March 29, 2025

Security

CISA cybersecurity doge Layoffs Security us government

CISA contacts fired employees after court rules layoffs ‘unlawful’

CISA : The U.S. government’s cybersecurity agency is scrambling to contact more than 130 former employees after a federal court ruled that the Trump administration must reinstate workers it “unlawfully” fired. U.S. District Judge James Bredar last week ordered the Trump administration to reinstate employees laid off across a number of U.S. government agencies, including

Read More
Alphabet cloud security Enterprise Google Security wiz

Google is buying Wiz for up to $33B to beef up in cloud security

Google is making the biggest acquisition in its history. The company’s parent company Alphabet is buying Wiz, the cloud security startup, for $32 billion in an all-cash transaction. The deal has now been confirmed. A source described the transaction as a $33 billion deal previously. That includes the $1 billion that Google is paying out

Read More
Alphabet Enterprise Google Government & Policy M&A Security Startups wiz

Google revives talks to acquire Wiz at higher valuation

Google revives talks to acquire Wiz at higher valuation. Update: the deal is done at $32 billion, in cash. Read more here. Google’s parent company Alphabet is again in advanced talks to acquire cloud cybersecurity startup Wiz, a person familiar with the deal told TechCrunch. The two companies were close to securing a deal at

Read More
cybersecurity In Brief justice department sabotage Security

Prison for activating ‘kill switch’ on former employer’s network

  Texas man faces prison for activating ‘ kill switch ’ on former employer’s network. Texas software developer Davis Lu is facing a potential 10-year prison sentence after being convicted by a federal jury for intentionally sabotaging his former employer’s network. The Justice Department announced that Lu, 55, was found guilty of “causing intentional damage”

Read More
cybersecurity Fortinet ransomware Security vulnerability

Hackers are exploiting Fortinet firewall bugs to plant ransomware

Security researchers have observed hackers linked to the notorious LockBit gang exploiting a pair of Fortinet firewall vulnerabilities to deploy ransomware on several company networks.  In a report published last week, security researchers at Forescout Research said a group it’s tracking dubbed “Mora_001” is exploiting the Fortinet firewall, which sit on the edge of a

Read More
eu digital autonomy eu digital infrastructure euro stack Government & Policy Security

European tech industry coalition calls for ‘radical action’ on digital sovereignty — starting with buying local

A broad coalition drawn from across the ranks of Europe’s tech industry is calling for “radical action” from European Union lawmakers to shrink reliance on foreign-owned digital infrastructure and services to bolster the bloc’s economic prospects, resilience, and security in increasingly fraught geopolitical times. In an open letter to both European Commission President Ursula von

Read More
Government & Policy Security

UK’s internet watchdog puts storage and file-sharing services on watch over CSAM

As duties under the U.K.’s Online Safety Act (OSA) related to tackling illegal content came into force Monday, the internet watchdog, Ofcom, said it has launched a new enforcement program focused on online storage and file-sharing services. The regulator said its evidence shows that file-sharing and file-storage services are “particularly susceptible” to being used for

Read More
cybersecurity Department of Government Efficiency Government & Policy Privacy Security U.S. Treasury

DOGE staffer violated Treasury rules by emailing unencrypted personal data

A staffer working for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) broke Treasury policies by sending an email containing unencrypted personal information, according to testimony from a senior government cybersecurity official in a federal lawsuit. Marko Elez, a DOGE staffer working at the U.S. Treasury, emailed a spreadsheet with unencrypted personally identifiable information to two Trump administration

Read More
AI Media & Entertainment Security Startups TC TC Sessions: AI TechCrunch Sessions: AI

Vote for the session you want to see at TechCrunch Sessions: AI 

We’ve been blown away by the overwhelming response to speak at TechCrunch Sessions: AI on June 5 in Zellerbach Hall at UC Berkeley. After thorough consideration, we’ve selected six standout finalists. The power to choose who will take the stage and share their AI expertise with 1,200 AI leaders and enthusiasts is now in your

Read More
apple icloud backdoor challenge Government & Policy In Brief Privacy Security

UK’s secret iCloud backdoor order triggers civil rights challenge

The U.K. government’s secret order to Apple demanding it backdoor the end-to-end encrypted version of its iCloud storage service has now been challenged by two civil rights groups, Liberty and Privacy International, which filed complaints Thursday. They called the order “unacceptable and disproportionate” and warned of “global consequences” as the access order is thought to

Read More