Lucas Ropek, Author at Gizmodo

GTA Online Players Say a Bug Is Being Exploited to Corrupt Their Accounts

In the latest potential security problem for Rockstar Games, GTA Online players have reported disruptive hacks against their accounts.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Jan 23

ChatGPT Is Pretty Good at Writing Malware, It Turns Out

The trendy new chatbot has many skills, and one of them is writing "polymorphic" malware that will destroy your computer.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Jan 20

The Enduring Mystery of an Aggressive FBI Raid Near Area 51

Last year, police violently raided the home of man who has run a small Area 51 blog for decades. What were they searching for?

Tech News Lucas Ropek Jan 19

How Did the FBI Get a Tor User’s IP Address?

The onion router is supposed to keep your web activity hidden from prying eyes. So how did the feds trace a Tor user to his grandmother's house?

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Jan 12

‘Maximum Security’ App That Claimed It Was Better Than Signal Actually Full of Cryptographic Bugs, Research Shows

The supposedly private messenger, used by Germany's chancellor and the Swiss army, discovered some serious problems with its encryption protocols.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Jan 11

Here Are the Jobs Our New AI Overlords Plan to Kill

AI is getting better and better, which means your job security is getting worse and worse.

Artificial Intelligence Lucas Ropek Jan 11

Security Researchers Say They Hacked California’s Digital License Plates, Because Duh

Digitize anything and someone will hack it. The latest victim of this universal rule is California's new, hi-tech license plates.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Jan 9

Insurance Company Launches First-Ever ‘Cyber Catastrophe Bond,’ Which Seems About Right

A first of its kind $45 million bond could spell better stability for the cyber insurance industry, which hasn't always looked so healthy in recent years.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Jan 9

20 Things ChatGPT Can and Can’t Do

A few observations about the OpenAI chatbot's abilities and limitations: It can write songs! But it can't remember its own name.

Artificial Intelligence Lucas Ropek Jan 7

Who Is Planting Weird Antennas All Over the Foothills of Salt Lake City?

The half dozen devices, bolted to peaks surrounding the city, consist of solar panels and antenna. Their purpose? Unclear.

Crime Lucas Ropek Jan 6

Twitter’s Latest Data Debacle, Explained

An ongoing data disaster at Twitter just got a whole lot worse.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Jan 5

New York City Schools Ban ChatGPT to Head Off a Cheating Epidemic

The chatbot can write entire essays in a matter of seconds, but the NYC Education Department has "concerns regarding the safety and accuracy of content."

Artificial Intelligence Lucas Ropek Jan 4

A College Student Created an App to Detect If Essays Were Written by ChatGPT

Did a human or an algorithm write that? For the answer, just ask this algorithm.

Artificial Intelligence Lucas Ropek Jan 4

The Year Ahead in Encryption

Quantum computing, Signal, and Elon Musk will define the security of our data in 2023.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Jan 3

OG Bitcoin Core Developer Claims Hack Drained Nearly All His BTC

One of the original developers behind crypto's most popular token says that hackers ripped him off late last year and stole nearly all of his BTC.

Cryptocurrencies Lucas Ropek Jan 3

Two Men Allegedly Hacked the Ring Cameras at a Dozen Homes and Swatted the Residents

The 20-year-old and 21-year-old streamed the police response that ensued and taunted the cops via the hacked cameras, according to the Department of Justice.

Crime Lucas Ropek Dec 20

‘The Return of the Crawling Evil,’ a Lovecraftian Sci-Fi Story Written and Illustrated by Robots

Let's test ChatGPT's fiction writing and DALL-E's illustration abilities, shall we? Welcome to H.P. Lovecraft's House of AI Horrors.

Artificial Intelligence Lucas Ropek Dec 19

Lawsuit Accuses Facebook of Permitting Posts That Spurred Civil War in Ethiopia

Two Ethiopian researchers accuse the tech giant of not removing hateful content they say helped drive bloodshed during the nation's brutal civil war.

Social Media Lucas Ropek Dec 14

InfraGard, FBI Program for Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, Breached by Hackers

A database with contact information for elite cybersecurity professionals is now being sold on the dark web to the highest bidder.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Dec 14

ChatGPT Wrote a Terrible Gizmodo Article

Impressive as it is, OpenAI's chatbot isn't ready to replace our staff just yet.

Artificial Intelligence Lucas Ropek Dec 14

Lucas Ropek

GTA Online Players Say a Bug Is Being Exploited to Corrupt Their Accounts

ChatGPT Is Pretty Good at Writing Malware, It Turns Out

The Enduring Mystery of an Aggressive FBI Raid Near Area 51

How Did the FBI Get a Tor User’s IP Address?

‘Maximum Security’ App That Claimed It Was Better Than Signal Actually Full of Cryptographic Bugs, Research Shows

Here Are the Jobs Our New AI Overlords Plan to Kill

Security Researchers Say They Hacked California’s Digital License Plates, Because Duh

Insurance Company Launches First-Ever ‘Cyber Catastrophe Bond,’ Which Seems About Right

20 Things ChatGPT Can and Can’t Do

Who Is Planting Weird Antennas All Over the Foothills of Salt Lake City?

Twitter’s Latest Data Debacle, Explained

New York City Schools Ban ChatGPT to Head Off a Cheating Epidemic

A College Student Created an App to Detect If Essays Were Written by ChatGPT

The Year Ahead in Encryption

OG Bitcoin Core Developer Claims Hack Drained Nearly All His BTC

Two Men Allegedly Hacked the Ring Cameras at a Dozen Homes and Swatted the Residents

‘The Return of the Crawling Evil,’ a Lovecraftian Sci-Fi Story Written and Illustrated by Robots

Lawsuit Accuses Facebook of Permitting Posts That Spurred Civil War in Ethiopia

InfraGard, FBI Program for Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, Breached by Hackers

ChatGPT Wrote a Terrible Gizmodo Article

FCC Exempts Netgear from Foreign-Made Router Ban for Some Reason

Jamie Dornan Is Your New Aragorn in ‘The Hunt for Gollum’

Trump’s Fed Pick Is Knee Deep in Tech and Crypto Investments

The First Trailer for ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ Takes Terror Stateside

The Trump Phone Still Looks Like Total Trash

‘Masters of the Universe’ Really, Really Wants to Be the Next ‘Barbie’

Samsung’s Micro RGB TVs Provide So Much Color It May Be Too Much

The Crypto Bros Want to Get Their Hands on Anthropic’s ‘Super Dangerous’ Model

This Is What a Music Industry ‘Plant’ Looks Like in 2026

As Starship V3 Lags Behind, Blue Origin Prepares Third Launch of New Glenn

Sony Inzone H6 Air Review: A Perfect Case for Open-Back Gaming Headsets

Anker’s EufyMake E1 Finally Brings Printers Out of the Dark Ages

The Soundboks Mix Is Going to Make You the Most Popular Guy at the Park

Asus Zenbook A16 Review: Start Considering Snapdragon on PC, for Real

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice