U.S. Says Antitrust Monitoring of Apple E-Books Can End

The U.S. Justice Department said it’s satisfied Apple Inc. put in place reforms to comply with antitrust laws even though it fought with a monitor appointed to oversee its sale of electronic books. In a letter to the Manhattan federal judge who found in 2013 that Apple illegally conspired with publishers to set e-book prices, the U.S. said Apple has “now implemented meaningful antitrust policies, procedures, and training programs that were obviously lacking at the time Apple participated in and facilitated the horizontal price-fixing conspiracy found by this court.”

E-Trade Says Data on 31,000 Customers Accessed in Attack

Financial services company E-Trade notified about 31,000 customers that some of their personal information may have been accessed during a cyberattack in late 2013. The scope of the incident appears limited. The hackers may have accessed customers' e-mail names, as well as e-mail and physical addresses, according to a notification E-Trade sent to customers affected by the incident.

Insurers Raise Premiums Sharply After Cyber Attacks

A rash of hacking attacks on U.S. companies over the past two years has prompted insurers to massively increase cyber premiums for some companies, leaving firms that are perceived to be a high risk scrambling for cover. On top of rate hikes, insurers are raising deductibles and in some cases limiting the amount of coverage to $100 million, leaving many potentially exposed to big losses from hacks that can cost more than twice that.

Dow Jones Says Hackers Got Credit Card Data for 3,500

Dow Jones & Co. disclosed that hackers had gained unauthorized entry to its systems, accessing contact information for current and former subscribers in order to send fraudulent solicitations. The data breach potentially accessed payment card information for fewer than 3,500 individuals, said Dow Jones, a unit of News Corp and owner of The Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch and Barron’s.

White House Drops Plan Requiring Access to Encrypted Data

The Obama administration has backed down in its bitter dispute with Silicon Valley over the encryption of data on iPhones and other digital devices, concluding that it is not possible to give American law enforcement and intelligence agencies access to that information without also creating an opening that China, Russia, cybercriminals and terrorists could exploit. With its decision, which angered the F.B.I. and other law enforcement agencies, the administration essentially agreed with Apple, Google, Microsoft and a group of the nation’s top cryptographers and computer scientists that millions of Americans would be vulnerable to hacking if technology firms and smartphone manufacturers were required to provide the government with “back doors,” or access to their source code and encryption keys.

Samsung Didn't Infringe Nvidia Chip Patents, ITC Judge Rules

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd has been cleared on its use of graphics chip technology owned by Nvidia Corp without permission, in a U.S. International Trade Commission ruling. Judge Thomas Pender said Samsung did not infringe two Nvidia patents, and while it did infringe a third, he ruled that patent is invalid because it was not a new invention compared with previously known patents.

China Arrested Hackers at U.S. Request Before Obama Meeting

The Chinese government has quietly arrested a handful of hackers at the urging of the U.S. government -- an unprecedented step to defuse tensions with Washington at a time when the Obama administration has threatened economic sanctions. The action came a week or two before President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington late last month.

Microsoft E-mail Case Called 'Matter of National Sovereignty'

Since December 2013, Microsoft has been engaged in a pivotal battle with the U.S. government over e-mail stored on one of its company servers in Ireland. The government’s attorneys say the U.S. simply wants evidence linked to a narcotics case. Microsoft says if it loses the case, the consequences will resound well beyond the fate of an alleged drug dealer.

Samsung Says Users' Payment Info Not Compromised

Samsung Electronics Co. said that the personal payment information of users of its mobile payment system wasn’t compromised despite a reported hacking incident at LoopPay, a U.S.-based startup it bought earlier this year. Samsung said in a statement that the incident involved three servers on LoopPay’s internal office network and as soon as the incident was discovered, the U.S. company brought in professional security teams to investigate and quarantine devices.

Clinton's E-mail Server Targeted from China, S. Korea, Germany

Computer hackers in China, South Korea and Germany tried to attack Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's private email server after she left the U.S. State Department in February 2013, the Associated Press reported. "It was not immediately clear whether the attempted intrusions into Clinton's server were serious espionage threats or the sort of nuisance attacks that hit computer servers the world over," the AP said, citing a congressional document.

Fake LinkedIn Profiles Used by Iranian Hackers

Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a network of fake LinkedIn profiles, which they suspect were being used by hackers in Iran to build relationships with potential victims around the world, according to a new report to be published by security firm Dell SecureWorks Inc. This tactic, known as “social engineering,” is one where hackers trick people to get them to cough up personal or sensitive information.

Journalist Found Guilty for Helping 'Anonymous' Hackers

A California jury found journalist Matthew Keys guilty on three criminal counts related to helping members of the Anonymous hacking collective gain access to a former employer's computers, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Justice said. Keys, 28, was indicted in 2013 for conspiracy to cause damage to a protected computer and two other counts, after being accused of giving hackers access to Tribune Co. computer systems in December 2010.

Company Behind Samsung Pay Targeted by Chinese Hackers

Months before its technology became the centerpiece of Samsung’s new mobile payment system, LoopPay, a small Massachusetts subsidiary of the South Korean electronics giant, was the target of a sophisticated attack by a group of government-affiliated Chinese hackers. As early as March, the hackers — alternatively known as the Codoso Group or Sunshock Group by those who track them — had breached the computer network of LoopPay, a start-up in Burlington, Mass., that was acquired by Samsung in February for more than $250 million, according to several people briefed on the still-unfolding investigation, as well as Samsung and LoopPay executives.

FCC Rejects First Complaint Under Net Neutrality Rules

One of the first businesses to invoke the government's net neutrality rules against an Internet provider has just lost his bid for federal intervention. Commercial Network Services, a San Diego-based company that uses a series of Web cams to broadcast live images of the city to remote viewers, told the Federal Communications Commission in June that Time Warner Cable was hindering its ability to reach consumers with its video traffic.

Apple Antitrust Monitor Cites 'Lack of Cooperation'

Apple Inc.'s antitrust compliance program has improved, but the company continues to impede a court-appointed monitor overseeing the program, acting as "its own worst enemy," the monitor told a federal judge in a report. Michael Bromwich, who was assigned to monitor Apple’s internal antitrust policies after U.S. District Judge Denise Cote found the company liable for conspiring to raise e-book prices, said Apple persisted in raising objections to his requests for information.

Subscribe

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.