U.S. Security Researcher Finds Evidence in Google Attack

An American computer security researcher has found what he says he believes is strong evidence of the digital fingerprints of Chinese authors in the software programs used in attacks against Google. By analyzing the software used in the break-ins against Google and dozens of other companies, Joe Stewart, a malware specialist with SecureWorks, a computer security company based in Atlanta, said he determined the main program used in the attack contained a module based on an unusual algorithm from a Chinese technical paper that has been published exclusively on Chinese-language Web sites.

Forbes Wins Domain Name, $300,000 in Russia

The Russian edition of Forbes has won the use of the domain name Forbes.ru and a record $300,000 in damages from a cybersquatter in a landmark court ruling, the magazine announced. Forbes and its Russian publisher, Axel Springer Russia, sued Landmark VIP Services, which advertises travel packages on Forbes.ru, for the unauthorized use of the magazine's trademark in its web address.

Google Probing Role by Employees in Cyber-Attack

Google is investigating whether one or more employees may have helped facilitate a cyber-attack that the U.S. search giant said it was a victim of in mid-December, two sources told Reuters. Google, the world's most popular search engine, said last week it may pull out of the world's biggest Internet market by users after reporting it had been hit by a "sophisticated" cyber-attack on its network that resulted in theft of its intellectual property.

FCC Considers Alternative Plans for Net Traffic Rules

Federal Communications Commission officials have begun discussing alternative plans for regulating Internet-traffic management if a federal appeals court rules this spring that the agency doesn't have authority to control the way phone and cable companies handle traffic on their broadband networks. The discussions began less than a week after a U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit panel sharply questioned the FCC's jurisdiction in reprimanding Comcast Corp. two years ago when the cable company deliberately slowed some subscribers' web traffic.

India Suspects Chinese Hackers of Government Attack

India suspects that Chinese hackers attempted to gain access to Indian government information at the same time as they have been accused of targeting U.S. companies including Google Inc., according to a report. The Times of London quoted India's national security adviser, M.K. Narayanan, as saying of the attempted cyber attacks on his and other government offices: "People seem to be fairly sure it was the Chinese."

Human Rights Group Says Turkey Blocking Websites

Europe's main security and human rights watchdog said that Turkey was blocking some 3,700 Internet sites for "arbitrary and political reasons" and urged reforms to show its commitment to freedom of expression. Milos Haraszti, media freedom monitor for the 56-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said Turkey's Internet law was failing to preserve free expression in the country and should be changed or abolished.

Telecom Providers Struggle to Operate in Haiti

Telecommunications providers in Haiti will continue through to try to accommodate the enormous demand for phone and broadband services as they struggle to overcome massive damage to the island's infrastructure from the 7.0 earthquake. "The logistics and the security situation are really bad," says Paul Margie, U.S. representative for international relief organization Télécoms Sans Frontières (Telecommunications Without Borders).

Teen Could Face Child Porn Charges for "Sexting"

A teenage girl who appeared topless in a "sexting" cell phone picture that was distributed among her middle-school classmates should face child-pornography charges, a Pennsylvania prosecutor argued before a U.S. appellate court. In the first U.S. case to test the constitutional status of "sexting," the American Civil Liberties Union countered that the incident does not come close to meeting the definition of child pornography which typically depicts graphic sexual acts with minors and is done for commercial gain.

EU Antitrust Chief Uncertain as Digital Leader

The nomination of Neelie Kroes, who was hard-nosed as Europe's antitrust chief, to a new post as commissioner for the digital agenda was in doubt after she was accused of being evasive during a testy appearance before a committee of the European Parliament. Members of the two biggest blocs in Parliament, the conservatives and the Socialists, expressed concerns about the failure by Ms. Kroes to endorse clearly what they considered pro-consumer lines on price caps for mobile phone roaming, redeployment of broadcast frequencies for wireless broadband and revisions to digital copyright law.

Chinese Find Ways to Avoid Internet Censorship

Just as Mongol invaders could not be stopped by the Great Wall, Chinese citizens have found ways to circumvent the sophisticated Internet censorship systems designed to restrict them. They are using a variety of tools to evade government filters and to reach the wide-open Web that the Chinese government deems dangerous -- sites like YouTube, Facebook and, if Google makes good on its threat to withdraw from China, Google.cn.

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The GigaLaw Firm helps companies of all sizes protect their brands online, using domain name dispute policies – such as the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) – and other legal tools available to copyright and trademark owners on the Internet.