The Wiretap: Trump's Cybersecurity Agency Avoided A Near Disaster

This week in cybersecurity and surveillance: a near-catastrophic failure of a vital vulnerability database, Palantir's expanding role in deportation efforts, and the increasing use of AI in social media surveillance.

The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) database, a critical resource for cybersecurity professionals, narrowly avoided a complete shutdown due to a lapse in funding. A last-minute intervention by CISA prevented a potentially devastating disruption to national security and enterprise IT efforts. The lack of transparency surrounding this near-miss raises concerns about the stability of CISA's leadership.

Meanwhile, Palantir, a major player in the surveillance technology industry, is expanding its work with ICE, reportedly building systems for comprehensive target analysis of specific populations. Internal communications reveal concerns within Palantir about the ethical implications and potential public backlash associated with this project.

Other notable developments this week include:

• AI-powered social media surveillance: Law enforcement agencies are increasingly utilizing AI agents to monitor social media, raising concerns about privacy and potential misuse.
• Hacked crosswalks: A Seattle incident saw pedestrian crosswalks hacked to display pro-billionaire messages, highlighting the vulnerability of even seemingly mundane infrastructure.
• Proposed encryption backdoors: A Florida bill proposes requiring social media companies to create backdoors for law enforcement decryption, sparking debate about security versus privacy.
• Sensitive information leak: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is implicated in sharing sensitive information about U.S. military plans in a second Signal group chat.

Winner of the Week: LetsData, a Ukrainian cybersecurity startup using AI to combat disinformation campaigns.

Loser of the Week: Michael McMahon, a former NYPD sergeant, sentenced to prison for harassing and stalking a Chinese expatriate, allegedly as part of a Chinese government operation.

Further Reading on Forbes:

• Chobani's Billionaire Founder's $1.2 Billion Investment
• Nick Saban's Path to Billionaire Status
• The Potential for U.S. Rare Earth Mine Profits from Tariffs

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