TL;DR
A WIRED roundup argues that individuals and networks who rose online exerted outsized influence and caused real-world harm in 2025. The coverage points to political actors, meme-driven movements, state and criminal hackers, and emergent AI tools as focal points of that year's digital chaos.
What happened
WIRED’s year‑end survey framed 2025 as a moment when people and projects that built followings on the internet translated that influence into concrete power and damage. The package highlights a range of episodes: political figures tied to online movements reshaped law‑enforcement and policy debates; meme tokens and operatives connected to corporate leaders disrupted government agencies; criminal and state‑linked hackers carried out breaches and extortion campaigns; and new AI-driven tools—including an ultra‑realistic face‑swapping app—helped fuel romance scams. The site also cataloged traditional cybersecurity concerns, such as a Cisco zero‑day with no available patch and cross‑border accusations of cyberattacks, alongside domestic policy controversies over expanded government data aggregation. WIRED presents these items together to argue that the Very Online are now central to public life and its risks.
Why it matters
- Online-native actors are translating digital followings into political and institutional influence.
- Cyberattacks and data theft are producing direct financial and privacy harms for large groups of users.
- AI tools capable of realistic image and video manipulation are facilitating new kinds of fraud and abuse.
- Government data consolidation and surveillance practices raise civil‑liberties and immigration risks.
Key facts
- WIRED labeled a set of 2025 internet actors and phenomena as particularly dangerous in a year‑end piece.
- The report links internet-native power figures to real‑world policy shifts, including aggressive immigration enforcement strategies.
- DOGE and operatives tied to Elon Musk are described as prominent forces that disrupted several U.S. government agencies.
- Hackers stole millions of PornHub users’ records and used the data for extortion attempts, according to WIRED reporting.
- Cisco disclosed a zero‑day vulnerability in 2025 for which no patch was available at the time of reporting.
- Venezuela publicly accused the United States of conducting a cyberattack, as noted in the roundup.
- An AI face‑swapping platform called Haotian was used in romance scams; its main distribution channel disappeared after WIRED inquired.
- An OpenAI staffer resigned, alleging the company’s economic research team had shifted toward AI advocacy; OpenAI disputed that characterization.
- WIRED raised concerns about the Department of Homeland Security rapidly merging data across agencies and the resulting risks to citizens.
What to watch next
- Whether ultra‑realistic AI face‑swap tools are further regulated or limited in distribution — not confirmed in the source
- Continued influence of internet-native influencers on government appointments and agency operations — not confirmed in the source
- Policy responses to large cross-agency data integrations and their civil‑liberties implications — not confirmed in the source
Quick glossary
- Very Online: A colloquial label for people whose careers or influence are rooted primarily in internet platforms, culture, and communities.
- Zero‑day: A software vulnerability that is unknown to the vendor and has no available patch when first disclosed.
- Face swap / Deepfake: AI techniques that replace or synthesize a person’s face or voice in images or video, sometimes used to deceive.
- Extortion (cyber): When attackers obtain sensitive data or access and demand payment to prevent disclosure, encryption, or other harms.
Reader FAQ
Who produced the list of dangerous internet actors?
The piece was compiled and published by WIRED staff.
Which actors or groups are named as dangerous in 2025?
The roundup mentions figures including Donald Trump, meme and token networks tied to DOGE and Elon Musk’s operatives, and state‑linked Chinese hackers.
Were there specific breaches or scams cited?
Yes — WIRED reported a theft of millions of PornHub user records used for extortion and coverage of an AI face‑swapping app employed in romance scams.
Did WIRED report any responses from companies or governments?
Some responses are noted: for example, OpenAI responded to an employee’s allegations by disputing the claims; other policy and diplomatic reactions were described but further details are not confirmed in the source.
Does the article predict what will happen in 2026?
Not confirmed in the source.
WIRED STAFF SECURITY DEC 29, 2025 5:30 AM The Most Dangerous People on the Internet in 2025 From Donald Trump to DOGE to Chinese hackers, this year the internet's chaos…
Sources
- The Most Dangerous People on the Internet in 2025
- The Most Active Threat Actors of Q1 2025: An In-Depth …
- The Most Notorious Hackers in 2025
- Top 16 cybersecurity threats in 2025
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