnings About Safely Testing A.I. Models (Gift Article)
Employees and security researchers said that they had cautioned the company on safely testing its A.I. models and strengthening its corporate infrastructure, but that OpenAI did not listen.
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Sheera Frenkel @sheeraf.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
NEW- OpenAI ignored warnings from its own employees and independent security researchers who said they needed better safety measures at the company. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/t...
nytimes.com
OpenAI Ignored Employees Who Warned It Wasn’t Doing Enough About Security
Employees and security researchers said they had cautioned the company on safely testing its A.I. models and strengthening its corporate infrastructure, but OpenAI did not listen.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
F.B.I. Vows to Pursue ShinyHunters Hackers After Personnel Data Theft www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/u...
nytimes.com
F.B.I. Vows to Pursue ShinyHunters Hackers After Personnel Data Theft
“We know how to find you,” Brett Leatherman, a senior cyber official at the F.B.I., said in a video statement released Tuesday.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
New: FBI in internal memo says it believes ShinyHunters may have stolen private data on all employees. Fears of longterm consequences of breach magnify as hackers threaten to leak everything online by end of Tuesday. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/u...
nytimes.com
Embarrassing Breach at F.B.I. Fuels Fears of Harm to Its Employees (Gift Article)
In an internal memo, the F.B.I. said it believed the hackers may have stolen sensitive information on all of its employees.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Late to this, but my former @wsj.com colleagues had a great story a couple weeks ago relying on internal documents from a Chinese hackers-for-hire firm showing how AI is being used to organize and analyze huge stockpiles of hacked data from foreign governments www.wsj.com/tech/how-a-c...
wsj.com
How a Chinese Hacking Firm Tapped AI to Supercharge Cyber-Spying
Internal company materials illustrate an AI-powered effort to make pilfered foreign government documents digestible for police; targets include Russia, Pakistan.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
"One blogger compared Western A.I. fears to novels like Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” and the motif that man is punished for trying to create life, the exclusive domain of God." www.nytimes.com/2026/09/27/w...
nytimes.com
The Surprising Reasons China Is Skeptical of A.I. Safety Calls
In China, A.I. doomsday warnings can feel distinctly Western or like a ploy to stop Chinese A.I. companies from trying to overtake their U.S. rivals.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The apparent ShinyHunters hack of the FBI 1) appears real 2) is alarming for counterintel reasons but also the possibility of criminals seeking retribution against FBI agents 3) is just latest security lapse at an FBI that has suffered a series of major breaches www.nytimes.com/2026/09/23/u...
nytimes.com
Hackers Say They Stole Thousands of Sensitive F.B.I. Personnel Records (Gift Article)
The compromise, if confirmed, would be the latest in a string of cybersecurity failures at the F.B.I., which said it was investigating the matter.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
“In terms of things that could be the end of humanity, I think A.I. is a bigger risk,” said Toby Ord, a researcher at Oxford University and author of “The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity.” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/22/c...
nytimes.com
The Big Threat Has Been Climate Change. Now Comes A.I. (Gift Article)
Both are human-caused, both are frightening, and one of them has raced to the forefront of the global conversation.
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Peter Baker @peterbakernyt.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Still at it: Russia targeting Americans with covert online disinformation to undermine public confidence in the midterm elections, using a familiar playbook to inject chaos into the voting season, per US intelligence. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/u...
nytimes.com
Russia Aims to Inject Chaos Into Elections, U.S. Intelligence Finds
The Kremlin is once again seeking to undermine confidence in American democracy with online influence campaigns, U.S. officials said.
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Bayliss Wagner @baylisswagner.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Scoop: John Cornyn & George W. Bush are headlining a Dallas fundraiser tonight for all of the Senate GOP nominees in tossup races—except Ken Paxton It benefits a new joint fundraising committee for IA, ME, NH, OH, AK, MI & the NRSC w/ @teddyschleifer.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/09/21/u...
nytimes.com
Bush and Cornyn Leave Out Paxton as They Raise Cash for Senate Candidates
The former president and Texas senator are headlining a fund-raiser in Dallas for top Republican Senate candidates. Not included: Ken Paxton, the nominee in their own state.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the U.N.’s first global advocate for “human-centric digital governance,” pushed back against narratives and vocabulary about A.I. that gave the false impression that humanity was helpless in the face of a “new technological revolution." www.nytimes.com/2026/09/21/w...
nytimes.com
Spectre of Rogue A.I. Looms Over U.N. Talks on Digital Cooperation (Gift Article)
Diplomats, dignitaries and tech experts gathered amid the United Nations General Assembly to debate how to address the threats and harness the potential of artificial intelligence.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
"This is what it means to be the country’s paper of record: a great and imperfect newspaper steadfastly chronicling a great and imperfect nation." www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | A.G. Sulzberger: The Story of America, Told in 15 Million First Drafts of History
The Times has witnessed the country’s transformation. It will keep its eyes open.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
NEWS: Classified U.S. intelligence assessments have determined that the Kremlin has again authorized a digital influence campaign to peddle content across social media in hopes of seeding or amplifying domestic divisions around the election season, U.S. officials said www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/u...
nytimes.com
Russia Aims to Inject Chaos Into Elections, U.S. Intelligence Finds (Gift Article)
The Kremlin is once again seeking to undermine confidence in American democracy with online influence campaigns, U.S. officials said.
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Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Heads up: The Russian government has been targeting Americans with covert online disinformation operations seeking to undermine public confidence the midterms — using a familiar playbook in an attempt to inject chaos into the voting season, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
nytimes.com
Russia Aims to Inject Chaos Into Elections, U.S. Intelligence Finds
The Kremlin is once again seeking to undermine confidence in American democracy with online influence campaigns, U.S. officials said.
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Horkos @wylienewmark.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
In 2026, RIS mounting IO that attempts to undermine public confidence in election integrity through exploitation of societal divisions is: a) to be expected b) unlikely to be truly ambitious in terms of actual results c) understood as almost pro forma by RIS (gotta please Putin) d) still not CNA
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Four-byline alert: 🚨 “.. People who have discussed the subject with Mr. Trump .. say his outbursts are rooted in worries that if the artificial intelligence boom fueling the American economy slows down, the market could crash and recession could quickly follow.” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/u...
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
NEWS: Classified U.S. intelligence assessments have determined that the Kremlin has again authorized a digital influence campaign to peddle content across social media in hopes of seeding or amplifying domestic divisions around the election season, U.S. officials said www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/u...
nytimes.com
Russia Aims to Inject Chaos Into Elections, U.S. Intelligence Finds (Gift Article)
The Kremlin is once again seeking to undermine confidence in American democracy with online influence campaigns, U.S. officials said.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
New: Iran, China and firms in Israel have been spotted creating fully autonomous A.I. influence campaigns www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/t...
nytimes.com
Iran and China Create First-of-Their-Kind Autonomous A.I. Influence Campaigns (Gift Article)
The countries, along with Israeli firms, combined Chinese open-source A.I. models and A.I. agents for the campaigns, foreshadowing future online manipulation.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
New: U.S. intelligence officers have expressed concerns in internal reports about possible Chinese espionage related to a pending sale of dozens of advanced F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia valued at $24 billion, according to American officials. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/u...
nytimes.com
U.S. Intelligence Warns of China Theft Over Sale of F-35 Jets to Saudis
Internal reports, including one from the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency, say China could acquire U.S. jet technology through spying or cooperation with Saudi Arabia.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
China’s Top Spy Chief Warns A.I. Is a Threat to Party Rule www.nytimes.com/2026/09/14/w...
nytimes.com
China’s Top Spy Chief Warns A.I. Is a Threat to Party Rule (Gift Article)
Even as Beijing urges the United States not to hype the dangers of A.I., its own spy chief is framing the technology as a threat to the Communist Party’s security.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
A year and a day ago, I had surgery to remove a strange mass following a severe bout of sepsis and months of chronic anemia. I didn't know if I would ever run again. Today I ran a 10-mile race and hugged my daughter at the finish line. It was a glorious feeling.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
As Fears of A.I. Catastrophe Magnify, Washington Stirs, but Mostly Slumbers www.nytimes.com/2026/09/13/u...
nytimes.com
As Fears of A.I. Catastrophe Magnify, Washington Stirs, but Mostly Slumbers (Gift Article)
President Trump has been at the forefront of the “what-me-worry?” crowd, refusing to engage on how to balance the risks and rewards of A.I.
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Representative Becca Balint @balint.house.gov · 10/09/2026
Congress must urgently hold hearings on frontier research. The leaders of these massive AI companies owe us transparency about what they're doing. We can’t afford to continue the Trump strategy of letting billionaires play with the safety of humanity.
nytimes.com
Anthropic Says It Blocked Possible Efforts to Build Biological Weapons
In a new report, the A.I. start-up added that it could not determine if the research was legitimate or nefarious, leading the company to shut down the work.
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Previously AI-driven research on biological warfare was identified as one of five principal scenarios in which AI could lead to the extinction of the human species. "In a new report, the A.I. start-up added that it could not determine if the research was legitimate or nefarious,
nytimes.com
Anthropic Says It Blocked Possible Efforts to Build Biological Weapons
In a new report, the A.I. start-up added that it could not determine if the research was legitimate or nefarious, leading the company to shut down the work.
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Congressman Greg Casar @repcasar.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Right now, we're counting on AI corporations to voluntarily block weapons of mass destruction. Voluntarily. Congress must do the obvious thing: BAN catastrophic AI uses like creating biological or nuclear weapons.
nytimes.com
Anthropic Says It Blocked Possible Efforts to Build Biological Weapons
In a new report, the A.I. start-up added that it could not determine if the research was legitimate or nefarious, leading the company to shut down the work.
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Richard Sever @richardsever.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
"chilling examples of state-sponsored biological weapons developers tapping into the rapidly advancing capabilities of leading AI models" www.nytimes.com/2026/09/10/u...
nytimes.com
Anthropic Says It Blocked Possible Efforts to Build Biological Weapons
In a new report, the A.I. start-up added that it could not determine if the research was legitimate or nefarious, leading the company to shut down the work.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
New: Anthropic said it had disrupted several potential plots this year by scientists who used its leading artificial intelligence models to conduct research that could have helped develop biological weapons. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/10/u...
nytimes.com
Anthropic Says It Blocked Possible Efforts to Build Biological Weapons
In a new report, the A.I. start-up added that it could not determine if the research was legitimate or nefarious, leading the company to shut down the work.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Was just saying hi to someone and got this response
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Michael Ellis, the deputy director of the CIA, acknowledged in unusually candid terms that the U.S. spies on Chinese companies and that economic competition with Beijing has broadened the spy agency's mission. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/08/u...
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
New: New: Researchers used AI models to build a powerful mobile worm that could fully compromise any WeChat account across iOS and Android in seconds, showcasing how AI is upending the cybersecurity ecosystem. The worm took barely more than a week to build. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/08/u...
nytimes.com
A.I. Models Built a Computer Worm That Could Rapidly Hack WeChat Accounts (Gift Article)
The attack, discovered by A.I. researchers, could have compromised hundreds of millions of devices within hours, experts said.
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Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
"Calif said the attack, which it named WeWorm, was the first known computer worm—a type of malicious software that can leap from machine to machine on its own absent human help —that could spread across Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating systems without needing a victim to click or tap..."
nytimes.com
A.I. Models Built a Computer Worm That Could Rapidly Hack WeChat Accounts
The attack, discovered by A.I. researchers, could have compromised hundreds of millions of devices within hours, experts said.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
On today’s front page of The New York Times Confident Iran May Be Willing to Escalate War
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
"Russia and Ukraine, in cities far from the front line, are waging an intensifying tit-for-tat air war that is bringing more pain to the populations of both countries than at any other point since the early months of the full-scale war launched by Moscow in 2022." www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/w...
nytimes.com
For Russia and Ukraine, an Escalating Spiral With No End in Sight
Each side is using missiles and drones to try to pound the other into giving up, breeding ceaseless human suffering. But there is no sign that either country’s determination will weaken.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
New: Iran has grown more confident in its ability to attack targets in the Middle East and appears determined to continue the conflict for months to frustrate the United States, according to U.S. intelligence reports in recent weeks. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/04/u...
nytimes.com
A More Confident Iran Emerges After Six Months of War With the U.S.
New intelligence reports have assessed that Iran now has a far better understanding of its capabilities and the limits of U.S. power.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
"The retired generals condemning this violence are part of a small but rapidly expanding array of influential Israelis ... who are publicly declaring the lawlessness in the West Bank a threat to Israel’s existence as a democracy." www.nytimes.com/2026/08/31/w...
nytimes.com
These Generals Fought for Israel. Now They See ‘Jewish Terrorism’ as the Threat. (Gift Article)
A growing number of former Israeli generals, intelligence officials and prime ministers are accusing settlers in the West Bank of committing ethnic cleansing with government support. “Once a society b...
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
“Feeling threatened in your most authentic, basic identity. It gave an easy slogan to an emotional rebellion.” www.nytimes.com/2026/08/21/w...
nytimes.com
Giorgia Meloni Cuts the Hard Right a Path to Power (Gift Article)
In a rare interview, the onetime political outcast reflects on her route from “the uncomfortable side of history” to the threshold of leading Italy’s most durable postwar government.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
"In essence, the releases have centered on material that rehashes information made public years ago about the 2020 election, which Mr. Trump lost, while shielding from public view new information about the 2024 election, which Mr. Trump won." www.nytimes.com/2026/08/20/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Boasts of Declassifying Secrets, but Withholds Key Election Files From Public
Even as the White House claims to be focused on transparency, it has ignored a congressional requirement to disclose a report on foreign meddling in the 2024 election.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
"In essence, the releases have centered on material that rehashes information made public years ago about the 2020 election, which Mr. Trump lost, while shielding from public view new information about the 2024 election, which Mr. Trump won." www.nytimes.com/2026/08/20/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Boasts of Declassifying Secrets, but Withholds Key Election Files From Public
Even as the White House claims to be focused on transparency, it has ignored a congressional requirement to disclose a report on foreign meddling in the 2024 election.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
New: Trump is engaging in a process of selective declassification that includes withholding key intelligence from public view despite congressional requirements—even as he boasts of his transparency efforts on revealing election security threats. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/20/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Boasts of Declassifying Secrets, but Withholds Key Election Files From Public
Even as the White House claims to be focused on transparency, it has ignored a congressional requirement to disclose a report on foreign meddling in the 2024 election.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
New: Trump Boasts of Declassifying Secrets, but Withholds Key Election Files From Public www.nytimes.com/2026/08/20/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Boasts of Declassifying Secrets, but Withholds Key Election Files From Public
Even as the White House claims to be focused on transparency, it has ignored a congressional requirement to disclose a report on foreign meddling in the 2024 election.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Incredible detail here on Salt Typhoon: "A frayed piece of yellow cable is framed and on display in T-Mobile’s Seattle-area headquarters. A security staffer chopped it during an intense nationwide hunt through America’s phone systems for Chinese spies." www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
T-Mobile Cyber Staff Chopped Cable After Finding Chinese Hack
Salt Typhoon revelations inspired an internal investigation.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
“Somehow, we’ve made the industrial equivalent of a Fabergé egg the linchpin of our civilization. What would happen if someone started breaking them?” This is an important read on the societal vulnerability that is the humble transformer. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/18/m...
nytimes.com
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
"Of all the senior government officials who spoke with us before the new administration took office, Biden was the only one who asked us to stay." www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
theatlantic.com
The Wrong Kind of American
The Trump White House needed me—until the fact that I am trans became public.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
On today's front page of The New York Times U.S. Military Is Tripped Up in A.I. Race A Fight With Anthropic Is Just One Hurdle www.nytimes.com/2026/08/16/u...
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
This is likely true of the water hacks. But it doesn’t change the fact that the widespread activity has demonstrated very serious—and long neglected—weaknesses in our water systems, which could allow a determined, capable assailant to pull off something sinister under the right conditions.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Today's front page of @nytimes.com: YEARS OF NEGLECT LED UP TO ATTACKS ON WATER SUPPLY _____ U.S. Ignored Warnings _____ A Federal and State Rush After Officials Blame Iran for Hackings
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
NEW: Cyberattacks on U.S. water supply now being reported in 12+ states and 100+ municipalities, though some may be unrelated to wave of suspected Iranian attempts. The nationwide threat follows years of ignored warnings and neglect to water systems. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/05/u...
nytimes.com
Hacks on U.S. Water Supply Follow Years of Warnings and Neglect (Gift Article)
Federal and state officials are racing to address an assault on the nation’s water supply that they believe is the work of Iranian hackers.
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Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
"The attack has little precedent, experts said, but has long been the stuff of nightmares and sensationalized Hollywood thrillers: an apparent cyberattack by a foreign power during a time of war that could, at least in theory, jeopardize the health and safety of Americans."
nytimes.com
Scope of Hacks on U.S. Water Supply Widens as Evidence Points to Iran
Michigan and Minnesota are among at least seven states coping with cyberattacks aimed at disrupting water systems nationwide.
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
NEW: The known reach of cyberattacks on water systems continues to expand to include Michigan + other states and could be far wider. Officials say Iran remains top suspect despite Trump's rejection of the notion. Water remains safe, but experts are spooked www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/u...
nytimes.com
Scope of Hacks on U.S. Water Supply Widens as Evidence Points to Iran (Gift Article)
Michigan and Minnesota are among at least seven states coping with cyberattacks aimed at disrupting water systems nationwide.
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