Author Archive

Renee Dudley

Tech Reporter, ProPublica

Renee Dudley is a tech reporter at ProPublica. Before joining ProPublica in 2018, she was a member of the enterprise team at Reuters, where she helped uncover a U.S. higher education admissions system corrupted by systematic cheating on standardized tests. The series was named a 2017 Pulitzer Prize finalist in National Reporting.
Cybersecurity

How the FBI stumbled in the war on cybercrime

Although cyberattacks were becoming more sophisticated, FBI officials told counterparts at DHS and elsewhere in the federal government that ransomware wasn’t a priority.

  • By Renee Dudley and Daniel Golden, ProPublica
Cybersecurity

The Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Hackers Had a Secret Weapon: Self-Promoting Cybersecurity Firms

Five months before DarkSide attacked the Colonial pipeline, two researchers discovered a way to rescue its ransomware victims. Then an antivirus company’s announcement alerted the hackers.

  • By Renee Dudley and Daniel Golden, ProPublica
Artificial Intelligence

The Amazon Lockdown: How an Unforgiving Algorithm Drives Suppliers to Favor the E-Commerce Giant Over Other Retailers

At a time when much of the retail sector is collapsing, Amazon is strengthening its competitive position in ways that could outlast the pandemic — and raise antitrust concerns.

  • By Renee Dudley, ProPublica
Cybersecurity

Like Voldemort, Ransomware Is Too Scary to Be Named

Wary of alarming investors, companies victimized by ransomware attacks often tell the SEC that “malware” or a “security incident” disrupted their operations.

  • By Renee Dudley, ProPublica