Online Misinformation Campaigns Target Runoff Elections in Georgia Senate Races

As Georgia prepares to hold special elections that will determine which party will control the U.S. Senate, the state has become the focus of a misinformation campaign that is aimed at discrediting the results of the November elections and convincing voters that Democrats are trying to steal the upcoming vote. A small group of “superspreaders” is responsible for the vast majority of that misinformation, according to new research by Avaaz, a global human rights group.

House Intelligence Committee Chair Wants Briefing on Government Hacking

U.S. House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff asked for a briefing from U.S. agencies about a widespread hack of U.S. government networks and potential vulnerabilities. Schiff said news “about FireEye is especially concerning because reportedly a nation-state actor made off with advanced tools that could help them mount future attacks.”

Homeland Security to Warn Businesses About Chinese Equipment

The Department of Homeland Security is set to issue an advisory to U.S. businesses, warning them of data security risks associated with using communications equipment and services from China-linked companies. The advisory comes as the Trump administration makes a final push on China, highlighting the administration's emphasis on the risks posed by the close relationship between some Chinese companies and the Chinese government.

Dozens of Al Jazeera Journalists Had iPhones Compromised by Spyware

Citizen Lab researchers say they have found evidence that dozens of journalists had their iPhones silently compromised with spyware known to be used by nation states. For more than the past year, London-based reporter Rania Dridi and at least 36 journalists, producers and executives working for the Al Jazeera news agency were targeted with a so-called “zero-click” attack that exploited a now-fixed vulnerability in Apple’s iMessage.

Hackers Sending Fake Shipment Notifications During Holiday Season

Hackers are sending out fake shipping notification links that appear to come from Amazon, FedEx, UPS and other major shippers, but they launch malware or mine for personal information. Cybersecurity firm Check Point Software Technologies found these messages impersonating shippers were up 440% from October to November, and 72% since November last year.

  • Read the article: CNBC

Zoom Security Executive Charged with Working with Chinese Government

A security executive with the video-tech giant Zoom worked with the Chinese government to terminate Americans’ accounts and disrupt video calls about the 1989 massacre of pro-democracy activists in Tiananmen Square, Justice Department prosecutors said. The case is a stunning blow for Zoom, one of the most popular new titans of American tech, which during the pandemic became one of the main ways people work, socialize and share ideas around the world.

Facebook Removes Misleading Information About Coronavirus Vaccine in Israel

Facebook has taken down content that spread lies in Israel against coronavirus vaccinations as the government seeks to drum up support for the program, the Justice Ministry said. The Justice Ministry said that, at its request, Facebook took down four groups at the weekend that had disseminated texts, photographs and videos with “deliberately mendacious content designed to mislead about coronavirus vaccines.”

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.

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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.