FBI Can Access Your Phone Notifications
▼ Summary
– The US government warned that Iran-linked hackers are attacking US energy and water infrastructure amid ceasefire negotiations.
– A WIRED investigation found US political candidates are increasing spending on personal security, such as home alarms and bulletproof vests.
– Anthropic announced its Claude Mythos Preview AI model, granting early access to a select consortium to study its advanced hacking capabilities for defense.
– The FBI obtained encrypted Signal messages from a seized iPhone via stored push notifications, a vulnerability affecting many apps.
– Iran’s regime-imposed internet blackout has surpassed 1,000 hours, becoming the country’s longest shutdown and severely restricting connectivity and information.
This week’s security landscape reveals a world grappling with digital threats on multiple fronts. Iran-linked hackers are reportedly targeting US energy and water infrastructure, while the Iranian internet blackout has surpassed 1,000 hours, creating an information vacuum for millions. In Lebanon, a displacement crisis is straining a fragile digital infrastructure. Meanwhile, research into Telegram groups exposes a disturbing trade in nonconsensual imagery and spyware, and industrial scamming syndicates are shifting operations abroad, often beyond the selective reach of Chinese enforcement.
Amid these challenges, a significant development in device privacy has come to light. According to a recent report, the FBI accessed encrypted Signal messages from a defendant’s iPhone by retrieving the content from push notifications stored in the device’s memory. This method is not unique to Signal, it potentially affects any app that sends alerts. For users concerned about this vulnerability, adjusting notification settings is a critical step. Within Signal, navigate to Settings, then Notifications, and select Name Only or No Name or Content to prevent message details from appearing in alerts.
In the corporate and governmental sphere, security concerns are driving both investment and controversy. US political candidates are significantly increasing spending on personal security measures. Anthropic’s announcement of its Claude Mythos Preview model to a consortium called Project Glasswing has sparked debate. The group, which includes major tech firms, will assess the model’s advanced capabilities for improving cyber defenses before such tools become widely available. Experts suggest this early access period is crucial for shaping more secure software development and patching practices globally.
The financial toll of cybercrime continues its alarming climb. The FBI’s annual internet crime report for 2025 shows reported losses soared to over $20 billion, a 26 percent increase from the previous year. More than half of that staggering sum, approximately $11.3 billion, was linked to cryptocurrency scams. Other prevalent crimes included business email compromise and tech support fraud, with crimes mentioning AI accounting for nearly $893 million in losses.
On a more positive note, Google has taken a step toward stronger commercial privacy. The company has expanded Gmail’s end-to-end encryption to its Android and iOS apps for enterprise users. This client-side encryption model allows messages to be encrypted with customer-controlled keys, meaning Google cannot access the content. The feature, which supports compliance with regulations like HIPAA, is currently limited to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus customers with specific add-ons and requires administrator activation.
(Source: Wired)