The Wiretap: Drone Videos Of U.S. Military Bases Were Posted On YouTube, FBI Says
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The entrance to Andersen Air Force Base at Yigo in Guam. It was one of two sites that were filmed by a YouTuber with a drone, the FBI says. (Photo by ED JONES / AFP)
AFP via Getty ImagesIn February, had a tip for the . On , agents had found someone openly posting aerial footage of the U.S. Marine Corps base that were shot with a drone. This was a serious concern, given that the airspace above the base was restricted due to national security reasons.
Investigators got data from Google’s YouTube, which helped them identify a suspect, , who mostly posts videos on issues to do with life on the island via his PlanetGuam channel. Cruz has been indicted, though has and failing to register a drone with the Federal Aviation Administration.
It wasn’t the first time Cruz had allegedly used a drone to publish footage of a Defense Department facility, according to a search warrant reviewed by Forbes. He did the same when he in Guam in January 2021, the FBI said. According to the warrant, which permitted the FBI to motorcycle, Cruz was interviewed after that incident and agreed to not to take footage over a DOD base again.
Given both incidents, and the long held concern about unmanned aerial machines being used for surveillance, it’s perhaps a in place. Both have strategic importance to American defense in the pacific region, especially in relation to China’s threat to Taiwan and North Korea. Andersen has long been a vital site for maintaining a presence near East Asia for over 50 years.
Camp Blaz, meanwhile, was only opened in 2023, and is currently being . Earlier this week, the first batch of marines and sailors were welcomed into its barracks.
at +1 929-512-7964.
(Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
2017 Getty ImagesIn a letter to the SEC, disclosed on Thursday that hackers , and then demanded a $20 million ransom for it. The crypto exchange didn’t pay and is instead offering the same amount for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the hackers.
As a result of this incident, Coinbase is now forecasting up to $400 million in “remediation costs and voluntary customer reimbursements.” Those employees caught handing over user data, which , were immediately fired, the company said.
director has , sources tell the New York Times. That included oversight of the FBI’s use of a controversial surveillance power, known as (FISA), which allows for snooping on Americans’ communications with individuals and organizations outside of the U.S.
The FBI is also warning about , which first build some rapport with a target before trying to convince them to click on malicious links. In one series of attacks, the FBI said the hackers pretended to get the targets to move onto a new messaging platform, and used the process to try to get access to their legitimate accounts.
, a startup hoping to challenge cyber incident response giants like , has funding round led by Ballistic Ventures. Among its other high profile investors are Mandiant founder, , who is now on the BreachX board, while former New York Times lead cybersecurity reporter Nicole Perlroth has been named a board observer.
The U.K.’s Legal Aid Agency was hacked, affecting hundreds of thousands of people who applied to get free legal support for civil and criminal cases. Leaked data reportedly included applicants’ name, address, criminal history and some financial details.
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