U.S. Issues Standards for Defending Cyberattacks

The U.S. government released the final version of standards meant to help companies in nationally critical industries better defend against cyber attacks, and officials now face the challenge of getting the private sector to adopt the voluntary measures. Criticized for being too vague and toothless, the so-called cybersecurity framework turned a vast amount of industry input into guidelines designed for 16 different sectors whose disruption could be devastating to the country, such as food and agriculture, energy or transportation systems.

Hackers Attack Two Largest Bitcoin-Trading Exchanges

The two largest bitcoin-trading exchanges came under attack from hackers, leaving customers unable to withdraw their money in the latest development to roil the fledgling virtual currency. Slovenia-based Bitstamp said it halted customer withdrawals to deal with the issue. BTC-e, a bitcoin exchange based in Bulgaria, said it was experiencing delays in crediting certain transactions.

FCC Chair Plans Response to Net Neutrality Ruling

As politicians put on the pressure, Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheeler says he's about to reveal his plan for keeping the Internet open for everyone. During a speech at the University of Colorado Law School, Wheeler said that the FCC, which suffered a legal defeat last month when a federal appeals court threw out its Open Internet rules, is working on a plan that will re-instate Net neutrality protections.

Facebook Gives Father Access to Dead Son's Video

Facebook has granted a Missouri father's tearful request to unlock his dead son's social media page and give him access to a video compilation of photos and posts he had been unable to view. John Berlin of St. Louis, Missouri, made a tearful, emotional plea in an online video to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday, asking to see such a video compilation of his late son's Facebook page.

German Judge Focuses on 'Key Issue' in Apple Patent Case

Apple Inc.’s chances of defeating a 1.57 billion-euro ($2.2 billion) lawsuit in Germany depend on whether an IPCom GmbH patent protects a technology using one or three bits for coding software used in wireless networks. IPCom will only win if it convinces the court the patent isn’t limited to technology using just one bit for coding information, Presiding Judge Holger Kircher said at a hearing in Mannheim, German.

Cyberattacks on Retailers Not 'Coordinated,' FBI Says

The cyberattacks on Target Corp., Neiman Marcus and other retailers don't appear to be part of a "coordinated campaign" to "adversely affect the U.S. economy as a whole," according to an assessment by the Federal Bureau of Investigation prepared for retailers and cybersecurity experts. The two-page document, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, suggests that the recent string of attacks on retailers may not be the work of the same hacker or hackers.

Two Men Arrested in Bitcoin Money Laundering Scheme

Two South Florida men were arrested what a local prosecutor said may be the first state law charges over the use of Bitcoin virtual currency as part of an alleged money laundering scheme. Pascal Reid, 29, and Michel Abner Espinoza, 30, face two counts of money laundering and one count of engaging in an unlicensed money servicing business, according to court filings in Miami state court. Both men were arrested Feb. 6 and are being held in Miami-Dade County jails.

Appeals Court Keeps Apple E-Books Monitor Working

Apple Inc. lost its latest bid to put a court-appointed antitrust monitor on hold after a federal appeals court rejected its argument that his work was causing irreparable harm to the company. In a brief order, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York said that monitor Michael Bromwich may continue to examine Apple's antitrust compliance policies while the company pursues a broader appeal seeking to remove him altogether.

Hackers Get Access to 34 of Comcast's Servers

On February 6, NullCrew FTS hacked into at least 34 of Comcast's servers and published a list of the company's mail servers and a link to the root file with the vulnerability it used to penetrate the system on Pastebin. Comcast, the largest Internet service provider in the United States, ignored news of the serious breach in press and media for over 24 hours — only when the Pastebin page was removed did the company issue a statement, and even then, it only spoke to a sympathetic B2B outlet.

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Cyber Espionage Campaign Targeted 31 Countries

A computer security software firm has uncovered what it calls the first cyber espionage campaign believed to be started by a Spanish-speaking country, targeting government agencies, energy companies and activists in 31 countries. Dubbed "The Mask," the campaign had operated undetected since 2007 and infected more than 380 targets before it stopped last week, Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab said.

Estate of James Dean Sues Twitter Over Handle

James Dean is at the center of a potentially groundbreaking legal dispute against Twitter Inc., defending itself over its refusal to do anything about the anonymous individual who has registered @JamesDean. The lawsuit was engineered by CMG Worldwide, which manages the commercial estates of many dead celebrities and runs the Dean licensing empire.

Snapchat Flaw Reportedly Allows Hack Attacks

A cyber security researcher has discovered a vulnerability within the Snapchat mobile app that makes it possible for hackers to launch a denial-of-service attack that temporarily freezes a user's iPhone. Jaime Sanchez, who works as a cyber-security consultant for Telefonica, a major telecommunications company in Spain, said he and another researcher found a weakness in Snapchat’s system that allows hackers to send thousands of messages to individual users in a matter of seconds.

More Victims Falling for 'Romance Scams' Online

Online scams are as old as the Internet, but those that use romance as bait are on the rise as dating sites proliferate, authorities say. In 2012, the Federal Trade Commission created a separate category for them among the web crimes it tracks: "romance scam." Last year, the agency says, it received complaints of losses totaling $105 million, roughly even with the year before.

EU Issues Order Against Motorola for Patents

Motorola Mobility, which Google Inc. is selling to Lenovo Group Ltd., faces European Union curbs on its legal efforts to thwart Apple Inc. as antitrust regulators seek to boost competition for smartphones and tablets. The company will get a “prohibition decision” for abusing key mobile-phone patents in its battle with the iPhone maker, Joaquin Almunia, the EU’s competition commissioner, told reporters today in London.

Companies Offer Protection Against Bitcoin Losses

Bitcoins, after surging 90-fold in value last year, have become an alluring target for hackers and thieves, spawning a growing industry of startups seeking to protect virtual currency investors against losses. Since the inception of the currency, more than 35 major Bitcoin scams and thefts have occurred worldwide, including the heist of 38,527 Bitcoins from online-exchange Bitcoinica LLC in May 2012, according to BitcoinTalk.org.

France Requires Google to Display Notice on Website

Google will have to display on its French search page a notice saying it has been fined by the local data-protection watchdog over how user information is tracked and stored, France's top administrative court ruled. The U.S. search engine said it would comply with the order but would keep fighting the 150,000-euro ($204,000) fine issued last month by privacy watchdog CNIL.

Justice Dep't Closes Probe of Samsung's Patents

The U.S. Justice Department will close its investigation into Samsung Electronics' use of a special class of essential patents to attack rivals, but said it would continue to monitor related patent litigation. Samsung had filed a complaint against Apple Inc. at the U.S. International Trade Commission and won an order banning the sale of some Apple products in the United States.

Samsung, Cisco Sign Patent Agreement

Samsung Electronics Co. signed yet another agreement to safeguard against future litigation risks over technology patents, this time with Cisco Systems Inc. The cross-license agreement with Cisco, the biggest maker of networking equipment, gives the two companies access to each other's existing patent portfolios as well as those filed over the next 10 years, covering a broad range of products and technologies, the companies said in a joint statement.

Twitter Reports Receiving More Government Requests

As Twitter gets bigger, governments around the world are increasingly seeking information about its 241 million users and their accounts, the social networking company said as it released fourth semiannual transparency report. The report provides a broad outline of the number and type of government requests for data, including breakouts on the 46 countries that have made such requests.

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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.