Jihadi Terrorist Organizations Using YouTube Less, Group Says

The use of Google’s YouTube as a destination from which to spread jihadi terrorist propaganda online is dramatically declining, according to an intelligence group that tracks online extremism. New analysis of web links, conducted by the Site Intelligence Group, suggests Islamic State and al-Qaeda continue to value the file-hosting services of Dropbox Inc., Google Drive, and Google Photos, however, and remain among the top-used services to store battle footage, documentary-style productions, and video speeches.

Two U.S. Senators Ask India to Soften Stance on Data Localization

Two U.S. senators have called on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to soften India’s stance on data localization, warning that measures requiring it represent “key trade barriers” between the two nations. In a letter to Modi, U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Mark Warner — co-chairs of the Senate’s India caucus that comprises over 30 senators — urged India to instead adopt a “light touch” regulatory framework that would allow data to flow freely across borders.

Google Refuses to Answer Senators' Questions About China Plans

Google refused to answer specific questions from U.S. senators about plans for China, saying it’s too early to know exactly what the company’s path forward in the country will be. Google has always been interested in expanding its presence in China but it’s "unclear" if the company will restart a search engine there, Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai said in an Aug. 31 letter to six senators, including Virginia Democrat Mark Warner, whose office provided Bloomberg News with the letter.

Facebook Attackers Gained Contact Information for 15 Million Users

An online attack that forced Facebook to log out 90 million users last month directly affected 29 million people on the social network, the company said as it released new details about the scope of an incident that has regulators and law enforcement on high alert. Through a series of interrelated bugs in Facebook’s programming, unnamed attackers stole the names and contact information of 15 million users, Facebook said.

Trump Signs Music Modernization Act for Digital Era

American politics may be polarized, but a new law signed by President Trump suggests that liberals and conservatives agree on the need for a better system to compensate musicians and songwriters in the digital era. The Music Modernization Act, co-sponsored by Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) and Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), is a response to the modern world of music streaming and satellite radio — platforms that did not exist when laws governing royalty payments to music creators and license holders were drafted decades ago.

Senators 'Disappointed' That Google Didn't Disclose Data Vulnerability

Top lawmakers sent a stinging letter to Google over its handling of a data vulnerability that affected hundreds of thousands of users of its Google+ social media service. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune (R., S.D.), in a letter, joined two subcommittee chairmen in saying they found it “troubling” that Google failed to disclose the vulnerability after it was discovered.

Chinese Digital Payment Providers Say Stolen Apple IDs Used to Steal Money

Ant Financial’s Alipay and Tencent Holdings Ltd. warned that cyber-attackers employed stolen Apple IDs to break into customers’ accounts and made off with an unknown amount of cash, in a rare security breach for China’s top digital payments providers. Alipay, whose parent also operates the world’s largest money market fund, said on its Weibo blog that it contacted Apple and is working to get to the bottom of the breach.

Facebook Disables Accounts for Russian Database Provider

Facebook has disabled dozens of accounts and profiles belonging to Russian database provider SocialDataHub for what it termed the unauthorized collection of user information, the social media giant said. Facebook said in a statement that SocialDataHub, which has previously provided analytical services to the Russian government, had violated its terms of use.

Facebook Purges 800+ Accounts for Politically Oriented Spamming

Facebook said that it has purged more than 800 U.S. publishers and accounts for flooding users with politically oriented content that violated the company’s spam policies, a move that could reignite accusations of political censorship. The accounts and pages, with names such as Reasonable People Unite and Reverb Press, were probably domestic actors using clickbait headlines and other spammy tactics to drive users to websites where they could target them with ads, the company said.

Man Gets 6 Months for Helping Russians Conduct Disinformation Campaign

A California man who says he unwittingly helped Russia conduct a disinformation campaign on social media before the 2016 presidential election has been sentenced to six months in prison and another six months of home confinement after pleading guilty to a single count of identity fraud earlier this year. Richard Pinedo, 28, of Santa Paula, received his sentence on Wednesday after admitting in February to selling bank account numbers so his clients could circumvent security features on electronic payment services including PayPal.

At Hearing, Lawmakers Push for Consumer Protections Online

Top lawmakers of both parties argued that Congress needs to take action to rein in big tech companies, citing revelations about Google+ as the latest example of questionable practices involving consumers’ private information. At a Senate hearing, Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune (R., S.D.) said it is increasingly clear from Google+ as well as Facebook Inc.’s earlier Cambridge Analytica scandal that industry self-regulation is no longer sufficient to protect users’ privacy.

Amount of Hacking-Related Cryptocurrency Theft Rises 250 Percent

Theft of cryptocurrencies through hacking of exchanges and trading platforms soared to $927 million in the first nine months of the year, up nearly 250 percent from the level seen in 2017, according to a report from U.S.-based cyber security firm CipherTrace. The report, which looks at criminal activity and money laundering in the digital currency market, also showed a steadily growing number of smaller thefts in the $20-60 million range, totaling $173 million in the third quarter.

Belgium Extradites Accused Chinese Government Spy to U.S.

In a first, federal agents lured a Chinese government spy to Belgium, where authorities transferred him to the United States for prosecution on economic espionage charges, U.S. officials said. Yanjun Xu, a senior officer with China’s Ministry of State Security, is accused of seeking to steal trade secrets from leading aviation firms, top Justice Department officials said.

U.S. Telecom Company Found Manipulated Hardware Linked to China

A major U.S. telecommunications company discovered manipulated hardware from Super Micro Computer Inc. in its network and removed it in August, fresh evidence of tampering in China of critical technology components bound for the U.S., according to a security expert working for the telecom company. The security expert, Yossi Appleboum, provided documents, analysis and other evidence of the discovery following the publication of an investigative report in Bloomberg Businessweek that detailed how China’s intelligence services had ordered subcontractors to plant malicious chips in Supermicro server motherboards over a two-year period ending in 2015.

WhatsApp Fixes Bug That Allowed Hackers to Take Over Application

Facebook Inc’s WhatsApp messenger service said it has fixed the latest bug on its platform that allowed hackers to take over users’ applications when they answered an incoming video call. The announcement follows reports from technology websites ZDnet and The Register that the vulnerability, which affected WhatsApp applications on Apple and Android smartphones, was discovered in late August and was fixed by Facebook in early October.

Lawmaker Wants Amazon, Apple to Testify About Chinese Hack Report

One of the top Republicans in Congress wants Amazon, Apple and information technology company Super Micro to hold a congressional briefing over concerns about a hardware hack reportedly carried out against them by the Chinese government. Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the No. 3 Senate Republican who serves as chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, sent letters to the CEOs of each of the companies asking them to brief committee staff on the reported hack.

German Data Protection Commissioner Probes Google+ Data Exposure

Alphabet Inc.’s Google faces at least one European privacy probe in the wake of revelations it kept quiet for months about a “software glitch” in its Google+ social network. Johannes Caspar, data protection commissioner in Hamburg, Germany, said his agency has started investigating the matter, that could have exposed the personal data of as many as half a million users.

GAO Report Says Pentagon Long Failed to Prioritize Cybersecurity

The Pentagon has "routinely" found mission-critical cyber vulnerabilities in most systems under development from 2012-2017, and yet, U.S. military officials still often think the Pentagon's weapon systems are secure against cyberthreats, per a Government Accountability Office report. The report assesses that "[a]lthough GAO and others have warned of cyber risks for decades, until recently, DoD did not prioritize weapon systems cybersecurity."

Apple's VP of Info Security Denies Breach in Letter to Congress

Apple's top security employee told Congress that it has not found anything to suggest that its systems were compromised through a sophisticated breach of its supply chain. George Stathakopoulos, the company’s vice president of information security, wrote in a letter to the Senate Commerce and House Energy and Commerce committees that Apple had conducted multiple investigations and not found evidence of the cybersecurity breaches detailed in a story published by Bloomberg Businessweek last week.

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.