iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 30/09/2026

It's a genuinely lovely webpage dedicated to a U.S. military dog called Nick, who retired earlier this year and was adopted by his owner, and clearly beloved by his team. GOOD PUP. YOU SERVED YOUR COUNTRY. WOOF! Wayback link: web.archive.org/web/20260903...

a photo of the military dog Nick, sat down on the tarmac with his paws in front of him, ears up, in front of Air Force One in the background.

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 30/09/2026

I was researching the Pentagon data leak story earlier and by chance found one of the military's many login pages (it's pretty normal — there are lots of them — the DOD is a massive enterprise network). But this link caught my eye. "Learn more about Military Working Dog Nick." *IMMEDIATE CLICK.*

a screenshot of a DOD login page, featuring a dog in the background wearing ski goggles (i think) and a link on the login page that reads "Learn more about Military Working Dog Nick."

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 26/09/2026

This is Toby. He edits my this.weekinsecurity.com newsletter each week. And by edit, I mean he generally sits nearby and side-eye judges my typos and random Britishisms.

Toby is my handsome tabby cat, with slightly stripy grey and brown fur, and can be seen laying on the carpet with his paws tucked in, in front of me as I sit on the couch with my laptop in front of me, with words on my screen. Toby is giving me a side-eye look.

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 25/09/2026

Interesting nugget in the AP's morning wire, in which it recommends using an ad-blocker (always a great idea) to avoid tracking on health/healthcare-related websites, which track people's activity and location and share with third-parties. apnews.com/newsletter/m...

a snippet of copy from the AP's story, which reads: "In recent years, FTC officials have filed cases against more than half-dozen telehealth companies. In some cases, regulators said the companies shared users’ health data with online platforms such as Meta and Google, without getting permission. Read more.
What to know before signing up:

Privacy experts recommend using ad blockers and private web browsers — sometimes called “incognito” windows — when logging onto telehealth websites. Those tools can make it harder for companies to track your location, online history and other personal information."

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 24/09/2026

Special shout-out to area shitbag Ben Halpern (ben@forem.com) and his team of arseholes who published fake AI-generated slop attached to my name on their site. I did not (nor would I) write this AI slop shit, and would encourage all to be mindful for fake bylines on shitty websites like this one.

a screenshot of a author bio page on Dev[.]to, showing my face and byline, followed by an AI-generated slop article that I did not write or give my permission for my byline to be used.

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 22/09/2026

"We're sniffing out site updates for you!" is definitely one way to say "we were hacked and thousands of FBI agents and applicants had their information stolen." Those federal puppers are fucking adorable though. www.404media.co/we-hacked-th...

the FBI's website that was hacked, now reads "We're sniffing out site updates for you!" with two, admittedly very cute puppies.

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 20/09/2026

Also, shout-out to my cat Theo, who did absolutely nothing to help me spellcheck my latest edition of this.weekinsecurity.com so forgive me for more typos than usual. this.weekinsecurity.com/this-week-in...

my grey cat Theo, who is asleep on a green courdroy couch, with his head resting on the side on his white-socked paw, he's fast asleep and you can see one of his tiny little teef-fangs. he's probably dreaming about mice or something.

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 17/09/2026

This is a really nice obit for Cat Frazier, who changed the internet for the better, not least for creating this incredible GIF. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/a...

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 11/09/2026

Took this photo last night facing Manhattan of the twin beams of light in remembrance of today. Sending love and peace to everyone.

a photo of the dark sky and lit-up skyline of lower manhattan, from jersey city, with 1 world trade center's purple spire and the light from the skyline shimmering off the water of the hudson river. there are two perfectly straight beams of light eminating from lower manhattan; the beams of light go into the sky and brighten-up a bit of cloud where the lights shine through. (the photo is from an iphone, zoomed out at about 0.8x, so the image perspective is a little warped to get the full portrait photo in the frame.)

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 09/09/2026

Watching this Apple event tout how iPhones will soon be able to record ambient audio/conversations and transcribe "high level notes" for you. It's billed as private and end-to-end encrypted, but I think the bigger harm is the normalization of always-listening devices. It's creepy and not normal.

a screenshot from an iPhone and Apple Watch showing "recaps" of conversations from ambient audio.

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 05/09/2026

Just before Theo fell asleep in his new favorite cardboard box, he wished you all a very peaceful evening.

my grey, fluffy, Russian blue cat Theo can be seen here asleep, half inside and half outside a cardboard box, on its side, in front of a couch with a blanket. his white sock paws can be seen snuggled into him.

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 03/09/2026

U.S. attorney general Todd Blanche said the DOJ will "track down the criminals" behind the week-ass mass password reset attempt on X this week... but won't release the Epstein Files.

post by attorney general Todd Blanche on X, which reads: "This week, sophisticated cyber criminals attempted a password-recovery attack on hundreds of thousands of X users. X disrupted the attack to prevent user accounts from being captured. But, as we’ve shown, the Justice Department will stop at nothing in its pursuit of cyber fraudsters and scammers. We are working closely with @X to track down the criminals behind this week’s attack. There is no refuge for those that perpetrate their criminal schemes from behind computer screens."

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 29/08/2026

The elusive Toby wishes you a peaceful evening.

Toby is my handsome stripy tabby cat who doesn't come out very often but when he does he sits like this, very comfortably, on a blanket with his white sock paws tucked under him. he is looking at the camera as if to say, "I hate having my photo taken... but I'll allow it... this once."

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 26/08/2026

New, by me: FBI seized domains (including qtproxy.xyz) used by a botnet to coordinate and launch China-backed cyberattacks against U.S. targets, including NASA, the Department of Energy, and the Federal Reserve. More: techcrunch.com/2026/08/26/u... Ad-block bypass: web.archive.org/web/20260826...

a screenshot showing the FBI seizure notice on the qtproxy.xyz website

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 25/08/2026

The ferry from Manhattan to Jersey City was blasting Dolly at full volume tonight.

a photo from outside the porthole of the ferry, showing the Jersey City skyline across the Hudson River

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 21/08/2026

Good morning from this snoozy boy.

my cat Theo, grey Russian blue, asleep on a red blanket on a deep dark green couch, with his paw over his face as he sleeps, next to his cat-sized stuffed fish toy, who we call Chad for some reason.

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 19/08/2026

Any idea why Mastodon isn't loadi....

a post from Mastodon's status page that reads, "It's DNS," because it's always DNS.

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 14/08/2026

As an aside, while the BBC did excellent reporting here and clearly highlighted this issue has persisted for years, I was surprised to see this paragraph from my 2019 TechCrunch report appear almost word for word in the BBC's story.

a snippet from my 2019 TechCrunch story, which reads: "Because they work a low frequency, pager radio waves are able to travel farther and deeper inside large buildings - particularly hospitals - which have thickened walls to protect others from X-rays and other radiation."

A snippet from the BBC's reporting in 2026, which reads: "They also work at a low frequency and are able to penetrate buildings and elevators and particularly hospitals - which can have thickened walls to protect people from X-rays and other radiation."

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 13/08/2026

Just checking in on things back home.

a screenshot from Wikipedia's page on the 2026 Clacton byelection, which has Nigel Farage, who is a piece of shit, running against Count Binface, a candidate who has a bin on his head.

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 31/07/2026

head on over to the opposite of a pharmacy

a photo of outside a store on the upper west side of Manhattan, with an outdoor sign that says "PHARMACY" but only some of it is lit up, so it reads "HARMACY"

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 26/07/2026

Plus: A bunch of data breaches, why paying a hacker's ransom can cost you (twice), and find out why wrench attacks are called that. Plus: Come for the collapsing robot (below), stay for the brand-new reader-submitted cyber cat. More: this.weekinsecurity.com/this-week-in... Please share! 🐈‍⬛

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 23/07/2026

Have a peaceful evening, as much as Theo had a peaceful afternoon asleep, basking in the sun.

a photo of my grey cat, Theo, asleep and half-upside down on a large cushion in our living room. the sun is shining right on him, and there are plants surrounding him.

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 16/07/2026

Today's dystopia is sponsored by BritBox, apparently.

a very smoggy photo from outside of my office, facing Manhattan, seen in shot is the top of 1 World Trade Center with a low-flying plane with a banner ad traiiling from the back of it that says "BritBox.

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 15/07/2026

Somehow it's currently extremely hot, wet, smoggy, and windy all at the same time.

A screenshot from my iPhone of the weather app showing the weather in Manhattan, the temperature is 95°, it shows it's windy, and that there's a thunderstorm with heavy rain under way, and that the air quality is "unhealthy for sensitive groups."

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 07/07/2026

Took a photo of this license plate a few days ago while on vacation in Maine, seems apt today.

a Maine license plate on a red Honda that reads: "UGHHH", followed by a bumper sticker that just reads: "[SCREAMING INTERNALLY]"

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 02/07/2026

Sign up (or RSS!) for my newsletter this.weekinsecurity.com for all the cyber news you need to know from the week, plus stuff you might've missed, and much more — including a new reader-submitted cat (or friend) in every edition. Handwritten by me, no slop. Here's my cat Theo "helping" me write.

my grey fluffy cat Theo can be seen stood on my wooden office desk, directly in front of the camera, with my laptop and other computer in the background. he's blocking my way to both computers.

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 02/07/2026

Nice to be back home and online after a relaxing few days away, went outside to water the plants on the deck and OH FOR FU... guys, c'mon, AGAIN?!

a very cute but also very guilty-looking pigeon on my balcony in the distance looking at her two eggs that she laid in front of her, on our green astroturf, surrounded by a few twigs as a makeshift, albeit quite shit nest.

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 19/06/2026

In case you're wondering if I manually went through every top US company's website and checked for security.txt files, vulnerability disclosure programs, and bug bounties — and whether they paid for bug submissions? Exactly. And yes, it took me a while! More: this.weekinsecurity.com/dozens-of-am...

a screenshot of a table showing the first few rows of the Fortune 100 companies, featuring Apple, Amazon, Walmart, UnitedHealthGroup, and others, and whether they have a security.txt file on their website, as well as a vulnerability disclosure program and/or a paid bug bounty.

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 18/06/2026

My adorable large adult cat son Theo had high blood pressure (what reason does he have to be stressed? he's a cat, he doesn't even pay rent). After some medication, he's doing great. Still something hilarious about cats having their own blood pressure machines. His brother Toby was being very sweet.

my grey russian blue cat Theo, sat on top of my sofa cushions, with a blood pressure cuff on his arm next to a blood pressure machine.

my grey cat Theo, sat on top of my sofa cushions, with a blood pressure cuff on his arm, next to a blood pressure machine. Toby is my tabby cat who is stood next to the machine, looking pensive.

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 03/06/2026

The spire of One World Trade in NYC was lit up for Pride Month. 🏳️‍🌈

a photo of the spire of One World Trade Center in Manhattan; it's dark and there are lights on in the buildings on the skyline. The spire is lit up in rainbow colors.

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 30/05/2026

PostHog says it's currently experiencing a security incident. The analytics company said it's "rotating keys after a security research team was able to confirm an exploit in one of our AWS environments," referring to Amazon Web Services. Incident page: www.posthogstatus.com/incidents/01...

a screenshot from Posthog's status page, which reads: "We are rotating keys after a security research team was able to confirm an exploit in one of our AWS environments. We're working with the security research team on the issue. No keys were publicly available, and no data has been compromised. You may see impacts on exports, reverse proxies, and other services. We'll have more updates as we continue to work on this incident."

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 27/05/2026

Condé Nast shit the bed so hard when it fired four journalists last year that it's now settled with the union and given three out of the four reporters "two years’ pay and furnished [them] with positive letters of recommendation." UNIONS, PEOPLE. UNIONS! www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/bus...

a screenshot from the Hollywood Reporter piece, which reads: " Now, nearly half a year later, the union has reached a settlement with Condé Nast over the discipline, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. As part of the deal, the status of three of the four workers was changed from fired to being allowed to resign as active employees. They were each given nearly two years’ pay and furnished with positive letters of recommendation."

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 22/05/2026

Oh no! BASED APPAREL, the online store run by FBI director Kash Patel, was hacked to serve ClickFix attacks (🎻). Website visitors see a fake Captcha-style screen and are then tricked into hacking themselves by copying and pasting malware code. How this works: this.weekinsecurity.com/clickfix-att...

a screenshot of BasedApparel.com on Thursday, May 21, displaying a fake CAPTCHA designed to look like a Cloudflare page, but actually asks the user to copy code from the website and paste it into their computer's terminal, which hacks them.

BasedApparel.com is now down after the ClickFix attack was removed. (Friday, May 22).

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 16/05/2026

Bonus cyber cat from my local neighborhood eatery, who can be seen here strictly enforcing the "bathroom for customers only" policy. More cyber news and a new reader-submitted cyber cat (or friend) in every newsletter, out Sundays. this.weekinsecurity.com

a photo of a ginger cat in a local eatery seen with its front paws against the inside glass of the front door, and looking out at people walking past on the street. a sign on the door says: "bathroom for paying customers only."

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 14/05/2026

i haven't been able to search any of my messages on Mac or iPhone for about three years. my iPhone previously said it was "indexing." now it just nopes.

a screenshot showing trying to search anything in my Messages folder, and it just says "no results."

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 13/05/2026

U.S. President Donald Trump, as quoted by the White House pool report: "I don't think about Americans' financial situation. I don't think about anybody. I think about one thing, we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That's all." I want to embroider this quote onto a tea-towel for my in-laws.

A screenshot of a quote from a White House pool report, which reads:

Q: To what extent is the average American's finances motivating you to make a deal with Iran?
"The only thing that matters when I'm talking about Iran, they can't have a nuclear weapon. I don't think about Americans' financial situation. I don't think about anybody. I think about one thing, we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That's all."'

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 12/05/2026

Looks like hackers/scammers/asshats are abusing Microsoft's systems to send out crude phishing messages as two-factor emails. Emails are sent from msonlineservicesteam@microsoftonline[.]com, which is a legitimate Microsoft email used to send out about account notifications, and look like this.

a screenshot of a real Microsoft email account notification being abused to send spam/phishing messages to users.

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 07/05/2026

Ahahaha. GOOD! Finally, I have actual documented proof that these two large handsome cat loaves actually like each other enough to snuggle.

my large handsome adult cat sons Theo (left, a grey russian blue) and Toby (right, a tabby) snuggling on some blankets and holding each others' paws; Theo is looking (begrudingly) at the camera while Toby is trying to pretend that he hates it.

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 06/05/2026

there was a whole chaotic thread on reddit doing the math and i think the general consensus was somewhere between 1.65 million and 1.92 million stolen KitKats? not sure on who was behind it but here's my amuse-bouche speculation from beyond the paywall:

a screenshot from my article, which reads:

"From there, the stolen goods can either be sold on, or held indefinitely until the shipper pays the hackers a ransom. Or, maybe some criminal mastermind somewhere desperately wanted a lifetime supply of KitKats? I don't know — and I try not to judge."

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 23/04/2026

I mean... 😅 this.weekinsecurity.com/fbi-agents-v...

a screenshot from a movie, a character is on the gallows with a rope around his neck, and turns to the guy next to him, in the same situation, and jokingly says, "First time?"

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 22/04/2026

So... Anthropic spent weeks claiming that it couldn't publicly release its Mythos AI model because of its alleged offensive hacking capabilities and.... some AI nerds from Discord found and accessed it? Anthropic is a fucking joke. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

a screenshot from Bloomberg's story, which reads: "The users relied on a mix of tactics to get into Mythos. These included using access the person had as a worker at a third-party contractor for Anthropic and trying commonly used internet sleuthing tools often employed by cybersecurity researchers, the person said. The users are part of a private Discord channel that focuses on hunting for information about unreleased models, including by using bots to scour for details that Anthropic and others have posted on unsecured websites such as GitHub."

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 19/04/2026

Here is Toby "helping" me write this week's edition of my cybersecurity newsletter. Sign up before it goes out later this morning! this.weekinsecurity.com

my tabby cat Toby laying on a blanket looking very handsome.

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 07/04/2026

It's incredibly bleak out there in the world today but I will take a little solace in just how soft and fuzzy my large adult cat son is.

a photo looking from above of my cat, Theo, a grey Russian blue with white socks/feet, who has fallen asleep upside down on the carpeted floor of my office at home.

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 04/03/2026

Seems like the whole world is melting down so I'm gonna break my longstanding rule of not posting my feet to the internet to post this snap of my incredibly handsome loaf cat.

my cat, Theo, grey and white Russian blue, laying on the floor, almost collapsed, on my foot, curled up with his paws up and looking me straight in the camera, like "draw me like one of your french girls"

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 24/02/2026

Conduent's handling of its data breach has been truly shit, refusing to say how many people are affected, or how the breach occurred. Conduent hid its breach notice with "noindex" code, so you won't see the page in search results. It doesn't even *mention* a breach! techcrunch.com/2026/02/24/c...

a snippet from Conduent's data breach notice, which contains "noindex" code so that it can't be found in search engine results.

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