Benedict Collins

Benedict Collins

Senior Writer, Security

Benedict is a Senior Security Writer at TechRadar Pro, where he has specialized in covering the intersection of geopolitics, cyber-warfare, and business security.

Benedict provides detailed analysis on state-sponsored threat actors, APT groups, and the protection of critical national infrastructure, with his reporting bridging the gap between technical threat intelligence and B2B security strategy.

Benedict holds an MA (Distinction) in Security, Intelligence, and Diplomacy from the University of Buckingham Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies (BUCSIS), with his specialization providing him with an elite academic framework for deconstructing complex international conflicts and intelligence operations. He also holds a BA in Politics with Journalism, providing him with a strong investigative nature and the ability to translate complex security data into clear, actionable insights.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest data breach or security threats, Benedict enjoys running and cycling throughout the UK countryside.

Articles by: Benedict Collins

World Password Day
'The findings are sobering': Experts warn nearly half of the world's passwords can easily be cracked in just a few minutes

By Benedict Collins

Kaspersky researchers conducted real world testing and found that almost half of passwords can be cracked in less than a minute.

password manager example
I’m a password expert – and these are my top five tips for picking the right password manager

By Benedict Collins

World Password Day Choosing a password manager doesn't have to be difficult, and I've shared my top five tips for making a good choice.

A close-up of a person’s finger hovering over a glowing, futuristic biometric scanner.
Coming up with a new password doesn't have to be hard – I'm a password expert, and these are my 5 top tips for crafting the perfect password

By Benedict Collins

World Password Day It's World Password Day, and this is my guidance on how to create a secure password to keep your account secure.

A composite image featuring a stylized digital military base schematic partially covered by a translucent "Data Leak" warning graphic in red and white.
More than 70,000 US Army files were exposed ‘for over a year’ even after CISA warning – sensitive personnel info and base schematics stored in vulnerable Open Directory Listing

By Benedict Collins

The database contained sensitive US military information on bases, personnel, contractors, and schematics

An image showing the official white house app from The White House website.
Researcher reveals official White House app is one command away from tracking your precise location every 4.5 minutes – app can also inject code to dodge cookie consent, GDPR banners, and paywalls

By Benedict Collins

White House app contains code to hide cookie options, GDPR banners, and paywalls - and collects extensive user data

Two robotic faces in green and red indicating a good bot and a bad bot representing the positive and negative impacts of AI and chatbots.
Freshworks and Coinbase announce more than 1 in 10 jobs to go as companies replace workforce with AI technologies — tech company layoffs near 100K in 2026 alone

By Benedict Collins

Freshworks and Coinbase are joining the list of companies laying off employees due to AI in 2026

Electronic circuit boards moving along a conveyor system in a manufacturing facility for assembly and quality control
Federal regulator to ban all Chinese labs from vetting US-bound devices over national security concerns – major supply chain shakeup will affect 75 percent of devices sold in the US

By Benedict Collins

Chinese labs are set to lose their FCC testing accreditation after a unanimous commission vote.

US President Donald Trump reacts before delivering his inaugural address after being sworn in inside the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025.
Trump administration blocks 30GW of wind power citing national security – Department of Defense obstructing negotiations, meetings, and sign-offs in attempt to stall the ‘worst form of energy’

By Benedict Collins

Trump administration uses national security to justify stalling the development of 165 wind farms that could power 15 million homes

A hand holding a mobile phone scans a QR code on a blurry laptop screen. The phone issues a warning that the QR code could be malicious.
QR code phishing surges 146% as Microsoft detects and analyzes 8.3 billion phishing threats in Q1 2026 – attackers are changing tactics to bypass security

By Benedict Collins

Microsoft has seen attackers changing tactics to get around security tools, and they keep adapting even when disrupted.

healthcare
Error in Medicare database exposes US healthcare providers Social Security numbers – Trump administration directory designed to modernize Medicare encounters another setback

By Benedict Collins

A Trump administration directory designed to help seniors find healthcare inadvertently exposed Social Security numbers.

Mountain View, CA, USA - May 1, 2022: Google sign is seen at Googleplex, the corporate headquarters complex of Google and its parent company, Alphabet, Inc., in Mountain View, California.
Google says it is ‘proud’ to serve the Pentagon – new DoD contract expansion says Gemini will only be used for ‘any lawful purpose’, but what happened to 'Don’t Be Evil'?

By Benedict Collins

Google's contract with the Pentagon allows the DoD to use Gemini for 'any lawful purpose', and that is a big ethical concern.

An image showing the administrator panel of a server rack that is urgently applying a patch to a critical vulnerability.
'The Internet is falling down': Critical cPanel CRLF injection vulnerability puts tens of millions of websites at risk of total compromise – hosting providers urged to apply CVE-2026-41940 patch immediately

By Benedict Collins

A new critical severity vulnerability can give attackers full control over WHM servers, allowing them to steal data, upload malware, and delete websites.

A robotic hand using a key with the word 'Bluekit' on it to smash through a holographic security firewall.
Researchers discover new all-in-one ‘Bluekit’ phishing kit capable of bypassing enterprise 2FA protocols and emulating 40+ global brands

By Benedict Collins

Bluekit centralizes and automates entire phishing campaigns, and is capable of stealing sessions, avoiding detection, and spoofing locations.

An assortment of icons denoting economic harm and digital data processing overlayed on an image of computer servers.
Prompts now, pollutants later: Report claims data centers are harming the environment to the tune of $25 billion and inducing a debt on the health of current and future generations

By Benedict Collins

A new paper theorizes that the cost of gross external damages generated by data centers could exceed $25 billion.

ChatGPT and Gemini on mobile phones.
‘You don’t cook a Thanksgiving turkey in the microwave’: Pentagon confirms Department of Defense will use Google Gemini for ‘classified projects’ – US military to expand AI vendors as ‘overreliance on one vendor is never a good thing’

By Benedict Collins

Google's Gemini joins OpenAI's ChatGPT as AI models being leveraged by the Department of Defense for warfighting capabilities.

Assorted video chat apps are seen on an iPhone, including Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, Discord, FaceTime, Messenger, Marco Polo, WhatsApp, and Cisco Webex Meetings.
'Watching, keeping tabs, and sharing': New report claims workplace apps gathering far more personal data than we all think — and its even being used for advertising

By Benedict Collins

Your personal data is being collected by your workplace app, and sometimes passed on to advertisers

Fingers typing on a laptop keyword, with many small images of people portrait pictures in the background.
New figures show March 2026 was the worst month for tech job layoffs since 2024 — but it's probably going to get worse

By Benedict Collins

If you managed to get a job in March, you're one of the lucky few.

Google Gemini AI logo on a smartphone with Google background
‘Human lives are already being lost’: Open letter signed by hundreds of Google employees requests CEO reject ‘unethical and dangerous’ US military AI use

By Benedict Collins

An open letter signed by over 600 employees calls on Google's CEO to not offer its technology to the Department of Defense.

A line of robots typing at computers
‘You feel radicalized’: A Meta AI exec watched agents beat her top workers. Now she’s built a nonprofit to help Gen Z find jobs before they disappear

By Benedict Collins

Entry level jobs are being done by AI, and that has left Gen Z up a river without a paddle

Abstract Futuristic Red Shinny Digital Hud Square Elements Mosaic Grid Map Of China Flat Screen With Horizontal Light
‘This was not an isolated incident’: Chinese national exposed by NASA investigation in serial defense software theft phishing campaign that lasted years

By Benedict Collins

NASA, the military, and numerous universities and private companies were targeted by this phishing campaign.

DeepSeek
‘Extraction and distillation’: US State Department upgrades AI theft accusations to target China’s Deepseek, Moonshot AI and MiniMax

By Benedict Collins

The State Department says Chinese AI companies are 'distilling' US AI models.

wo human figure including America and China flag are in confrontation on the world background
'We will be taking action to protect American innovation': White House accuses China of 'systematically' extracting American AI technologies

By Benedict Collins

The US says China has been stealing American AI models to develop its own open source models.

An Nvidia GB200 server rack in a data center with one rack open and exposed.
'It was awesome to see it work': OpenAI deploys GPT-5.5 Codex across Nvidia Blackwell systems – 50x efficiency boost and 35x cost reduction makes AI ‘viable at enterprise scale’

By Benedict Collins

Nvidia boasts of extreme efficiency and cost savings after deploying OpenAI's Codex on its Blackwell systems.

Data Search Technology Search Engine Optimization. man's hands are using laptop to Searching for information. Marketing ranking traffic website, SEO search engine optimization concept.
Best People Search Finder Service of 2026: Top Services Reviewed & Ranked

By Pawan Singh

Updated The best people search finder service can help you scour public databases to find friends and family.

Microsoft 365 copilot logo displayed on a tablet screen, next to a coffee cup and digital pen, suggesting a modern workspace
This new Microsoft 365 Copilot feature could throw your GDPR compliance into question — here's how to check, and how turn it off

By Benedict Collins

Microsoft wants to ease EU Copilot processing by having some data processed in the US, Canada, and Australia.

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