Technology
Big Brother is watching in Big Apple with sneaky new plan to spy on drivers, charge them
‘CyberGuy’: Big Brother in the Big Apple
NYC drivers face a $15 daily congestion fee for entering the toll congestion zone south of 60th Street, monitored by license plate readers. Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson gives the details.
New York City drivers buckle up because Big Brother (aka the MTA) is keeping a watchful eye on you by installing cameras along New York City streets to track you. But why? Well, it all boils down to money, of course. The MTA is rolling out a controversial $15 per day congestion fee for all drivers venturing south of 60th Street. They’ve even given this area of Manhattan a snazzy name: the toll congestion zone.
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License plate readers in NYC (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
How license plate readers are keeping tabs on NYC drivers
Now, let’s dive into the nitty-gritty. License plate readers have been strategically placed above FDR Drive at East 25th Street and on Route 9A (The West Side Highway) to keep tabs on drivers entering the congestion zone. This means that any driver who enters this zone will have to pay the fee, regardless of where they live or where they are going.
License plate readers in NYC (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
But here’s the twist: state law prevents the MTA from charging drivers who stick to the highway. While both the FDR Drive and Route 9A are currently excluded from the toll under state law, some motorists express concern that this infrastructure could eventually be used to charge tolls on these highways as well. After all, with the equipment already in place, what’s stopping state legislators from changing that law and starting charging for highway usage, too?
License plate readers in NYC (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Discounts, deductions and the transit equation
But what about discounts, you ask? If you’re using the Hudson River or East River tunnels, you’ll snag a sweet $5 discount off that $15 toll. Meanwhile, the FDR Expressway and West Side Highway remain toll-free, as we mentioned. And if you live in the congestion zone and make less than $60,000 annually, you can deduct the cost from your taxes. Plus, low-income drivers trekking from areas more than half a mile away from a subway, commuter railroad, or express bus stop get their own slice of the discount pie.
License plate readers in NYC (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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The journey of congestion pricing
Let’s rewind a bit. Back in 2019, former Governor Andrew Cuomo and the Democratic-run Assembly and Senate gave the green light to the congestion pricing program. Current Governor Kathy Hochul is all in, predicting that this program will rake in a cool one billion dollars annually. And where will that cash flow? Straight into major upgrades for the MTA’s subway, commuter railroads, and bus systems. Talk about a transit makeover.
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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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Councilman calls out MTA’s spy game
Councilman Joe Borelli (R-Staten Island) couldn’t resist a quip about the license plate readers saying, “It’s amazing to see the MTA turn into the MI6 spy agency when it comes to screwing drivers, but it can’t even make a turnstile to prevent subway fare beating.” Touché, Councilman Borelli.
License plate readers in NYC (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Borelli raises a valid concern. Could the MTA eventually expand the congestion zone to include toll-free highways? Remember how the legislature expanded speed cameras during the city’s pilot program? Well, they might just do the same with the congestion toll. As they say, “Where there’s a legislative will, there’s a tollway.”
License plate readers in NYC (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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Kurt’s key takeaways
As New York City’s streets become watched by license plate readers and surveillance cameras, drivers find themselves at the crossroads of convenience and scrutiny. The $15 congestion toll promises to fund transit improvements, but it also raises questions about fairness and future expansions. So, fellow commuters, keep your eyes on the road and your wallets because Big Brother is definitely watching and charging you.
What do you think? Will this model of congestion tolls spread to other cities, including yours? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
For more of my tech tips & security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.
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Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
Technology
Anker’s last-gen sleep buds are nearly 40 percent off ahead of daylight saving time
Bad news: most Americans are about to lose an hour of sleep next week. Good news: if you have trouble falling (or staying asleep), Newegg is currently selling Anker’s Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds for $113.99 ($66 off) when you use coupon code MMSF88 at checkout, which drops them to just $6 shy of their lowest price to date.
A couple of us here at The Verge are fans of Anker’s last-gen sleep buds, which do a good job of muffling disruptive noises (including snoring). They’re lightweight and comfortable enough to wear overnight, even while sleeping on your side, with multiple ear tips and wings for a personalized fit. In fact, in his review, my colleague Thomas Ricker said that they improved his average sleep time by nearly 30 minutes within a two-week period.
What’s even more convenient is that they offer a variety of sleep-focused features to help you rest better. For example, you can use them to play a range of relaxing sounds, from meditation exercises and nature clips to white noise. You can use them as a regular pair of Bluetooth earbuds, too, just in case you prefer to listen to audiobooks or your own curated sleep playlist. They even come with adjustable EQ as well, though we wouldn’t recommend using them as your primary earbuds for music, given that they can’t match the audio quality you’d get from a pair of midrange earbuds from Apple, Sony, or Bose.
In addition, the Sleep A20 offer up to 14 hours of battery life and sleep tracking, providing insights into how long and how well you’ve slept via a companion app that also details your sleep positions and movements. The newer Soundcore Sleep A30 feature active noise cancellation, which is more effective at masking sounds than the A20’s passive isolation, but Anker’s last-gen earbuds remain a decent, budget-friendly option that can help you comfortably tune out most nighttime distractions for nearly half the price.
Technology
Figure data breach exposes nearly 1M accounts
Cyber expert shares tips to avoid AI phishing scams
Kurt ‘The CyberGuy’ Knutsson shares practical ways to avoid falling victim to AI-generated phishing scams and discusses a report that North Korean agents are posing as I.T. workers to funnel money into the country’s nuclear program.
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If you have applied for a loan online, you probably shared more than you realized. Your name. Your email. Your date of birth. Maybe even your home address and phone number. Now imagine all of that sitting on a dark web forum.
That is the reality for nearly 1 million people after hackers breached Figure Technology Solutions, a blockchain-focused fintech lender.
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What happened in the Figure data breach
Figure Technology Solutions, founded in 2018, uses the Provenance blockchain for lending, borrowing and securities trading. The company says it has unlocked more than $22 billion in home equity through partnerships with banks, credit unions, fintechs and home improvement companies. However, behind the scenes, attackers were working on a very different angle.
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Nearly 1 million accounts were exposed after hackers breached fintech lender Figure Technology Solutions in a social engineering attack. (Felix Zahn/Photothek via Getty Images)
According to breach notification data shared by Have I Been Pwned, information from 967,200 accounts was exposed. The leaked data included more than 900,000 unique email addresses along with names, phone numbers, physical addresses and dates of birth. That is a gold mine for identity thieves. Figure says the incident stemmed from a social engineering attack. What that means in simple terms is that someone inside the company was tricked into handing over access.
“We recently identified that an employee was socially engineered, and that allowed an actor to download a limited number of files through their account,” a Figure Technology Solutions spokesperson told CyberGuy in a statement. “We acted quickly to block the activity and retained a forensic firm to investigate what files were affected. We understand the importance of these matters and are communicating with partners and those impacted as appropriate. We are also implementing additional safeguards and training to further strengthen our defenses. We are offering complimentary credit monitoring to all individuals who receive a notice. We continuously monitor accounts and have strong safeguards in place to protect customers’ funds and accounts.”
Social engineering is the real weapon
When people hear the word blockchain, they think secure and untouchable. But attackers did not break cryptography. They targeted a human being. Groups like ShinyHunters specialize in this playbook. They reportedly claimed responsibility for the breach and, according to BleepingComputer, posted 2.5GB of data allegedly tied to thousands of loan applicants.
In recent weeks, the same group has claimed breaches involving companies like Canada Goose, Panera Bread and SoundCloud. Not every case is connected. Still, security researchers have observed a troubling pattern. Attackers impersonate IT support. They call employees. They create urgency. Then they direct victims to fake login portals that look nearly identical to real ones.
Once employees enter credentials and even multi-factor authentication codes, attackers gain access to single sign-on systems tied to major platforms like Microsoft and Google. From there, one compromised account can unlock a web of connected tools and internal systems.
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Security researchers say the Figure data leak underscores how social engineering bypasses even blockchain-based platforms. (Maxim Konankov/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Why this matters to you
If your information was part of the Figure data breach, criminals now have enough detail to craft convincing phishing emails or phone scams. They can reference your real name. They can cite your address. They can pretend to be a lender or bank calling about your application.
Even if you never applied for a loan with Figure, this incident highlights something bigger. No platform is immune to human error. And social engineering works because it targets trust, not technology.
The bigger lesson about blockchain and trust
Figure markets itself as blockchain native. Blockchain can provide transparency and strong cryptographic security. However, none of that protects against a well-crafted phone call.
Security failures often happen at the human layer. That is where attackers focus their energy. As more financial services move online, the attack surface grows. Loan applications, identity verification tools and cloud-based systems create convenience. They also create new targets.
How to protect yourself after the Figure data breach
You cannot control how companies secure their systems. You can control how you respond. Start by checking whether your email address appears in the exposed dataset, then take the steps below to lock down your accounts.
SUBSTACK DATA BREACH EXPOSES EMAILS AND PHONE NUMBERS
Figure says an employee was tricked into granting access, allowing attackers to download sensitive customer data. (Luke MacGregor/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Check if your email was exposed
To see if your email address was affected, visit https://haveibeenpwned.com/. Enter your email address to find out whether your information appears in the leak. When finished, return here and begin Step 1 below.
Take these steps immediately
- Change any exposed passwords right away. Do not leave a known leaked password in place. Update it everywhere you used it. Use a password manager to create strong, unique passwords for every account. Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2026 at Cyberguy.com
- Turn on multi-factor authentication wherever possible.
- Never share login codes with anyone, even if they claim to be IT support.
- Install strong antivirus software to help block phishing links, malicious downloads and ransomware that often follow major breaches. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.
- Consider a data removal service to reduce your personal information on data broker sites, which scammers often combine with breached data. Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.
- Place a free fraud alert or credit freeze with the major credit bureaus.
- Monitor your bank and credit card statements weekly for suspicious activity.
Also, be cautious of unexpected calls about your accounts. If someone pressures you to act immediately, hang up and call the company directly using a number from its official website.
Kurt’s key takeaways
The Figure data breach is a reminder that technology alone cannot protect sensitive information. A single employee tricked into revealing credentials can expose hundreds of thousands of people. That is not a blockchain failure. It is a trust failure. If your data was involved, take action now. Even if it was not, treat this as a wake-up call. Your personal information has value. Criminals know it. Companies should know it too.
If one phone call can unlock nearly a million records, are companies investing enough in training people, or are they still betting everything on technology alone? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com
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Technology
Apple’s website leaks MacBook ‘Neo,’ which could be its new cheaper laptop
During Apple’s week-long product launch event on Tuesday, a listing for the “MacBook Neo (Model A3404)” appeared on a regulatory compliance page on Apple’s website under its line-up of 2026 MacBooks. First spotted by MacRumors, the listing appears to be an accident and has since been removed, but may have been a leaked reference to a rumored entry-level MacBook. Unfortunately, it didn’t include any additional details beyond the device’s name and model number.
The lower price and an “entirely new design” could help the new MacBook appeal to students and casual users, competing with Chromebooks and low-cost Windows laptops. A more affordable MacBook could be especially appealing after Apple announced the M5 MacBook Air on Tuesday, which has a higher starting price than last year’s Air.
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