North Korea Using Cyber Attacks to Fund Weapons Program, UN Report Says

North Korea has generated an estimated $2 billion for its weapons of mass destruction programs using “widespread and increasingly sophisticated” cyber attacks to steal from banks and cryptocurrency exchanges, according to a confidential U.N. report seen by Reuters. Pyongyang also “continued to enhance its nuclear and missile programs although it did not conduct a nuclear test or ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) launch,” said the report to the U.N. Security Council North Korea sanctions committee by independent experts monitoring compliance over six months.

CafePress Asks Customers to Reset Passwords After 23.2M Accounts Exposed

T-shirt seller CafePress has been asking customers to choose new passwords as part of an updated "password policy," but the news came soon after reports that the site had been the victim of a data breach in February. Have I Been Pwned claimed that over 23.2 million accounts had been exposed, including email addresses, names, physical addresses and phone numbers.

Senator Questions Amazon About Its Role in Capital One Hacking

A Democratic senator is pressing Amazon.com Inc. for answers on its cloud-computing technology at the heart of the Capital One hack, one of the biggest-ever bank-data thefts. Sen. Ron Wyden (D., Ore.) sent a letter to Chief Executive Jeff Bezos requesting details about the security of Amazon’s cloud service, which stored the 106 million Capital One Financial Corp. credit-card records allegedly stolen by an accused hacker.

Russian Government Hackers Using Internet-Connected Devices, Microsoft Says

Hackers working for the Russian government have been using printers, video decoders, and other so-called Internet-of-things devices as a beachhead to penetrate targeted computer networks, Microsoft officials warned. “These devices became points of ingress from which the actor established a presence on the network and continued looking for further access,” officials with the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center wrote in a post.

Britain's Data Protection Watchdog Questions Facebook's Libra Currency

Britain’s data protection watchdog said that it had joined with its counterparts from around the world in calling for more openness about Facebook’s proposed Libra digital currency. Facebook’s plans to launch Libra next year have prompted warnings from politicians, regulators and central bankers that it must be closely regulated to avoid any disruption to the international financial system.

Read the article: Reuters

After El Paso Shooting, Cloudflare Stops Service for 8chan Website

A San Francisco-based Web company announced it would no longer provide services to 8chan, a website notorious for hosting lawless message boards where manifestos have appeared before mass shootings. The move came after a screed against immigrants was posted to 8chan shortly before a mass shooter killed 20 and wounded 26 at an El Paso Walmart and shopping center.

In Safety Move, YouTube Change Boosts 'Quality' Children's Content

In early July, YouTube made a significant change to its software to boost what it deems “quality” children’s content, sending waves of traffic to certain video producers and burying other channels. The change came as the company tries to convince parents its service is safe for kids, and convince regulators that it isn’t violating the law.

Senate Bill Would Increase Penalties for Antitrust Cases Against Tech Firms

U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Richard Blumenthal introduced legislation to allow harsher penalties for companies that violate antitrust law, following a Justice Department probe into alleged anticompetitive behavior by big tech. The “Monopolization Deterrence Act” by the Democratic senators would allow the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission to seek civil penalties for monopolization offenses under U.S. antitrust law, Klobuchar’s office said in a statement.

Man Arrested in Scam for Sending Packages of Dirt to Amazon as Returns

A 22-year-old has been arrested in an alleged scam of the largest internet retailer that totaled nearly $370,000 by sending return packages filled with dirt. James Gilbert Kwarteng, of Palma de Mallorca, Spain, allegedly swindled Amazon Opens a New Window. by filling up the ordered items’ boxes with dirt and registering with the exact weight of the product.

FTC Investigating Facebook's Acquisition Practices as Part of Antitrust Probe

The Federal Trade Commission is examining Facebook Inc.’s acquisitions as part of its antitrust investigation into the social-media giant — to determine if they were part of a campaign to snap up potential rivals before they could become a threat, according to people familiar with the matter. The company’s acquisition practices are a central component of the FTC probe, the people said.

Google Blacklists Sites Approved by UAE Security Company After Hacking Reports

Alphabet’s Google has blacklisted websites approved by a United Arab Emirates-based security company after Reuters reports tied the firm to a state hacking operation. Google said last week on a public discussion board that its Chrome and Android browsers would mark as unsafe all websites that had been certified by the UAE security firm DarkMatter.

Facebook Finds Covert Campaigns Linked to Support for Saudi Arabia

Facebook said it had found evidence of something cyber security and national security experts have long suspected: people tied to the government of Saudi Arabia have been running covert campaigns on Facebook and Instagram in a bid to prop up support for the kingdom and attack its enemies. The people behind the campaign — who Facebook did not name but said were linked to the Saudi government — ran an expansive operation involving hundreds of Facebook pages and accounts.

  • Read the article: CNN

Artist Rights Alliance Encourages Congress to Probe Tech Companies

A trade group representing musicians and other content creators wants Congress to take in their perspectives as it investigates the effects of large tech companies’ market power. The Artist Rights Alliance (ARA) sent a letter to lawmakers leading an antitrust probe into Silicon Valley’s giants, raising concerns about how large internet platforms impact the music business.

Cisco Settles False Claims Act Case for Failing to Meet Cybersecurity Standards

Cisco Systems Inc. has agreed to settle a whistleblower’s claim that it improperly sold video surveillance software with known vulnerabilities to U.S. federal and state governments, marking the first payout on a False Claims Act case brought over failure to meet cybersecurity standards. Cisco paid $8.6 million to resolve the case, with most of that going to the federal government and 15 state buyers and more than $1 million going to the whistleblower, James Glenn.