Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai

@[email protected]
8.5K Followers
1.8K Following
1.2K Posts

Real-time cyber historian of the late capitalist era @TechCrunch, writing about the intersection of hackers, human rights, and spies.

Also writing a book about Hacking Team and the history of government spyware.

Posts about infosec, surveillance by day. 🍕, ⚽️, 🎸, 🎮 by night. 


☎️ Signal: +1 917 257 1382

💻 Keybase/Telegram: @ lorenzofb

✉️ [email protected]


Previously: VICE Motherboard, Mashable, WIRED's Danger Room.

Twitterhttps://twitter.com/lorenzofb
Personal Sitehttps://lorenzofb.com
PronounsHe/him
Searchable viatootfinder
TechCrunchhttps://techcrunch.com/author/lorenzo-franceschi-bicchierai/
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai11h ago
Jagmeet Singh11h ago

New: Anime streaming service Crunchyroll has confirmed a data breach involving customer service ticket information following an incident with a third-party vendor.

https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/24/crunchyroll-confirms-data-breach-after-hacker-claims-unauthorized-access/

Crunchyroll confirms data breach after hacker claims unauthorized access | TechCrunch

Crunchyroll said it continues to investigate the data breach involving its users' personal information.

TechCrunch
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai1d ago

SCOOP: Someone has found new samples of the iPhone spyware DarkSword and published them on GitHub, putting millions of iOS users at risk.

A cybersecurity researcher told us that the leaked spyware is "way too easy to repurpose" and "we need to expect criminals and others to start deploying this."

"The exploits will work out of the box," iVerify's Matthias Frielingsdorf said. "There is no iOS expertise required."

http://techcrunch.com/2026/03/23/someone-has-publicly-leaked-an-exploit-kit-that-can-hack-millions-of-iphones/

Someone has publicly leaked an exploit kit that can hack millions of iPhones | TechCrunch

Leaked "DarkSword" exploits published to GitHub allow hackers and cybercriminals to target iPhone users running old versions of iOS with spyware, according to cybersecurity researchers.

TechCrunch
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai1d ago
Zack Whittaker1d ago

New, by me: Russian authorities say they have blocked access to Archive.today, a popular paywall removal site.

The sites appear blocked when I checked earlier (thanks @redteamwrangler for flagging), but was still able to access the sites from other devices and networks.

https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/23/russian-authorities-block-paywall-removal-site-archive-today/

Russian authorities block paywall removal site Archive.today | TechCrunch

A notice on the popular paywall-bypass website Archive.today said that access is blocked "by decision of public authorities."

TechCrunch
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai1d ago

NEW: Iranian government hackers are using Telegram to steal data in malware attacks against dissidents, journalists, and opposition groups around the world, according to the FBI.

The hackers work for Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), the FBI said, and they use Telegram as command and control infrastructure to hide their malicious activity.

https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/23/fbi-says-iranian-hackers-are-using-telegram-to-steal-data-in-malware-attacks/

FBI says Iranian hackers are using Telegram to steal data in malware attacks | TechCrunch

Hackers working for Iran’s government are using Telegram in hacking operations that use malware to target dissidents, opposition groups, and journalists who oppose its regime, according to the FBI.

TechCrunch
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai4d ago

NEW: The U.S. accused Iran's government of being behind the hacktivist group Handala, which claimed responsibility for the destructive hack on medical tech giant Stryker.

The Justice Department said Handala and other fake hacktivist groups —including one allegedly behind the hack on the Albanian government in 2022 — are run by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS).

http://techcrunch.com/2026/03/20/u-s-accuses-irans-government-of-operating-hacktivist-group-that-hacked-stryker/

US accuses Iran's government of operating hacktivist group that hacked Stryker | TechCrunch

The U.S. Justice Department said an Iranian security ministry operates the fake activist persona known as Handala, which claimed responsibility for the destructive hack targeting medical tech giant Stryker.

TechCrunch
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai4d ago
Zack Whittaker4d ago

New, by me: A cyberattack on a vehicle breathalyzer company called Intoxalock has left drivers across the United States stranded and unable to start their cars.

https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/20/cyberattack-on-vehicle-breathalyzer-company-leaves-drivers-stranded-across-the-us/

Cyberattack on vehicle breathalyzer company leaves drivers stranded across the US | TechCrunch

A cyberattack on a U.S. car breathalyzer company has left drivers across the United States reportedly stranded and unable to start their vehicles.

TechCrunch
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai5d ago

NEW: The FBI has taken down and seized two websites that were run by the pro-Iranian hacktivist group Handala.

“Law enforcement authorities determined this domain was used to conduct, facilitate, or support malicious cyber activities on behalf of, or in coordination with, a foreign state actor,” read the seizure notice.

The law enforcement actions comes a week after Handala claimed responsibility for the devastating hack of U.S. medical tech giant Stryker.

https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/19/fbi-seizes-pro-iranian-hacking-groups-websites-after-destructive-stryker-hack/

FBI seizes pro-Iranian hacking group's websites after destructive Stryker hack | TechCrunch

The FBI and the Justice Department took down two websites linked to the pro-Iranian hacktivist group Handala, which last week hacked medical tech giant Stryker.

TechCrunch
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai6d ago

NEW: Security researchers have found another sophisticated hacking campaign against iPhone users.

This one is also by a Russian government group against Ukrainians, and involves both stealing personal data and potentially crypto.

And it raises the question: are iPhone hacks more common that we think?

https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/18/russians-caught-stealing-personal-data-from-ukrainians-with-new-advanced-iphone-hacking-tools/

Russians caught stealing personal data from Ukrainians with new advanced iPhone hacking tools | TechCrunch

A suspected group of Russian government hackers was caught targeting Ukrainians with new iPhone hacking tools designed for espionage and potentially to steal crypto.

TechCrunch
Lorenzo Franceschi-BicchieraiMar 13

NEW: The FBI is looking for a hacker who published several video games on Steam that were laced with malware in the last two years.

The bureau is aslo looking for gamers who fell victim and installed these games on their computers.

https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/13/valve-steam-malware-games-fbi/

The FBI is investigating malware hidden inside games hosted on Steam | TechCrunch

The FBI believes a series of video games published on Steam in the last two years were embedded with malware by the same hacker.

TechCrunch
Lorenzo Franceschi-BicchieraiMar 12

NEW: A global law enforcement operation took down a botnet allegedly used to facilitate ransomware, DDoS attacks, the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and other cybercrimes.

The botnet was made of more than 369,000 hacked routers and IoT devices, according to Europol.

https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/12/law-enforcement-shuts-down-botnet-made-of-tens-of-thousands-of-hacked-routers/

Law enforcement shuts down botnet made of tens of thousands of hacked routers | TechCrunch

An international law enforcement operation shut down a service called SocksEscort, which allegedly helped cybercriminals all over the world launch ransomware and DDoS attacks, as well as distribute child sexual abuse material.

TechCrunch