Lucas Ropek, Author at Gizmodo

‘Predator’ Spyware Let Government Hackers Break Into Chrome and Android, Google Says

Google's Threat Analysis Group says that a majority of the zero-day vulnerabilities they discovered last year were intentionally created by spyware companies.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek May 23 '22

This Russian Botnet Is Capable of Manipulating Social Media Trends on a ‘Massive Scale,’ Report Claims

Need to spread some disinformation all over the world? A Russian company apparently has a quick and easy recipe for that.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek May 20 '22

U.S. Justice Department Says It Won’t Prosecute White Hat Hackers Under CFAA

For years, critics have claimed that the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act is too broad and indiscriminate.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek May 19 '22

10 Times Sci-Fi Classics Predicted the Future Totally Wrong

The closest thing to "Blade Runner" replicants we had in 2019 was probably Amazon’s Alexa.

io9 Lucas Ropek May 19 '22

NSA Swears It Won’t Allow Backdoors in New Encryption Standards 😉

The National Security Agency claims that the encryption standards it's developing will be so tough that even its own hackers won't be able to crack them. Okay!

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek May 16 '22

Google I/O Surprises With 24 New Translate Languages, Docs TL; DR, and Maps Immersive View

Google's big conference full of feature reveals is finally here.

Tech News Lucas Ropek May 11 '22

Google Adds Virtual Credit Cards for Google Pay

At I/O, Google announced that it will be launching virtual cards to protect users' financial information during online transactions.

Tech News Lucas Ropek May 11 '22

Google to Let You Delete Yourself From Searches, Customize Ads

Ahead of Google I/O, the tech giant shared some of its new and improved privacy and security features.

Tech News Lucas Ropek May 11 '22

A Predominantly Black College Is Shutting Down Because of a Ransomware Attack

Lincoln College, established in 1865, announced that it will be closing its doors because of a cascade of problems brought on by a recent cyberattack.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek May 9 '22

10 of the Biggest Crypto Heists of 2022…So Far

In the first four months of this year, more than a billion dollars in cryptocurrency has been stolen. Pretty good Q1 for the criminals!

Cryptocurrencies Lucas Ropek May 6 '22

The Frontier Passenger Taped to His Seat After Groping Flight Attendants Is Going To Jail

The Ohio man who had his mouth taped shut on a plane last summer has been sentenced to nearly two months in jail.

Tech News Lucas Ropek May 4 '22

Who Is Sabotaging France’s Fiber Optic Cables?

The mystery of who brought down large parts of France's internet earlier this week has drawn the attention of the nation's domestic intelligence service.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Apr 29 '22

China’s Version of Twitter Plans to Clean Up Platform by Showing Users’ Location

Weibo hopes to counter 'bad behavior' by publicizing IP addresses for some users and a general location for others.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Apr 28 '22

Report: Hackers Have Been Sexually Extorting Kids With Data Stolen From Tech Giants

Criminals have been tricking tech giants into sending them sensitive user data, then using it to sexually blackmail users, a new report claims.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Apr 26 '22

NFTs Worth Millions Stolen After Bored Ape Yacht Club Instagram Hacked

The hacker used the company's official Instagram account to phish BAYC NFT holders.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Apr 25 '22

A Surveillance Firm Reportedly Tracked NSA and CIA Spies as a Product Demo

Anomaly 6 claims to be able to track billions of mobile phones, including those belonging to some of America's top spy agencies.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Apr 22 '22

It’s Pretty Easy to Hack the Program That Runs Our Power Grids, It Turns Out

Getting inside a program that runs most of the world's industrial control systems? The easiest thing you'll do all weekend, two white hat hackers said.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Apr 22 '22

Google Researchers Found a Record Number of Dire Software Vulnerabilities in 2021

More actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities were disclosed last year than any other year on record, according to analysis from the tech giant.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Apr 20 '22

Report: NSO Spyware Hit Boris Johnson’s Office, Dozens More European Leaders

A new report claims that the NSO Group's spyware has been discovered targeting droves of high-ranking European politicians.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Apr 18 '22

10 Times the Troll King Made Us Regret the Existence of Twitter

The billionaire currently attempting a hostile takeover of Twitter is also its biggest troll.

Tech News Lucas Ropek Apr 18 '22

Lucas Ropek

‘Predator’ Spyware Let Government Hackers Break Into Chrome and Android, Google Says

This Russian Botnet Is Capable of Manipulating Social Media Trends on a ‘Massive Scale,’ Report Claims

U.S. Justice Department Says It Won’t Prosecute White Hat Hackers Under CFAA

10 Times Sci-Fi Classics Predicted the Future Totally Wrong

NSA Swears It Won’t Allow Backdoors in New Encryption Standards 😉

Google I/O Surprises With 24 New Translate Languages, Docs TL; DR, and Maps Immersive View

Google Adds Virtual Credit Cards for Google Pay

Google to Let You Delete Yourself From Searches, Customize Ads

A Predominantly Black College Is Shutting Down Because of a Ransomware Attack

10 of the Biggest Crypto Heists of 2022…So Far

The Frontier Passenger Taped to His Seat After Groping Flight Attendants Is Going To Jail

Who Is Sabotaging France’s Fiber Optic Cables?

China’s Version of Twitter Plans to Clean Up Platform by Showing Users’ Location

Report: Hackers Have Been Sexually Extorting Kids With Data Stolen From Tech Giants

NFTs Worth Millions Stolen After Bored Ape Yacht Club Instagram Hacked

A Surveillance Firm Reportedly Tracked NSA and CIA Spies as a Product Demo

It’s Pretty Easy to Hack the Program That Runs Our Power Grids, It Turns Out

Google Researchers Found a Record Number of Dire Software Vulnerabilities in 2021

Report: NSO Spyware Hit Boris Johnson’s Office, Dozens More European Leaders

10 Times the Troll King Made Us Regret the Existence of Twitter

Ex-OpenAI CTO Mira Murati Testifies About Sam Altman Allegedly Lying to Her

Michael Saylor’s Bitcoin Treasury Company Posts $12.5 Billion Loss, Boasts That People Are Still Giving It Money

After Sales Stall at the Start of 2026, Lucid Drops Production Target

Every Day Is a Perfect Day to Watch ‘Redline’

Google DeepMind Gets Into Gaming, Purchases Stake in the Company Behind EVE Online

This Experimental Low-Waste Fuel Could Transform Nuclear Reactors

Lower Your Phone Bill With Mint Mobile, Plans Start at $10 per Month With New Promo Code

‘Fantastic Four’ Director Matt Shakman Will Helm Next ‘Planet of the Apes’ Movie

Elon Musk Teams Up With Anthropic, a Company He’s Called ‘Evil’

Alaska’s Famous Fjords Are Becoming a Cruise Ship Nightmare

Samsung Galaxy A57 5G Review: Not Worth It at Full Price

Logitech G G512 X Review: The Tasting Menu of a Pro Gaming Keyboard

Ecovacs Deebot X12 OmniCyclone Review: AI Can’t Save This Robot Vacuum

The Best Tech Gifts for Mother’s Day 2026

Asus’ Dual-Display Gaming Laptop Will Ruin Your Single-Screen Lifestyle

Steam Controller Review: Trackpads Change Everything for PC Gaming

Soundcore Space 2 Review: A Shockingly Stellar Value for Budget ANC Wireless Headphones

Anker’s UV Printer Can Handle Almost Anything… If You Know What You’re Doing

HP’s EliteBoard Keyboard-Computer Proves We Can Stick a PC in Anything

Sleep-Tracking Earbuds Didn’t Fix Me, but They Did Open My Eyes