US Border Patrol Is Spying on Millions of American Drivers

"Eight years after a researcher warned WhatsApp that it was possible to extract user phone numbers en masse from the Meta-owned app, another team of researchers found that they could still do exactly that using a similar technique. The issue stems from WhatsApp's discovery feature, which allows someone to enter a person's phone number to see if they're on the app."

"Vaping is a major problem in US high schools. But is the solution to spy on students in the bathroom? An investigation by The 74, copublished with WIRED, found that schools around the country are turning to vape detectors in an effort to crack down on nicotine and cannabis consumption on school grounds. Some of the vape detectors go far beyond detecting vapor by including microphones that are surprisingly accurate and revealing."

Researchers found that WhatsApp's discovery feature still allows large-scale enumeration of user phone numbers by automating number lookups, enabling billions of queries and producing what researchers called the most extensive exposure of phone numbers ever. US schools are installing vape detectors, some with microphones capable of revealing audio, to curb nicotine and cannabis use, prompting concerns that surveillance and resulting punishments exceed acceptable limits. Cisco warned that AI tools make it easier for attackers to locate vulnerabilities in outdated, unpatched networking equipment, urging upgrades. A New Zealand hacker conference tracked CO2 levels to provide real-time air-quality monitoring and inform attendees which rooms appeared unsafe.

Read at WIRED