Security News This Week: The Startup That Transformed the Hack-for-Hire Industry

If you work at a spy agency tasked with surveilling the communications of more than 160 million people, it’s probably a good idea to make sure all the data in your possession stays off the open internet. Just ask Bangladesh’s National Telecommunication Monitoring Center, which security researchers found connected to a leaky database that exposed everything from names and email addresses to cell phone numbers and bank account details. The data was likely just used for testing purposes, but WIRED confirmed at least some of the data is linked to real people.

A fight is brewing in the United States Congress over the future of a powerful surveillance program. Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is set to expire at the end of the year. With the December 31 deadline quickly approaching, members of Congress and civil liberties groups are criticizing Section 702 for enabling the “incidental” surveillance of Americans’ communications and “abuses” by the FBI. While a privacy-preserving update to the program has been introduced in Congress, some 702 critics remain concerned that lawmakers will push through reauthorization using other, “must-pass” legislation.

The US Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency this week rolled out its plan for implementing the Biden administration’s executive order on artificial intelligence. CISA’s efforts will focus on defending against weaponized AI and how to incorporate the technology for national security purposes.

Speaking of national security, WIRED spoke this week with Jacob Chansley, aka the Qanon Shaman, who plans to run for the US Congress after becoming a poster child for the US Capitol riot on January 6. Elsewhere in the world of unexpected political news, talk of 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden's “Letter to America” spread online this week—and was promptly used by far-right figures to push conspiracy theories.

For the first time, the Signal Foundation has revealed the cost of running its widely popular encrypted messaging app. With annual expenses set to hit $50 million by 2025, the nonprofit expects to rely more heavily on user donations to keep Signal going strong. “By being honest about these costs