Our biggest stories, scoops and features from 2023

2023 was a big year for both the cybersecurity world and Recorded Future News. The Record nearly doubled its traffic in 2023, and was read by almost 3 million people. The Click Here podcast was regularly heard on dozens of radio stations across the country, and has hit 2 million downloads in less than 2 years. It also won major prizes, including an Edward R. Murrow Award and two National Headliner Awards.

Over the last year, we also expanded our coverage both geographically and thematically — we are now a go-to source for news about topics including privacy and artificial intelligence, and cover stories firsthand in the UK and Ukraine.

There are too many highlights from 2023 to list, but here’s a small look back:

Court rules automakers can record and intercept owner text messages

Our most-read story of 2023 (and all time), with more than 115,000 pageviews. A federal judge in November refused to bring back a class action lawsuit against major automakers alleging that they violated privacy laws by recording text messages and phone call logs through their infotainment systems.

60 credit unions facing outages due to ransomware attack on popular tech provider

Our runner-up in terms of total readers emphasized the growing threat of ransomware, and how it affects everyday life. Dozens of credit unions dealt with outages after an attack disrupted operations at a cloud services provider that was popular in the industry.

ONCD acting director told she will not receive nomination, leaving key cyber agency’s future in limbo

Just five months after Chris Inglis, the first National Cyber Director, left his post, our reporters broke the news that the acting director who had been supported by several key lawmakers and cybersecurity leaders would not be nominated to permanently hold the position. Harry Coker, a former NSA official, was confirmed to the post earlier this month.

Exclusive: Inside an American Hunt Forward Operation in Ukraine

Click Here’s biggest exclusive in 2023 took an inside look at U.S. Cyber Command’s Hunt Forward Operation in Ukraine. The Click Here team, which did a follow-up story several months later after a visit to Ukraine, interviewed half a dozen American cyber warriors who were on the ground in Kyiv.

Genesis Market, one of world’s largest platforms for cyber fraud, seized by police

As ransomware attacks hit record levels, law enforcement around the world has worked harder than ever to shut down groups and the criminal platforms that make it easy for them to operate. In April, The Record had the details about an FBI-led operation that took down Genesis Market, one of world’s largest platforms for cyber fraud, and arrested nearly 120 people.

Saving Ukraine’s cultural heritage with a click

From Click Here’s reporting in Ukraine — a great human interest story about efforts to use cutting-edge technology to save cultural and historic sites that have been damaged by Russian attacks. Read more here, and see the 3D models that were taken to help reconstruct ruined buildings.