Hotel Room Intrusion in Buenos Aires

Summary: While attending Echo Party in Buenos Aires, Nicole Perlroth's hotel room and safe were mysteriously opened, and her burner laptop appeared to have been tampered with. Although nothing was stolen, she discarded the laptop as a precaution due to the potential for hard-to-detect planted malware. She had been working on a story about Argentina's exploit development scene, interviewing hackers and observing interest from potential buyers.

Insights:

• Physical security and device compromise are significant risks for journalists investigating sensitive topics like cybercrime.
• Journalists sometimes resort to analog methods like pen and paper to protect sensitive information from digital threats.
• Argentina was known as a hub for exploit development, attracting interest from various parties, including front companies and brokers.

Proper Nouns:

• Echo Party: A hacking conference in Buenos Aires.
• Palermo: A neighborhood in Buenos Aires where Perlroth stayed.
• Buenos Aires: The capital of Argentina and location of the conference.

Research:

• What are common tactics used to compromise electronic devices during physical intrusions?
• How prevalent is the targeting of journalists investigating cybersecurity or exploit markets?
• What other security measures can journalists take when reporting in high-risk environments?