Hacking Operation Linked to Intelligence Agencies in Lebanon Exposed

A major hacking operation tied to one of the most powerful security and intelligence agencies in Lebanon has been exposed after careless spies left hundreds of gigabytes of intercepted data exposed to the open internet, according to a report. Mobile security firm Lookout, Inc. and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group, said the haul, which includes nearly half a million intercepted text messages, had simply been left online by hackers linked to Lebanon’s General Directorate of General Security.

YouTube Removing Videos of People Eating Laundry Detergent Packets

YouTube and Facebook are trying to stop the spread of the Tide Pod Challenge, a bizarre and dangerous phenomenon in which social media users eat laundry detergent packets on camera. YouTube, which is owned by Google, says it's taking down clips that show people taking bites of the pods. The videos have become an online craze among teenagers, prompting widespread health and safety warnings.

  • Read the article: CNN

Hackers Reportedly Stole $1.2 Billion of Cryptocurrency in 10 Years

Digital currencies and the software developed to track them have become attractive targets for cybercriminals while also creating a lucrative new market for computer-security firms. In less than a decade, hackers have stolen $1.2 billion worth of Bitcoin and rival currency Ether, according to Lex Sokolin, global director of fintech strategy at Autonomous Research LLP. 

Italy Investigating Apple, Samsung for Slowing Older Phones

Italy’s antitrust body said it had opened a probe into allegations that Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. used software updates to slow their mobile phones and push clients into buying new handsets. The watchdog said in a statement that the two companies had not told clients that the updates might have a negative impact on the performance of their phones.

Twitter to Notify Users Exposed to Russian Propaganda During Election

Twitter is planning to notify users who may have been exposed to Russian propaganda during the 2016 presidential election, the company's head of public policy told a Senate panel. The initiative follows Facebook's move, announced last year, to create an online tool for people to learn whether they liked or followed Facebook and Instagram accounts generated by a Russian troll farm known as the Internet Research Agency (IRA). 

Malware from North Korea Linked to Attacks on Cryptocurrency

A new hacking offensive against cryptocurrency investors uses malware similar to that deployed in North Korea’s attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment and its WannaCry ransomware assault, cybersecurity researchers said, providing further evidence of Pyongyang’s involvement in crypto heists. U.S. cybersecurity firm Recorded Future in a report identified the Lazarus group -- a hacking operation with links to the North Korean regime -- as behind the malware campaign, which began targeting users of a South Korean exchange in the late fall and may still be active. 

'Skygofree' Allows Surveillance on Android Phones, Including WhatsApp

According to a report published by antivirus provider Kaspersky Lab, "Skygofree" is most likely an offensive Android security product sold by an Italy-based IT company that markets various surveillance wares. Skygofree is capable of taking pictures, capturing video, and seizing call records, text messages, gelocation data, calendar events, and business-related information stored in device memory.

Lawmakers Urge AT&T to Cut Ties with Huawei, Citing National Security

U.S. lawmakers are urging AT&T Inc., the No. 2 wireless carrier, to cut commercial ties to Chinese phone maker Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. and oppose plans by telecom operator China Mobile Ltd. to enter the U.S. market because of national security concerns, two congressional aides said. The warning comes after the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump took a harder line on policies initiated by his predecessor Barack Obama on issues ranging from Beijing’s role in restraining North Korea to Chinese efforts to acquire U.S. strategic industries.

U.S. Keeps China's Taobao on List of 'Notorious' Counterfeit Markets

Despite noting improvements on takedown efforts, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has again blacklisted Alibaba's eBay-like Taobao shopping site. In its annual report on the trade of illicit goods in online and physical marketplaces, the USTR said Taobao hasn't "objectively demonstrated that the volume or prevalence of counterfeit goods has decreased over the last year."

Read the article: Engadget

Philippines Orders Critical Online News Site to Shut Down

The Philippines ordered the closing of an independent online news site that has been critical of President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, prompting protests from industry groups who called the move an attack on press freedom. The Securities and Exchange Commission of the Philippines said the news site, Rappler, had violated a constitutional rule that restricts ownership of media entities to Filipinos.

Chinese Court Rules for Huawei in Patent Case Against Samsung

Chinese tech giant Huawei won a patent infringement lawsuit against South Korea smartphone rival Samsung, according to information released by a Chinese court. The court ruled in the Chinese company's favor over two patents involving fourth generation phone technology, according to a notice released through the court's WeChat account and video of the trial.

Supreme Court to Hear Case on Sales Taxes for Internet Purchases

The Supreme Court said it would consider whether states can broadly require online retailers to collect sales taxes even if they lack a physical presence in the state, taking a case that could have a major impact on online commerce. The justices agreed to hear an appeal by the state of South Dakota, which has been pushing a test case with the goal of overturning a high-court precedent that limits states’ sales tax collections.

Apple Warns Chinese Users About Losing Access to Data

Some Chinese users of Apple Inc.’s products who have created Apple IDs overseas to circumvent a new law that requires their personal data to be stored within China say they have been warned by the tech giant that they risk losing the data. China introduced a new cyber security law on June 1 that imposes tougher controls over data than in Europe and the United States, including mandating that companies store all data within China and pass security reviews.

FBI to Issue Alerts About Russian Social Media Use in Elections

The FBI plans to alert U.S. companies and the public about efforts by Russia or other nations to use disinformation and social media manipulation to interfere in upcoming elections, while being careful not to upset free speech and constitutional rights, a top law enforcement official said. The direction that the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s “foreign influence" task force is heading could dramatically reshape the relationship between government and social media companies in order to address vulnerabilities that enabled Russia to meddle in the 2016 election.

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.