Jeffrey Epstein’s ‘Personal Hacker’ Revealed, Informant Says
▼ Summary
– A federal judge delayed a decision on whether the Department of Homeland Security is using armed raids to pressure Minnesota over its sanctuary policies.
– Immigration enforcement has been using AI tools like Palantir for tip analysis and facial recognition apps for surveillance, while an officer criticized ICE’s tactics as militarily immature.
– WIRED exposed a human trafficking compound in Laos through leaked documents and the account of a victim, and reported on risks from deepfake “nudify” tech and an insecure AI toy.
– A released FBI document revealed a 2017 informant claim that Jeffrey Epstein had a skilled hacker who sold exploits to various entities, including governments and Hezbollah.
– The viral AI assistant OpenClaw has gained popularity for automating tasks but raises significant security and privacy concerns due to required account access and exposed user systems.
The ongoing tension between federal immigration authorities and the state of Minnesota highlights a complex clash over enforcement tactics and sanctuary policies. A federal judge recently postponed a ruling, demanding further details on whether armed Department of Homeland Security raids are being used as leverage. This development follows the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, after which he was swiftly labeled a terrorist by certain officials and online commentators. Surveillance efforts are intensifying, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement employing an AI-powered Palantir system to analyze tips and utilizing the controversial Mobile Fortify facial recognition app on countless individuals, including U.S. citizens. New filings reveal the government’s growing interest in commercial data analysis tools for law enforcement. A military officer’s analysis for WIRED criticized ICE’s operations, describing their tactics as dangerously immature for a force acting with military-style authority.
Beyond domestic surveillance, this week’s security landscape reveals global concerns. WIRED published an exhaustive investigation into a human trafficking compound in Laos, based on documents and testimony from a victim. In the realm of personal safety, deepfake “nudify” technology is becoming more sophisticated and accessible, increasing risks of digital abuse. Separate research exposed a critical vulnerability in an AI-powered stuffed animal, leaving thousands of children’s chat logs exposed online.
In a separate but significant disclosure, a Department of Justice document reveals an informant told the FBI in 2017 that the late financier Jeffrey Epstein employed a “personal hacker.” The informant described an individual born in Calabria, Italy, who specialized in discovering vulnerabilities in Apple’s iOS, BlackBerry devices, and the Firefox browser, noting the hacker “was very good at finding vulnerabilities.” According to the account, this person developed and sold offensive hacking tools, including exploits for unpatched security flaws, to various entities. The alleged clients included an unnamed central African government, the United Kingdom, the United States, and even the militant group Hezbollah, with one payment reportedly consisting of “a trunk of cash.” The accuracy of these claims and whether the FBI acted on them remains unclear.
Meanwhile, a different kind of digital tool is capturing attention. The AI assistant OpenClaw has surged in popularity, with technologists granting it extensive access to automate their digital tasks across platforms like Gmail and Amazon. While users describe its capabilities as magical, security experts warn of significant trade-offs. Granting such broad permissions introduces substantial privacy and security risks. As its user base has exploded, researchers have already found hundreds of insecure instances where users inadvertently exposed full system access to the internet, often with no authentication required, creating a major vulnerability.
(Source: Wired)
