SAP to Pay $20 Million to Settle Downloading Charges

SAP AG has agreed to pay $20 million to resolve a criminal probe into allegations that it downloaded millions of files from rival Oracle, according to a source familiar with the matter. U.S. Department of Justice prosecutors last week charged SAP's defunct TomorrowNow Inc unit with 12 criminal counts in connection with illegal downloads of Oracle software files, according to court documents.

'Anonymous' Hackers Attracting More Legal Attention

The computer hackers, chat room denizens and young people who comprise the loosely affiliated Internet collective have increasingly turned to questionable tactics, drawing the attention of the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and other federal investigators. What was once a small group of pranksters has become a potential national security threat, federal officials say.

Russian Embassy in London Reports Hack Attack

Russia's embassy in London said its website crashed in a suspected hacking attack just before Prime Minister David Cameron begins the first visit by a British leader to Moscow since the 2006 killing in London of a Kremlin critic. The embassy said it had set up a "mirror" website to meet the increased interest of the public and media for information before Cameron flies to Russia.

FBI Probes Hacking of NBC News Twitter Account

The FBI is investigating the NBC News Twitter account hacking committed by perpetrators who posted bogus information about the hijacking of a civilian airliner that supposedly crashed into Ground Zero in New York, officials said. A posting on the NBC News Twitter profile accompanying the attack indicated the perpetrators may have been members of a new group of cyber pranksters known as "The Script Kiddies," whose main goal appears to be targeting mainstream news organizations.

Wrong Domains Help Researchers Gather Sensitive Data

Two researchers who set up doppelganger domains to mimic legitimate domains belonging to Fortune 500 companies say they managed to vacuum up 20 gigabytes of misaddressed e-mail over six months. The intercepted correspondence included employee usernames and passwords, sensitive security information about the configuration of corporate network architecture that would be useful to hackers, affidavits and other documents related to litigation in which the companies were embroiled, and trade secrets, such as contracts for business transactions.

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Google Urges Password Changes for Iranian Users

Google is telling people in Iran to change their passwords and take other security precautions in the wake of an Internet attack in which the google.com domain was spoofed. "We learned last week that the compromise of a Dutch company involved with verifying the authenticity of websites could have put the Internet communications of many Iranians at risk, including their Gmail," Eric Grosse, Google's vice president of security engineering, wrote in a blog post.

Senator Says Bill Would Protect Against Data Breaches

Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, introduced a new bill that aims to protect citizens’ personal information from online data breaches. The bill would also punish companies that are careless with customers’ information. “The goal of the proposed law is essentially to hold accountable the companies and entities that store personal information and personal data and to deter data breaches,” Senator Blumenthal said in a phone interview.

Workers Fired for Facebook Posts Can Return to Jobs

Five people who were fired from their jobs after posting complaints on Facebook about working conditions will now be able to return their positions, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), a federal organization that safeguards employee rights, announced. Administrative law Judge Arthur Amchan ruled on the case between the five employees and their former employer, Hispanics United of Buffalo.

Apple Sues to Stop Samsung Galaxy Sales in Japan

Apple is seeking to ban sales of some Samsung Electronics gadgets in Japan, accusing its rival of violating patents relating to the iPhone and iPad, the latest salvo in a series of patent battles between the two companies. Apple has filed a suit with the Tokyo District Court seeking the suspension of sales of Galaxy S and its sequel S II smartphones and the Galaxy Tab 7 in Japan, according to sources close to the matter.

Judge Recommends Mediation for Oracle-Google Suit

The judge overseeing the dispute between Oracle and Google "strongly recommends" that Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and Google CEO Larry Page be ordered to attend mediation. That means the judge wasn't happy with Oracle's suggestion that it would send its president, Safra Catz, or with Google's plan to send Andy Rubin, head of its mobile operation, to a court mediation session.

Trademark Owners Get Chance to Block .xxx Domains

In a rather anti-climactic development, without much fanfare at all, those companies that want to protect their brands from association with the sex site-focused ".XXX" domain will have the chance to do so for the next seven weeks. While .XXX will likely serve as the go-to domain for adult entertainment sites, the ICM Registry understands that non-porn/pornish sites may have a stake in securing those domains as well.

Report Says Cars Vulnerable to Hack Attacks

An analysis by computer security giant McAfee titled “Caution: Malware Ahead” suggests that the large amount of electronics being used in cars today is making them increasingly vulnerable to hack attacks, even by something as simple as text message. Embedded systems, including those for engine management, active cruise control and airbags, now live side by side with telematics that connect vehicles to wireless communication devices and the “cloud” through services like Ford’s Sync and General Motors’ OnStar, which has the ability to shut down cars and unlock doors remotely.

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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.