Top Stories — Wednesday, April 15, 2026
What is trending in the USA today? Here is Breaking News:
- Someone planted backdoors in dozens of WordPress plugins used in thousands of websites — TechCrunch
- New Eric Swalwell accuser says 'he raped me,' plans to file police report in California — CNBC
- Satellite images may have tipped off Iran before US base attack, top Republican warns — Fox News
Someone planted backdoors in dozens of WordPress plugins used in thousands of websites
Source: TechCrunch • Published: 4/15/2026, 12:01:34 AM
Dozens of plugins for the widely used open source web blogging software WordPress are now offline after a backdoor was discovered in them, used to push malicious code to any website that relied on the plugins. The backdoor was discovered after a new corporate owner bought these plug-ins.
Anchor Hosting founder Austin Ginder sounded the alarm in a blog post last week describing a supply chain attack on a WordPress plugin maker called Essential Plugin. Ginder said someone last year bought Essential Plugin and the backdoor was soon added to the plugins’ source code. The backdoor sat dormant until earlier this month when it activated and began distributing malicious code to any website with the plugins installed.
Essential Plugin says on its website that it has over 400,000 plugin installs and more than 15,000 customers. WordPress’s plugin install page says the affected plugins are in over 20,000 active WordPress installations.
Plugins allow owners of WordPress-based websites to extend the site’s functionality, but in doing so grant the plugins access to their installations, which can open these websites to malicious extensions and potential compromise. But Ginder warned that WordPress users are not notified of any plugins’ change in ownership, exposing users to potential takeover attacks by their new owners.
According to Ginder, this is the second hijack of a WordPress plugin discovered in as many weeks. Security researchers have long warned of the risks of malicious actors buying software and changing its code in order to compromise a large number of computers around the world.
While the plugins have been removed from WordPress’ directory and now list their closure as “permanent,” Ginder warned that WordPress owners should check if they still have one of the malicious plugins installed and remove it. Ginder has a list of the affected plugins in the blog post.
Representatives for Essential Plugin did not respond to a request for comment.
Zack Whittaker is the security editor at TechCrunch. He also authors the weekly cybersecurity newsletter, this week in security.
He can be reached via encrypted message at zackwhittaker.1337 on Signal. You can also contact him by email, or to verify outreach, at zack.whittaker@techcrunch.com.
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New Eric Swalwell accuser says 'he raped me,' plans to file police report in California
Source: CNBC • Published: 4/15/2026, 12:01:06 AM
A new accuser of Rep. Eric Swalwell on Tuesday tearfully accused that she believed the fallen Democratic lawmaker from California had drugged her before choking and raping her in a hotel room in the state six years ago.
The woman, Lonna Drewes, spoke at a press conference in Los Angeles, where her high-powered attorney, Lisa Bloom, said she would be filing a police report detailing the accusations against Swalwell, who has repeatedly denied any criminal wrongdoing.
"He invited me to two public events. I knew he was married at the time and that his wife was pregnant," Drewes told reporters. "He was my friend. On the third occasion, I believe he drugged my drink. I only had one glass of wine."
"We were supposed to go to a political event, and he [Swalwell] said he needed to get paperwork from his hotel room," Drewes said.
"When I arrived at his hotel room, I was already incapacitated, and I couldn't move my arms or my body," Drewes said of the incident in West Hollywood.
And he choked me, and while he was choking me, I lost consciousness, and I thought I died," Drewes said. "I did not consent to any sexual activity."
Bloom said, "We will not rest until we get justice for Lonna."
"I want to say something now directly to Mr. Swalwell: Your recent statement — that you are just not perfect, you are not a saint — is just blather and spin. Stop it. Your statement that this is all just a matter between you and your wife is laughable, if not for the fact that it is a slap in the face to the victims."
Swalwell, 45, is already under criminal investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in New York City in connection with another alleged assault.
The congressman, who has three children with his wife, on Monday said he would resign his seat in the House of Representatives representing a district in California after several women accused him of sexual misconduct.
"I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I've made in my past. I will fight the serious, false allegation made against me," Swalwell said in a statement on Monday.
"However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make," Swalwell said.
Satellite images may have tipped off Iran before US base attack, top Republican warns
Source: Fox News • Published: 4/15/2026, 12:00:41 AM
FIRST ON FOX: Sensitive U.S. military positions in the Middle East may have been exposed through commercial satellite imagery ahead of an Iranian strike that wounded American troops, House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar warned in a new letter raising national security concerns.
In the letter, obtained by Fox News Digital, Moolenaar said Airbus satellite imagery may have been the original source of images later published by a China-based company, MizarVision, which released high-resolution, annotated views of U.S. military aircraft at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
Moolenaar pointed to a sequence in which the firm publicly identified U.S. aircraft at the base shortly before Iran launched a March 27 missile and drone strike on the installation.
The attack wounded at least 12 U.S. service members — two critically — and damaged multiple high-value aircraft, including KC-135 refueling tankers and an E-3G Sentry airborne warning and control system aircraft.
Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., is seen in Cannon Tunnel on April 30, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)
Moolenaar said the timing and level of detail in the imagery raise questions about whether publicly available satellite data could be used by adversaries to identify and target U.S. military assets, warning that such images risk becoming "targeting data for enemy forces."
While commercial satellite imagery is widely available and often used for research and transparency, the letter warns that near-real-time, high-resolution images of active operations could provide adversaries with actionable intelligence.
Moolenaar urged War Secretary Pete Hegseth to press Airbus to restrict the release of such imagery, noting that other companies, including Planet Labs, have voluntarily withheld images of the region at the request of the U.S. government.
The push highlights a broader debate over whether limiting access to commercial satellite imagery during wartime is necessary to protect U.S. troops or risks restricting open-source intelligence.
A technical analysis conducted with a satellite systems expert found Airbus satellites were the "most plausible" source of the imagery, according to the letter, identifying multiple windows in which they were positioned to capture images of the base.
The letter also cites a "high likelihood" that Airbus imagery was made available prior to the conflict, though it does not establish how the images were obtained or whether Airbus provided them directly.
A satellite image shows planes at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia February 21, 2026. (2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters)
The letter also cites a satellite imagery expert who said the images were unlikely to have originated from Chinese satellites given their known capabilities, further narrowing the pool of potential providers.
Commercial satellite imagery often is distributed through complex global licensing networks, meaning images captured by one company can pass through multiple intermediaries before being accessed or published by third parties.
Moolenaar also pointed to Airbus’ business ties in China, including a joint venture with entities linked to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, raising concerns about how satellite imagery could flow through networks connected to Beijing.
The concerns come amid broader scrutiny from the committee over Airbus’ ties to China.
In a December 2025 letter, Moolenaar warned that Airbus’ work with Chinese firms linked to military development could risk advancing Beijing’s aerospace capabilities and said the French government had limited the committee’s ability to obtain information about Airbus’ operations.
The episode highlights the expanding role of open-source intelligence in modern warfare, where commercially available satellite imagery can offer near real-time insight into military operations and, in some cases, expose sensitive positions during active conflicts.
At the same time, such imagery has become a key tool for journalists, researchers and governments, often used to track conflicts and verify military activity—raising questions about how to balance transparency with security during wartime.
Airbus and the Pentagon could not immediately be reached for comment.
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