FBI Won't Share iPhone Hacking Info with Apple

The Federal Bureau of Investigation plans to tell the White House it knows so little about the hacking tool that was used to open a terrorist’s iPhone that it doesn’t make sense to launch an internal government review about whether to share the hacking method with Apple Inc. The decision, and the technical and bureaucratic justification behind it, would likely keep Apple in the dark about whatever security gap exists on certain models of the company’s phones, according to people familiar with the discussions.

SWIFT Warns Banks About Multiple 'Cyber Incidents'

SWIFT, the global financial network that banks use to transfer billions of dollars every day, warned its customers that it was aware of "a number of recent cyber incidents" where attackers had sent fraudulent messages over its system. The disclosure came as law enforcement authorities in Bangladesh and elsewhere investigated the February cyber theft of $81 million from the Bangladesh central bank account at the New York Federal Reserve Bank.

Justice Roberts Says Patent Challenge Process 'Bizarre'

U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts described as bizarre the legal process used by companies to challenge competitors' patents as the Supreme Court heard a case involving a vehicle speedometer that alerts drivers if they are driving too quickly. Companies that are frequent targets of patent suits, including Apple Inc and Google Inc, have turned to the patent office procedure, known as "inter partes review,", to try to fight off patent challenges.

  • Read the article: Reuters

Personal Data from BeautifulPeople.com Dating Site Leaked

Much of the supposedly private information from the controversial dating site BeautifulPeople.com is now public, thanks to the leak of a database containing sensitive data of 1.1 million BeautifulPeople.com users. The leak, according to one researcher, also included 15 million private messages between users. Another said the data is now being sold by traders lurking in the murky corners of the web.

Bangladesh Bank Hackers Got Access to SWIFT Software

The attackers who stole $81 million from the Bangladesh central bank probably hacked into software from the SWIFT financial platform that is at the heart of the global financial system, said security researchers at British defense contractor BAE Systems. SWIFT, a cooperative owned by 3,000 financial institutions, confirmed to Reuters that it was aware of malware targeting its client software.

Florida School System Renews Social Media Monitoring Program

Schools in Florida are renewing a program that monitors their students' social media activity for criminal or threatening behavior, although it has caused some controversy since its adoption last year. The school system in Orange County, where Orlando is located, recently told the Orlando Sentinel that the program, which partners the school system with local police departments, has been successful in protecting students' safety, saying that it led to 12 police investigations in the past year.

Uber Settles with Drivers in California, Massachusetts

Uber reached a settlement in a pair of class-action lawsuits in California and Massachusetts that will let it continue to categorize drivers in those states as independent contractors -- a landmark agreement that could have lasting implications for the long-term viability of the ride-hailing service. Under the settlement, filed in the United States District Court in the Northern District of California, Uber will pay as much as $100 million to the roughly 385,000 drivers represented in the cases.

U.S. Drops Pursuit of Apple in Unlocking N.Y. iPhone

The U.S. government said it no longer needs Apple Inc.’s assistance to get into an iPhone used by a New York drug dealer, ending a second courtroom battle over whether the company can be forced to help unlock its devices. The Justice Department’s action follows its decision in March ending efforts to compel Apple to help unlock an iPhone used by Syed Farook, the gunman who, along with his wife, killed 14 people in a December terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California.

Chinese Regulator Shuts Down Apple's iBooks, Movies

Apple’s iBooks Store and iTunes Movies were shut down in China, just six months after they were started there. Initially, Apple apparently had the government’s approval to introduce the services. But then a regulator, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, asserted its authority and demanded the closings, according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Judge Says Plaintiffs in Ashley Madison Hacking Can't Stay Anonymous

Plaintiffs suing Ashley Madison, a popular online dating service, over a computer hacking attack that stole the personal data of millions of users will have to be publicly identified to proceed with the case, a federal judge ruled. Forty-two plaintiffs seeking to represent a class of users of the website, which markets itself to people seeking sexual affairs outside of their marriages or committed relationships, sought to pursue litigation anonymously, as John Does, “to reduce the risk of potentially catastrophic personal and professional consequences that could befall them and their families,” according to court papers.

Hacked Bangladesh Bank Didn't Use Firewall, Investigator Says

Bangladesh's central bank was vulnerable to hackers because it did not have a firewall and used second-hand, $10 switches to network computers connected to the SWIFT global payment network, an investigator into one of the world's biggest cyber heists said. The shortcomings made it easier for hackers to break into the system earlier this year and attempt to siphon off nearly $1 billion using the bank's SWIFT credentials, said Mohammad Shah Alam, head of the Forensic Training Institute of the Bangladesh police's criminal investigation department.

Director Says FBI Paid More Than $1.3M to Crack iPhone

Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey said the agency paid more to get into the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters than he will make in the remaining seven years and four months he has in his job. According to figures from the FBI and the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, Comey's annual salary as of January 2015 was $183,300. Without a raise or bonus, Comey will make $1.34 million over the remainder of his job.

China Removes Videos of Rising Online Beauty Star

A revived push by China to cleanse cyberspace swept up a quickly rising Internet celebrity, highlighting efforts to temper the explosive popularity of online stars. Papi Jiang, a 29-year-old graduate student in drama, surged to Chinese Internet fame with her lightning-fast, squeaky-voiced monologues riffing on relationships, beauty and other concerns of China’s urban young women.

FCC Studying Security Bugs on Mobile Carriers' Technology

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission said it is studying mobile carriers' use of decades-old communications technology with known security bugs after "60 Minutes" reported it could be remotely exploited to spy on callers. The CBS news program "60 Minutes" on Sunday showed German computer scientist Karsten Nohl remotely spy on a mobile phone used by U.S. Representative Ted Lieu.

Number of Cybersquatting Cases Rises Almost 60% in India

While U.S. heads the list of countries with the largest number of cybersquatting cases at 847, India notched a total of 59 domain name complainant cases in 2015, registering a growth of nearly 60%. Domestic companies including Bharti AirtelBSE, Voltas, Tata Sons, Wipro, Aircel and Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation are among those who filed cybersquatting complaints in 2015.

U.S. Not Looking to Alter Data Transfer Pact with Europe

The United States does not want to change the substance of a data transfer pact agreed in February with the European Commission, a senior official said, after EU privacy watchdogs voiced concerns over elements of the deal. Stefan Selig, U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade, said the United States would evaluate the EU regulators' opinion very carefully, but would be wary of reopening the agreement.

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.