Hacker Gets Two Years in Jail for Accessing Russian Gov't Accounts

A Russian court sentenced a prominent hacker to two years in jail after a secret trial which heard how he had accessed and leaked the email accounts of top government officials, Russian news agencies reported. The court found Vladimir Anikeyev, named as head of a famous hacking collective called Shaltai Boltai (Humpty Dumpty), guilty of illegally accessing computer data in collusion with a criminal group.

New 'Smishing' Scams Try to Trick Users via Text Messages

Similar to a “phishing” scam — where computer users receive an authentic-looking email that appears to be from their bank, Internet Service Provider (ISP), favorite store, or other organization – “smishing” messages are sent via SMS (text message) on a mobile. “Criminals like smishing because users tend to trust text messages, as opposed to email, of which many people are more suspicious, due to phishing attacks,” says Stephen Cobb, a security researcher at ESET, a global cybersecurity company.

EU Antitrust Regulators Consider Second Record Fine Against Google

EU antitrust regulators are weighing another record fine against Google over its Android mobile operating system and have set up a panel of experts to give a second opinion on the case, two people familiar with the matter said. Assuming the panel agrees with the initial case team's conclusions, it could pave the way for the European Commission to issue a decision against Alphabet's Google by the end of the year.

Ukrainian Police Seize Servers Linked to Spread of Malware Virus

Ukrainian police seized the servers of an accounting software firm suspected of spreading a malware virus which crippled computer systems at major companies around the world last week, a senior police official said. The head of Ukraine's Cyber Police, Serhiy Demedyuk, told Reuters the servers of M.E.Doc -- Ukraine's most popular accounting software -- had been seized as part of an investigation into the attack.

U.S. Intervenes in Apple's Appeal of EU Order Over Irish Taxes

The U.S. government has sought to intervene in Apple's appeal against an EU order to pay back up to 13 billion euros ($14.8 billion) in Irish taxes, a source familiar with the matter said. iPhone maker Apple took its case to the Luxembourg-based General Court, Europe's second-highest, in December after the European Commission issued the record tax demand saying the U.S. company won sweetheart tax deals from the Irish government which amounted to illegal subsidies.

U.S. Officials Lift Laptop Ban on Flights from Abu Dhabi Airport

American officials exempted Etihad Airways from a ban on laptops and other types of electronics on some flights bound for the United States, restrictions instituted in March because of concerns that the Islamic State was developing a bomb that could be hidden in portable devices. The flights were cleared, according to Etihad and American officials, because the airline had begun conducting more rigorous passenger screening at Abu Dhabi International Airport, where it is the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates.

Judge Dismisses Suit Against Facebook for Tracking Users

A federal judge has dismissed an Internet tracking lawsuit against Facebook in a decision with potentially broad impact for many of the social media giant's users. The decision, filed in California, gave Facebook a win in a lawsuit that accused the company of improperly tracking users' Internet usage between April 22, 2010, and September 26, 2011, even after they had logged out of their Facebook accounts.

U.S. Tech Firms Pushed Against Ban on Work with Russian Spy Agency

As U.S. officials investigated in January the FSB's alleged role in election cyber attacks, U.S. technology firms were quietly lobbying the government to soften a ban on dealing with the Russian spy agency, people with direct knowledge of the effort told Reuters. New U.S. sanctions put in place by former President Barack Obama last December -- part of a broad suite of actions taken in response to Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 presidential election -- had made it a crime for American companies to have any business relationship with the FSB, or Federal Security Service.

German Law Requires Social Media Firms to Delete Hate Speech

Social media companies operating in Germany face fines of as much as $57 million if they do not delete illegal, racist or slanderous comments and posts within 24 hours, under a new law. The law reinforces Germany’s position as one of the most aggressive countries in the Western world at forcing companies like Facebook, Google and Twitter to crack down on hate speech and other extremist messaging on their digital platforms.

DLA Piper Law Firm Struggles to Recover from 'Petya' Cyberattack

One of the world’s largest law firms is still reeling from this week’s “Petya” ransomware attack, which hit computer systems across Europe and the U.S.DLA Piper, which commands an army of thousands of lawyers across dozens of countries and represents some of the largest companies, has been at a virtual standstill for more than two days.

Mexican Court Stops Sale of Roku Devices Amid Piracy Concerns

A cable operator belonging to Mexico's largest television network has won a legal case to stop the sale of Roku video streaming devices in the country on the grounds that the gadgets are often hacked to let users view pirated channels. Cablevision, a cable TV provider owned by Televisa, said a Mexico City tribunal upheld a previous order to suspend the importation and distribution of the devices.

European Cyberattack Called 'Entirely Different' Form of Ransomware

Companies worldwide struggled to recover after a wave of powerful cyberattacks crippled computer systems in Europe, Asia and the United States with a virus similar to the global ransomware assault in May that infected computers. Researchers at Kaspersky Lab in Russia said that its preliminary findings suggest the malware is a new kind of ransomware not seen before, not a variant of the Petya ransomware, as other cybersecurity researchers had suggested.

German Regulator Suspends Launch of Data Retention Law

A German regulator has suspended the launch of a law obliging German telecom companies to keep telephone and Internet data for up to 10 weeks to help fight crime, citing a court ruling.The data retention law, which had been due to come into effect on Saturday, requires companies to keep data on the timing and duration of telephone calls, as well as online traffic through IP addresses. Location data from mobile phones is to be stored for four weeks.

FBI Agents Visit Kaspersky Lab Employees in Counter-Intelligence Probe

FBI agents paid visits to at least a dozen employees of Kaspersky Lab, a Russia-based cyber-security company, asking questions about that company’s operations as part of a counter-intelligence inquiry, multiple sources familiar with the matter told NBC News. In a classic FBI investigative tactic, agents visited the homes of the employees at the end of the work day at multiple locations on both the east and west coasts, the sources said.

Homeland Security Leader Links Better Security Checks to Laptop Ban

The Trump administration threatened to ban laptops and other large electronic devices from any international flight coming to the United States unless the airline meets new security checks, including enhanced airport screening and improved passenger vetting. Under a policy announced in March, U.S.-bound passengers traveling from 10 airports in the Middle East must store large electronic devices, including tablets and cameras, in their checked luggage, as the Trump administration seeks to address terrorist threats.

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.