BrianKrebs

The journalist Ken Kilppenstein reports that the Trump administration has decided to refuse all visa applicants from 75 different of countries, according to a U.S. diplomatic cable leaked to him. "Effective January 21, the directive is signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and was circulated minutes before the publication of this story. Citing the Immigration and Nationality Act, the order points to concerns over immigrants being “financially self-sufficient” as the reason for the freeze." “President Trump has made clear that immigrants must be financially self-sufficient to protect public benefits for American citizens,” the cable reads. “Applicants from these countries are at a high risk for becoming a public charge and recourse to local, state, and federal government resources in the United States.” Klippenstein says the countries affected include: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, The Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, and Yemen Maybe paywall, but worth supporting or at least subscribing. Ken has been out in front on reporting some of this administration's most gonzo moves, especially NSPM-7:

U.S. Freezes Visas to 75 Countries

Read the leaked diplomatic cable

WaPo reports: "The FBI executed a search warrant Wednesday morning at a Washington Post reporter’s home as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified government materials." "The reporter, Hannah Natanson, was at her home in Virginia at the time of the search. Federal agents searched her home and her devices, seizing her phone, two laptops and a Garmin watch. One of the laptops was her personal computer, the other a Washington Post-issued laptop." "It is exceptionally rare for law enforcement officials to conduct searches at reporters’ homes. Federal regulations intended to protect a free press are designed to make it difficult to use aggressive law enforcement tactics against reporters to obtain the identities of their sources or information." https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/01/14/washington-post-reporter-search/ https://archive.ph/kYFYo Guardian piece:

the Guardian

FBI raids home of Washington Post reporter in ‘highly unusual and aggressive’ move

Agents searched Hannah Natanson’s Virginia home and seized devices in inquiry tied to a classified materials case

Can you believe it's been a month already, Windows (ab)users? Yes, that's right, it's Patch Tuesday, or depending on when you're reading this Reboot Wednesday! Microsoft today issued patches to plug at least 113 security holes in its various Windows operating systems and supported software. Eight of the vulnerabilities earned Microsoft’s most-dire “critical” rating, and the company warns that attackers are already exploiting one of the bugs fixed today.

Patch Tuesday, January 2026 Edition – Krebs on Security

#patchtuesday

New, by me: Our first story of 2026 revealed how a destructive new botnet called Kimwolf has infected more than two million devices by mass-compromising a vast number of unofficial Android TV streaming boxes. Today, we’ll dig through digital clues left behind by the hackers, network operators and services that appear to have benefitted from Kimwolf’s spread.

Who Benefited from the Aisuru and Kimwolf Botnets? – Krebs on Security

For part one in this series, check out:

The Kimwolf Botnet is Stalking Your Local Network – Krebs on Security