Iranian-Linked Cyberattacks Targeted Thousands of People, Microsoft Says

Cyberattacks linked to Iranian hackers have targeted thousands of people at more than 200 companies over the past two years, Microsoft Corp. said, part of a wave of computer intrusions from the country that researchers say has hit businesses and government entities around the globe. The campaign, the scope of which hadn’t previously been reported, stole corporate secrets and wiped data from computers.

Foreign Influence Campaigns on Social Media Thriving, FBI Director Says

FBI Director Christopher Wray said that while the U.S. had not seen a "material impact on election infrastructure" from foreign adversaries in the recent midterm elections, foreign influence campaigns pitting Americans against each other on social media have continued "virtually unabated." Wray, speaking at the RSA cybersecurity conference in San Francisco, said the FBI has been working closely with the social media companies to counter the threat, and that the cooperation had been a "great example of how the government and private sector can work together in a common defense."

  • Read the article: CNN

Chinese Hackers Target Universities to Steal Maritime Secrets for Military Use

Chinese hackers have targeted more than two dozen universities in the U.S. and around the globe as part of an elaborate scheme to steal research about maritime technology being developed for military use, cybersecurity experts and current and former U.S. officials said. The University of Hawaii, the University of Washington and Massachusetts Institute of Technology are among at least 27 universities in the U.S., Canada and Southeast Asia that Beijing has targeted, according to iDefense, a cybersecurity intelligence unit of Accenture Security.

Russian Lawmakers Pushing 'Sovereign Internet' to Control Information Flows

Backed by President Vladimir Putin, lawmakers in Moscow are pushing a bill through parliament dubbed “Sovereign Internet” that’s designed to create a single command post from which authorities can manage and, if needed, halt information flows across Russian cyberspace. Putin is touting the initiative as a defensive response to the Trump Administration’s new cyber strategy, which permits offensive measures against Russia and other designated adversaries. But industry insiders, security experts and even senior officials say political upheaval is the bigger concern.

Huawei Urges Governments, Industry to Cooperate on Cybersecurity Standards

Huawei, in the spotlight over the security risks of its telecom equipment gear, urged governments, the telecoms industry and regulators to work together to create a common set of cybersecurity standards. The call by Huawei Chairman Ken Hu came as the world’s largest telecoms equipment maker opened a cyber security center in Brussels, allowing its customers and governments to test Huawei’s source code, software and product solutions.

House Democrats Plan to Unveil Bill to Reinstate Net Neutrality Rules

Democrats in the U.S. Congress plan to unveil legislation to reinstate “net neutrality” rules that were repealed by the Trump administration in December 2017, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. Pelosi told lawmakers in a letter that House Democrats, who won control of the chamber in the November 2018 elections, would work with their colleagues in the U.S. Senate to pass the “Save The Internet Act.”

Twitter Suspends Fake Accounts Supporting Howard Schultz's Campaign

Since January, Twitter has suspended at least six pro-Schultz accounts for violating its fake accounts policies, according to a source familiar with the bans who was not authorized to speak publicly. Those accounts and others like them that are still active, and they provide a preview of the kind of fakery researchers expect to see on social media during the 2020 election.

Huawei Planning to Sue U.S. Government for Ban on Work with Federal Agencies

The Chinese electronics giant Huawei is preparing to sue the United States government for barring federal agencies from using the company’s products, according to two people familiar with the matter. The lawsuit is to be filed in the Eastern District of Texas, where Huawei has its American headquarters, according to the people, who requested anonymity to discuss confidential plans.

Google Employees Say Company Still Working on Censored Chinese Search Engine

Google employees have carried out their own investigation into the company’s plan to launch a censored search engine for China and say they are concerned that development of the project remains ongoing, The Intercept can reveal. Late last year, bosses moved engineers away from working on the controversial project, known as Dragonfly, and said that there were no current plans to launch it.

French Finance Minister Says Internet Tax Could Yield 500 Million Euros

A three percent tax on the French revenue of large internet companies could yield 500 million euros (568.5 million pounds) per year, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said. Le Maire told Le Parisien newspaper the tax is aimed at companies with worldwide digital revenue of at least 750 million and French revenue of more than 25 million euros.

North Korean Hackers Called Active While Trump Met with Kim Jong-un

North Korean hackers who have targeted American and European businesses for 18 months kept up their attacks even as President Trump was meeting with North Korea’s leader in Hanoi. The attacks, which include efforts to hack into banks, utilities and oil and gas companies, began in 2017, according to researchers at the cybersecurity company McAfee, a time when tensions between North Korea and the United States were flaring.

Facebook, Instagram Sue Chinese Companies, Individuals Selling Fake Accounts

Facebook Inc. said that it filed a lawsuit along with Instagram in U.S. federal court against four companies and three people based in the People’s Republic of China for promoting the sale of fake accounts, likes and followers. In a blog post, the company said the accused people and companies promoted the sales on both Facebook and Instagram as well as other online service providers including Amazon, Apple, Google, LinkedIn and Twitter.

D.C. Opposes Facebook's Effort to Dismiss Consumer-Protection Lawsuit

Facebook Inc. must be held accountable for misleading District of Columbia users about its information-sharing practices, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine said in papers opposing the social network’s request to have a consumer-protection lawsuit thrown out. “This court should allow the D.C. Attorney General’s efforts to protect D.C. consumers from a company that was recently labeled a ‘digital gangster’ in another government inquiry to proceed,” Racine in the filing with District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Fern Saddler.

Congressman Questions Amazon About Sales of Anti-Vaccination Products

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) pressed Amazon over popular anti-vaccination products sold on its online store, accusing the retail giant of allowing "harmful" content to "thrive and spread." Schiff's comments, made in a letter addressed to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, comes amid increasing scrutiny of tech giants over anti-vaccine content spreading on their platforms.

Google Won't Remove App That Lets Saudi Men Track Women's Travel

Google told California Rep. Jackie Speier that it wouldn't ban Saudi Arabia's Absher app from Google Play despite calls from Speier and other members of Congress to remove it. The mobile software lets Saudi men control and track travel permissions for women and migrant workers, leading to an outcry that Google and Apple were promoting "sixteenth century tyranny."

Huawei Pleads Not Guilty to Stealing Trade Secrets from T-Mobile

Two divisions of the Chinese networking giant Huawei pleaded not guilty to charges that it stole trade secrets from America’s third-largest wireless carrier, T-Mobile, in a bid to copy its technology. In federal court in Seattle, Huawei — one of the world’s biggest wireless equipment makers — said it was not guilty of committing trade secret theft, nor of conspiring to hide such a plan.

N.Y. Regulator Investigating Facebook for Collecting Data from Phone Apps

A New York regulator is ramping up a promised investigation of how Facebook Inc. gathered sensitive personal information from popular smartphone applications, after a report by The Wall Street Journal revealed that some apps were sending the social-media giant data, including users’ body weight and menstrual cycles. The state’s Department of Financial Services sent a series of letters seeking information and documents from Facebook and the developers behind the at least 11 apps mentioned in the Journal’s reporting, according to a person familiar with the investigation.

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.