About ~this week in security~
A very warm welcome to ~this week in security~ and thanks for visiting!
I'm Zack Whittaker, a cybersecurity journalist and author of ~this week in security~, my free weekly newsletter of all the news you need to know from the world of cyber.
What began in 2018 as a hobby newsletter sent in my spare time soon picked up steam and became a reliable weekly digest for those who can't keep up with the constant flood of cyber news. With its succinct format focused on summing up the top stories, the "happy corner" of uplifting things, and a reader-submitted cyber cat (or friend), my newsletter brings all the goods — and a little joy to your week.
~this week in security~ helps you navigate past the noise to get the most insightful news you can use, and why it matters, from your trusted source in cybersecurity. I spend hours every week combing through the headlines, from the top cybersecurity journalists breaking the news to the security defenders on the digital front lines, to ensure that you get the most accurate and high-quality information to help you stay ahead.
Since 2025, ~this week in security~ expanded into a blog as a go-to resource for cyber analysis and more for premium subscribers.
As background, for my professional work I am the long-serving security editor at TechCrunch. With close to two-decades of reporting experience, I have made a successful career and built my reputation on investigative reporting and breaking news, uncovering security flaws, and exposing malicious operations — from spam to spyware — to name just a few.
A British native, I now live in the New York area with my partner, Jordan, and our two cats, Toby and Theo.
Ethics statement
As a working professional journalist, ~this week in security~ currently does not run ads or sponsors. This newsletter and blog relies on the support from readers like you. Please consider a subscription for paywalled content and to help cover the costs of running this site.
I adhere to a high level of journalistic practices and standards. This includes, but is not limited to, crediting where stories and content come from, reaching out to story subject matters for comment as needed, and transparently correcting any mistakes.
As a personal choice, I do not use AI, and actively opt-out of using AI wherever possible.
I do not accept gifts or favors, such as for coverage.
I do not invest in any of the companies or organizations that I cover. Any future financial conflicts of interest will be disclosed.
This ethics statement will stay up-to-date. (Last updated: August 20, 2025.)
Financial disclosure
My goal in starting this free newsletter was to make cybersecurity news as accessible to everyone, but this newsletter is not free to make.
For the first few years, I took on the rising costs of sending out this newsletter as something I loved to work on and write for thousands of people each week.
In recent years, readers who subscribed to my Ko-fi page have helped to support the growing costs of the newsletter. Many of those costs have related to email sending with Mailchimp, which was at the time the only newsletter sender that allowed me to switch off email open and link tracking, something that was important for me to do to protect your privacy. Hosting on Ghost ensures the long-term sustainability of ~this week in security~.
As of August 2025, the total monthly tips for ~this week in security~ just about cover the costs of running the newsletter. I haven't paid myself a salary. I spend several hours during the week collecting and collating notes and stories around the web and much of my Sunday curating and writing the newsletter from scratch.
My motivations aren't to make as much money as possible. My motivations are linked entirely to your trust in me, to give you the news and analysis that you need to know, and not scaring or tricking you into paying me to read my work.
Thank you for your support, and for considering a subscription.