As is often the case, it was a week of mixed messages in security, with the White House eliminating its top cybersecurity policy roles[1] at a crucial moment in geopolitics and the evolution of cyberwar. WIRED took a deep look at Robert Mueller's military service[2] in Vietnam and his first year as special counsel[3], examining the Trump campaign’s interactions with Russia. And senators questioned former Cambridge Analytica[4] research director Christopher Wylie on Wednesday, looking to gain some clarity on the company's privacy-infringing tactics.
Alphabet's Jigsaw incubator announced free DDoS attack protection[5] for any US political campaign or candidate—a helpful last-minute option with the midterm elections just six months away. And the Department of Justice successfully prosecuted two men behind a popular malware development tool Scan4You[6] after the security firm Trend Micro brought extensive information about the platform to the FBI. Always nice to get some good news.
Meanwhile, researchers discovered a major flaw in two widely-used encrypted email protocols[7], and Facebook and Google+ are still riddled with grisly jihadi content[8] depicting and promoting violence.
So, yeah, you know how it is. As always, we’ve rounded up all the news we didn’t break or cover in depth this week. Click on the headlines to read the full stories. And stay safe out there.
Mugshots.com Owners Arrested for Extortion in California[9]
The California attorney general's office charged four people with extortion, money laundering, and identity theft on Wednesday for their alleged involvement with the website Mugshots.com, which posts people's mugshots, but will take them down for a fee. Two of the alleged site owners, Thomas Keesee and Sahar Sarid, were arrested in Florida on Thursday. The