Multinational Firms Report Material Financial Damage from 'NotPetya'

The cyber attack that crippled Ukraine businesses and spread worldwide to shut down shipping ports, factories and businesses has taken a costly toll on the results of major U.S. and European companies in the latest quarter, with more to come. Cadbury chocolate maker Mondelez and freight logistics company FedEx Corp. are among five multinational firms, three from the United States and two in Europe, to report material financial damage in the closing days of the second quarter from the cyber "worm" known as NotPetya.

Bill Creates Security Requirements for Some Internet-Connected Devices

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators plans to introduce legislation seeking to address vulnerabilities in computing devices embedded in everyday objects -- known in the tech industry as the "internet of things" -- which experts have long warned poses a threat to global cyber security. The new bill would require vendors that provide internet-connected equipment to the U.S. government to ensure their products are patchable and conform to industry security standards. 

White House Officials Fooled by Messages from 'Email Prankster'

A self-described "email prankster" in the UK fooled a number of White House officials into thinking he was other officials, including an episode where he convinced the White House official tasked with cyber security that he was Jared Kushner and received that official's private email address unsolicited. White House officials acknowledged the incidents and said they were taking the matter seriously.

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Court Says Politician Can't Block Constituent from Facebook Page

A federal court in Virginia ruled that a local politician violated the free-speech rights of a constituent she banned from her Facebook page, in a case the judge said raises “important questions” about the constitutional restrictions that apply to social media accounts of elected officials.The ruling by U.S. District Judge James Cacheris in Alexandria, Va., could buttress a lawsuit in New York alleging that President Donald Trump unconstitutionally suppressed dissent by blocking Twitter users from following his account.

EPIC Wants FTC to Probe Google's Advertising Practices

A prominent privacy rights watchdog is asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate a new Google advertising program that ties consumers’ online behavior to their purchases in brick-and-mortar stores. The legal complaint from the Electronic Privacy Information Center, to be filed with the FTC, alleges that Google is newly gaining access to a trove of highly sensitive information -- the credit and debit card purchase records of the majority of U.S. consumers -- without revealing how they got the information or giving consumers meaningful ways to opt out.

Putin Signs Law Banning Use of Virtual Private Networks

President Vladimir Putin has signed a law that prohibits technology that provides access to websites banned in Russia, the government's website showed. The law, already approved by the Duma, the lower house of parliament, will ban the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) and other technologies, known as anonymizers, that allow people to surf the web anonymously.

House Panel Asks Government Agencies for Info About Kaspersky

A U.S. congressional panel asked 22 government agencies to share documents on Moscow-based cyber firm Kaspersky Lab, saying its products could be used to carry out "nefarious activities against the United States," according to letters seen by Reuters. The requests made by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology are the latest blow to the antivirus company, which has been countering accusations by U.S. officials that it may be vulnerable to Russian government influence.

More Than Half of Children's Apps Found to Fail at Protecting Information

More than 50 percent of Google Play apps targeted at children under 13 — we examined more than 5,000 of the most popular (many of which have been downloaded millions of times) — appear to be failing to protect data. In fact, the apps we examined appear to regularly send potentially sensitive information — including device serial numbers, which are often paired with location data, email addresses, and other personally identifiable information — to third-party advertisers.

Bannon, Seeing Facebook and Google as Necessities, Urges Regulation

Tech companies like Facebook and Google that have become essential elements of 21st-century life should be regulated as utilities, top White House adviser Steve Bannon has argued, according to three people who’ve spoken to him about the issue. Bannon’s basic argument, as he has outlined it to people who’ve spoken with him, is that Facebook and Google have become effectively a necessity in contemporary life.

Iranian Gov't Hackers Impersonated Woman Online to Lure Men

Hackers believed to be working for the Iranian government have impersonated a young female photographer on social media for more than a year, luring men working in industries strategically important to Tehran's regional adversaries, according to research published. The so-called Mia Ash persona has been active on sites including LinkedIn, Facebook, WhatsApp and Blogger since at least April of last year, researchers at Dell SecureWorks said.

Russian Agents Used Fake Facebook Profiles to Spy on Macron Campaign

Russian intelligence agents attempted to spy on President Emmanuel Macron's election campaign earlier this year by creating phony Facebook personas, according to a U.S. congressman and two other people briefed on the effort. About two dozen Facebook accounts were created to conduct surveillance on Macron campaign officials and others close to the centrist former financier as he sought to defeat far-right nationalist Marine Le Pen and other opponents in the two-round election, the sources said. Macron won in a landslide in May.

U.S. Airports to Begin Screening Electronic Tablets Separately

U.S. airline passengers will have to take tablet computers and other large electronic devices out of carry-on bags for inspection as the government phases in tighter screening prompted by fears terror groups can hide bombs in them. Most passengers already had to remove laptops from their bags when going through security, and now will need to remove e-readers, tablet computers and other devices so they can be X-rayed separately, the Transportation Security Administration announced.

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.