Trump Suggests China Behind Cyber Attack While Pompeo Blames Russia

President Trump addressed the ongoing cyber hacks of the U.S. government for the first time, seeking to turn blame away from Moscow in defiance of mounting evidence while downplaying how devastating the intrusions appear to be. In a bizarre outburst on Twitter that Trump’s critics condemned for its alarming disconnect from the facts, the president contradicted his top diplomat, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who pinned the breaches that have afflicted at least five major federal agencies “clearly” on Russia.

Apple Says VirnetX Holdings Patent Loss Could Exceed $1 Billion

Apple Inc. said its financial penalty for infringing VirnetX Holdings Corp. patents could swell to more than $1 billion if a federal judge in Texas grants requests for additional interest and royalty payments on top of what juries in two separate cases have ordered the iPhone maker to pay. VirnetX has asked U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder III on to tack at least $116 million in interest onto the $503 million jurors awarded in October after concluding Apple infringed two patents related to secure communications in several iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch models.

Microsoft Reportedly Hacked as Part of Suspected Russian Campaign

Microsoft was hacked as part of the suspected Russian campaign that has hit multiple U.S. government agencies by taking advantage of the widespread use of software from SolarWinds Corp, according to people familiar with the matter. As with networking management software by SolarWinds, Microsoft’s own products were then used to further the attacks on others, the people said.

Biden Vows to Impose 'Substantial Costs' on Perpetrators of Cyber Assaults

President-elect Joe Biden said the United States under his leadership would join with allies to impose “substantial costs” on adversaries who engage in cyberattacks like the massive breach of U.S. government agencies and corporations revealed earlier this month. “A good defense isn’t enough; we need to disrupt and deter our adversaries from undertaking significant cyber attacks in the first place,” Biden said in a statement issued by his transition team.

  • Read the article: CNBC

More Than 30 States Accuse Google of Illegally Arranging Search Results

One day after 10 other states accused Google of abusing its dominance in advertising and overcharging publishers, and two months after the Justice Department said the company’s deals with other tech giants throttled competition, a bipartisan group of state prosecutors said in a lawsuit that Google downplayed websites that let users search for information in specialized areas like home repair services and travel reviews. They also accused the company of using exclusive deals with phone makers like Apple to prioritize Google’s search service over rivals like Firefox and DuckDuckGo.

Total Costs of Ransom Payments Doubled in First Half of Year, Insurer Says

Ransomware attacks increased in terms of both severity and costs this year, forcing insurers to become more selective and even scale back on the cover they offer against cyber crimes, a report from a leading insurer showed. The total costs of ransom payments doubled year-on-year through the first six months of 2020, according to the report from Lloyd’s of London insurer Beazley Plc that called such attacks the biggest threat facing businesses.

Facebook Accuses Apple of Anticompetitive Practices in Privacy Changes

Facebook Inc. accused rival Apple Inc of engaging in anticompetitive practices, firing another shot in a monthslong standoff between the two tech giants over Apple’s planned privacy changes for iOS14. “Apple is behaving anticompetitively by using their control of the App Store to benefit their bottom line at the expense of creators and small businesses. Full stop,” Facebook Vice President for Ads and Business Products Dan Levy told reporters.

Facebook to Assist Epic Games in Fortnite Lawsuit Against Apple

Facebook Inc. said it would assist the company behind popular videogame “Fortnite” in its high-profile legal battle with Apple Inc., as the social-media giant ramps up its own counterattack against what it says are the iPhone maker’s self-serving measures cloaked in the interest of privacy. As part of a pledge to assist challenges to what it called Apple’s anticompetitive behavior, Facebook plans to provide supporting materials and documents to Epic Games Inc.

Ten State Attorneys General File Antitrust Suit Against Google Over Ads

Ten state attorneys general accused Google of illegally abusing its monopoly over the technology that delivers ads online, adding to the company’s legal troubles with a case that strikes at the heart of its business. The state prosecutors said that Google overcharged publishers for the ads it showed across the web and edged out rivals who tried to challenge the company’s dominance.

Dutch Hacker Accessed Trump's Twitter Account, Prosecutor Says

The Netherlands’ public prosecutor said that a Dutch hacker accessed President Trump’s Twitter account, according to a report by Vox. The Dutch prosecutors on Wednesday said that they believed that Victor Gevers, a security researcher, had accessed Trump's account by guessing the password, according to a translated version of the Dutch news report.

Twitter to Remove Misleading Information About Coronavirus Vaccines

With coronavirus vaccine misinformation spreading via social media at an alarming rate, Twitter said it would remove claims that vaccines intentionally cause harm or are unnecessary as well as debunked conspiracy theories about the adverse effects of vaccines. “In the context of a global pandemic, vaccine misinformation presents a significant and growing public health challenge,” Twitter said in a blog post.

Facebook Shifting U.K. Users to U.S. Agreements to Avoid EU Privacy Laws

Facebook Inc. will shift all its users in the United Kingdom into user agreements with the corporate headquarters in California, moving them out of their current relationship with Facebook’s Irish unit and out of reach of Europe’s privacy laws. The change takes effect next year and follows a similar move announced in February by Google.

Sen. Graham Introduces Bill to Repeal Section 230 Protections for Social Media

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) introduced legislation that would repeal a key tech liability shield by 2023 as debate over the protection has put a top defense bill in jeopardy. Graham’s bill would implement a sunset for Section 230, the 1996 law that grants legal protects to tech platforms for third party content posted on their sites.

EU, Britain Introduce New Regulations to Fight Hate Speech, Counterfeiting

Authorities in the European Union and Britain built momentum for tougher oversight of the technology industry, as they introduced new regulations to pressure the world’s biggest tech companies to take down harmful content and open themselves up to more competition. In Brussels, European Union leaders unveiled proposals to crimp the power of “gatekeeper” platforms like Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft, which policymakers argue deserve more oversight given their outsize influence.

Coalition of Tech Companies Seizes Control of Domain Used for Hacking

Microsoft and a coalition of tech companies have intervened to seize and sinkhole a domain that played a central role in the SolarWinds hack, ZDNet has learned from sources familiar with the matter. The domain in question served as command and control (C&C) server for malware delivered to around 18,000 SolarWinds customers via a trojanized update for the company's Orion app.

EU Fines Twitter $546,000 for Violating General Data Protection Regulation

Two-and-a-half-years after going into effect, the European Union’s new privacy law has its first fine for a U.S. tech company in a cross-border case — an overdue development, critics say. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission said that it is fining Twitter Inc. €450,000, equivalent to about $546,000, for failing to document or properly notify the regulator within 72 hours of learning of a data breach disclosed in January 2019 that exposed some users’ private tweets.

Facebook Links French Military to Influence Operation Targeting Africa

Facebook accused people linked to the French military of running a covert online influence operation targeting parts of Africa. It is the first time Facebook has publicly linked a campaign like this to individuals connected to a Western military. The deceptive tactics allegedly used, which include using Facebook to pose as locals in the targeted countries, mirror misinformation campaigns run by the Russian government.

  • Read the article: CNN

Facebook Allows Authorized Political Ads for Georgia Senate Race

Facebook said that it would allow some advertisers to run political issue and candidacy ads in Georgia, a change from its recent ban on political ads in the United States and just weeks before a major runoff election in the state could decide the future of the Senate. Facebook said it would allow authorized advertisers to buy and run political ads targeted to people within Georgia.

Homeland Security, Other Agencies Investigating Russian-Backed Hacking

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and thousands of businesses scrambled to investigate and respond to a sweeping hacking campaign that officials suspect was directed by the Russian government. Emails sent by officials at DHS, which oversees border security and defense against hacking, were monitored by the hackers as part of the sophisticated series of breaches, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

FTC Orders Social Media, Streaming Sites to Provide Details on Data Use

The Federal Trade Commission wants to know how popular social media and streaming sites such as Facebook and Twitter use your personal data. The agency has ordered those two sites, as well as Amazon, YouTube, Discord, Reddit, Snap, WhatsApp and ByteDance, which operates TikTok, to provide details on how they collect and use personal information.

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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.