The 2019 Pwnie Winner For Most Epic Fail

Bloomberg’s Infosec Fan Fiction

As a resident of the infosec industry, it’s fair to wonder whether words still mean things – and Bloomberg’s cybersecurity reporting is Exhibit A to support the conclusion that they don’t. Beginning with a juicy, bloated entrée, “The Big Hack,” Bloomberg didn’t back down as security experts called them out for their less than rigorous reporting. For dessert, Bloomberg decided to die on the barren hill that end-to-end encryption is a “gimmick” because of a WhatsApp vulnerability (exploited by fellow nominee, NSO Group). It’s one thing to use a term like “cyber weapon” in an article, but it’s another thing to let down an entire industry not once, but twice in a year.