Lucas Ropek, Author at Gizmodo

Someone Hacked the Spelling Bee

Spellingbee.com, the website for the Scripps National Spelling Bee, was H-A-C-K-E-D in January.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Mar 22 '22

Yes, Apple Services Are Down Right Now [UPDATE: All Better, Apparently]

The App Store, Apple Music, the Podcast app, Apple Arcade, Apple Schoolwork, and Apple TV + had major problems Monday.

Tech News Lucas Ropek Mar 21 '22

NRA Confirms It Got Pwned by Cybercriminals

Last year, a ransomware gang bragged about jacking the noxious gun lobby's data. In a recent filing, the NRA confirmed the hackers were telling the truth.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Mar 18 '22

Boston Dynamics Is Hoping Robot Dogs Are Less Creepy While Fighting Fires

After failing to convince New Yorkers that Spot was a good companion for cops, its inventors would like you to imagine him saving you from a burning building.

Tech News Lucas Ropek Mar 18 '22

Unprecedented Cyberattacks Are Crippling Russian Government Websites

The Russian Ministry says it's facing an "unprecedented" assault by foreign hackers.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Mar 17 '22

The IRS Won’t Send You Unsolicited Emails, So Don’t Fall for This Malware Tax Scam

It's tax season again, and the scammers are out. Avoid these clear and present dangers.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Mar 16 '22

The FTC Is Probing How Amazon Allegedly Tricks People Into Signing Up for Prime

The tech giant has known for years that its Prime subscription sign-up techniques were manipulative but hasn't done much of anything about it.

Commerce Lucas Ropek Mar 15 '22

AT&T Is Stuck in an Ad Deal With MAGA Superspreader OAN Even After DirecTV Dropped It

AT&T struck a deal in 2019 that has locked it into business with OAN until 2024.

Tech News Lucas Ropek Mar 14 '22

Meta Won’t Let Ukrainians Call for Putin’s Assassination Any More

Russian soldiers, politicians, and military leaders still seem to be fair game, though.

Tech News Lucas Ropek Mar 14 '22

Russia Bans Instagram After Meta Allows Death Threats Against Russians

Meta and Twitter shifted their moderation policies to allow death threats against a variety of Russian officials after the invasion of Ukraine.

Tech News Lucas Ropek Mar 11 '22

Tech Exec Claims He’s Funding Volunteer Army to Fight on Behalf of Ukraine

The president of mobile medical services provider DocGo appears to want to disrupt the idea of what an army actually means. *gulp*

Tech News Lucas Ropek Mar 10 '22

Congressional Committee Torches Amazon for Allegedly Lying to Obstruct Antitrust Probe

The House Judiciary's Antitrust Subcommittee wants the Justice Department to investigate the company for "potentially criminal conduct."

Tech News Lucas Ropek Mar 9 '22

Feds Charge Crypto-Hawking Siblings With Scamming Investors out of $124 Million

Ormeus Coin’s slogan, “E Pluribus Aurum Facit—Out of Many, One Makes Gold,” rings a bit ironic.

Cryptocurrencies Lucas Ropek Mar 8 '22

China Hacked at Least 6 U.S. State Government Networks

A threat actor with longstanding ties to the Chinese government has targeted half a dozen state governments, research from cybersecurity giant Mandiant shows.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Mar 8 '22

Russia Looks at Legalizing Software Piracy to Offset Sanctions

Russia's military invasion of Ukraine has led to Western sanctions designed to punish the Russian economy.

Tech News Lucas Ropek Mar 7 '22

Trickbot May Be Kaput, but Its Operators Plan on Keeping Busy

For over half a decade, the Trickbot botnet has caused global amounts of trouble. Now, the cybercriminals behind it may be pivoting to other endeavors.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Feb 25 '22

White House Says Reports of an American Cyberwar With Russia Are Greatly Exaggerated

NBC has reported that the White House is mulling "massive" cyberattacks on Russia as a result of the Ukraine invasion. Officials have denied it.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Feb 24 '22

‘Wiper’ Malware Discovered on Ukrainian Devices as Bank Websites Suffer Cyberattacks

As a political crisis in Ukraine devolves into a military one, government agencies and banks continue to be the target of anonymous cyberattacks.

Privacy & Security Lucas Ropek Feb 23 '22

New Book Claims to Have Identified the Hacker Behind a Massive $11 Billion Crypto Theft

The culprit behind one of the largest cryptocurrency heists ever may have finally been identified, according to a new book.

Cryptocurrencies Lucas Ropek Feb 23 '22

Mark Zuckerberg’s Sister Presents: Adele but It’s Crypto

In a recent Web3 promo video, Randi Zuckerberg sings the praises of the DeFi revolution.

Cryptocurrencies Lucas Ropek Feb 18 '22

Lucas Ropek

Someone Hacked the Spelling Bee

Yes, Apple Services Are Down Right Now [UPDATE: All Better, Apparently]

NRA Confirms It Got Pwned by Cybercriminals

Boston Dynamics Is Hoping Robot Dogs Are Less Creepy While Fighting Fires

Unprecedented Cyberattacks Are Crippling Russian Government Websites

The IRS Won’t Send You Unsolicited Emails, So Don’t Fall for This Malware Tax Scam

The FTC Is Probing How Amazon Allegedly Tricks People Into Signing Up for Prime

AT&T Is Stuck in an Ad Deal With MAGA Superspreader OAN Even After DirecTV Dropped It

Meta Won’t Let Ukrainians Call for Putin’s Assassination Any More

Russia Bans Instagram After Meta Allows Death Threats Against Russians

Tech Exec Claims He’s Funding Volunteer Army to Fight on Behalf of Ukraine

Congressional Committee Torches Amazon for Allegedly Lying to Obstruct Antitrust Probe

Feds Charge Crypto-Hawking Siblings With Scamming Investors out of $124 Million

China Hacked at Least 6 U.S. State Government Networks

Russia Looks at Legalizing Software Piracy to Offset Sanctions

Trickbot May Be Kaput, but Its Operators Plan on Keeping Busy

White House Says Reports of an American Cyberwar With Russia Are Greatly Exaggerated

‘Wiper’ Malware Discovered on Ukrainian Devices as Bank Websites Suffer Cyberattacks

New Book Claims to Have Identified the Hacker Behind a Massive $11 Billion Crypto Theft

Mark Zuckerberg’s Sister Presents: Adele but It’s Crypto

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