Reporter

Derek B. Johnson

CyberScoop

Derek B. Johnson is a reporter at CyberScoop, where his beat includes cybersecurity, elections and the federal government. Prior to that, he has provided award-winning coverage of cybersecurity news across the public and private sectors for various publications since 2017. Derek has a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from Hofstra University in New York and a master’s degree in public policy from George Mason University in Virginia.

Articles by Author

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FBI says ‘ongoing’ deepfake impersonation of U.S. gov officials dates back to 2023

Government

Some lawmakers and executives say the era of AI-hacking has arrived, while other experts are pointing out the tools of today still fall short in important ways. (Photo credit: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Policymakers grapple with fallout from Chinese AI-enabled hack

Technology

The U.S. Sentencing Commission is seeking public comment on whether the sharing of nonconsensual deepfake porn should be classified under U.S. law as harassment, blackmail or sending obscene material to minors. (Image via Getty)

U.S. Sentencing Commission seeks input on criminal penalties for deepfakes

AI

FTC building (John Taylor/Flickr)

Illusory Systems settles with FTC over 2022 cryptocurrency hack

Government

law, legal, cybersecurity, court, justice — (Getty Images)

AI is causing all kinds of problems in the legal sector

AI

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 19: Attorney General Pam Bondi, accompanied by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche (L) and FBI Director Kash Patel (R), speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department on November 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Department of Justice is suing Fulton County, Georgia and its election clerk over the county’s refusal to hand over voter records, part of a larger nationwide project to collect as much election and voter information as possible from state and local governments ahead of the 2026 and 2028 elections. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

DOJ sues Fulton County over 2020 voter data

Government

SEDALIA, CO – JUNE 28: Mesa County Clerk and Colorado Republican candidate for secretary of state Tina Peters reacts to early election returns during a primary night watch party at the Wide Open Saloon on June 28, 2022 in Sedalia, Colorado. Peters, one of many election deniers Trump has sought to shield from legal consequences, is serving a nine-year state prison sentence that can’t be nullified by a presidential pardon. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images)

Trump moves to pardon Colorado election clerk Tina Peters, even though he can’t

Government

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As White House moves to send AI chips to China, Trump’s DOJ prosecutes chip smugglers

Government

Cybersecurity insurer Coalition said it will start covering certain incidents where AI and deepfakes lead to reputational harm. (Image via Getty)

Organizations can now buy cyber insurance that covers deepfakes

Cybersecurity