Former Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming is alleged to have had child exploitation and bestiality material on his work devices, which has been revealed after a court dismissed an application to prevent media reporting on the nature of the objectionable material. McSkimming resigned from his position in May amidst separate investigations into alleged misconduct. A “rapid review” of police’s information security controls was ordered after the investigation into McSkimming, identifying several key issues, including weaknesses in technology configuration, lack of visibility over user activity, and gaps in governance. No notice of appeal was filed after the court’s decision, leading to the release of this information.
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The State Department has alerted U.S. diplomats about attempts to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio, potentially using AI technology. An imposter, posing as Rubio, contacted at least three foreign ministers, a U.S. senator, and a governor via text, Signal, and voicemail. This incident, while unsuccessful and not particularly sophisticated, prompted the department to warn employees and foreign governments due to increasing efforts to compromise information security. The FBI has also issued warnings about similar campaigns using AI-generated messages to impersonate senior U.S. officials.
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The sheer audacity of it all is breathtaking. Imagine: top-level US government officials, supposedly strategizing about sensitive military operations, doing so over a group chat app so insecure that it invites accidental inclusion of a journalist. This wasn’t some encrypted, secure channel—this was a casual group chat, seemingly open to anyone, with messages disappearing after just four weeks. This is not just a lapse in judgment; it’s a blatant disregard for established security protocols.
The casual use of emojis only adds to the shocking incompetence. One can easily envision the seriousness of the situation being undercut by a poorly placed smiley face or a thumbs-up emoji amid discussions of potential attacks.… Continue reading
John Q. Hosedrinker 
Matt Underwood