Hackers Accessed 3% of Justice Department's Email Accounts

Hackers who tapped into government networks through SolarWinds software potentially accessed about 3% of the Justice Department’s email accounts, but there’s no indication they accessed classified systems, a DOJ spokesperson said in a statement. The DOJ Office of the Chief Information Officer learned of the hack on Christmas Eve, according to the statement, where agents accessed the department’s Microsoft Office 365 email environment.

  • Read the article: CNBC

Trump Signs Executive Order Against Eight Chinese Software Applications

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning transactions with eight Chinese software applications, including Ant Group’s Alipay, a senior administration official said, escalating tensions with Beijing before President-elect Joe Biden takes office this month. The order, first reported by Reuters, tasks the Commerce Department with defining which transactions will be banned under the directive and targets Tencent Holdings Ltd’s QQ Wallet and WeChat pay as well.

U.S. Officials Say Hacking Campaign 'Likely Originated in Russia'

U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies investigating the massive hacking campaign targeting American government agencies and private sector companies issued a joint statement saying the group responsible "likely originated in Russia" and the attack is believed to be an act of espionage rather than cyber warfare, as some lawmakers have suggested. While top U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have previously suggested that the hacking campaign was carried out by a Russian-backed group, Tuesday's joint statement offers the most definitive and concrete assessment about the attack's origins from agencies investigating the incident.

  • Read the article: CNN

Italian Court Orders Facebook to Pay $4.7 Million for Copying App

A Milan-based appeals court ordered Facebook to pay 3.83 million euros ($4.70 million) in damages to an Italian software development company for copying an app, a court document seen by Reuters showed. The judges said the U.S. group copied their ‘Nearby’ feature from Italy’s Business Competence’s app ‘Faround’, which allows users to identify shops, clubs, restaurants in their surrounding area through geolocalisation.

Chinese Court Rules Against Amazon's Use of Its 'AWS' Trademark

Amazon.com Inc. can’t use its cloud-computing business’s AWS logo in China, a Beijing court ruled, the latest headache for a company that has already been hampered by Chinese regulations and rivals. The Beijing Municipal High People’s Court ruled that the trademark for the term “AWS” belonged to ActionSoft Science & Technology Development Co., a Chinese software and data services company, according to a court verdict published Dec. 30.

Report Cites Misinformation in Facebook Ads for Republican Senate Candidates

Facebook ads backing Republican candidates in the crucial Georgia Senate runoff elections contain misinformation, according to a new report. Nearly 100 ads released by the campaigns of Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, as well as the Republican Party and top GOP super PACs, contained claims that had been debunked by third party fact-checkers, according to an analysis the nonprofit advocacy group Avaaz shared with The Hill.

225+ Google Workers Form Unusual Minority Union in Tech Industry

More than 225 Google engineers and other workers have formed a union, the group revealed, capping years of growing activism at one of the world’s largest companies and presenting a rare beachhead for labor organizers in staunchly anti-union Silicon Valley. The union’s creation is highly unusual for the tech industry, which has long resisted efforts to organize its largely white-collar work force.

FCC Unlikely to Narrow Social Media Protections in Trump's Waning Days

The prospects of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Ajit Pai taking action on an effort to narrow social media companies legal protections under a 1996 law are increasingly unlikely. Both Pai and U.S. President Donald Trump have only 16 days remaining in office and it remains unclear if a new third Republican FCC commissioner could participate in any action.

Apple Removes Thousands of Games from App Store in China

Apple moved to purge thousands of games from its app store in China as part of a crackdown on games that are not licensed by the Chinese government, Reuters reported. The move, which came after Apple set a Dec. 31 deadline for companies to obtain licenses in order to remain in the app store, reportedly swept up titles from major companies including Ubisoft.

Congress Overturns Trump's Veto of Bill Without Social Media Restrictions

The Senate voted to turn a $741 billion defense authorization bill into law over President Trump’s objections, delivering the first successful veto override of his presidency in the waning days of his administration. Trump complained that the legislation did not include a repeal of a completely unrelated law — Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act — that gives technology companies certain liability protections from content third parties post to their websites.

Russian Hackers Viewed Microsoft Source Code Through Employee Account

Microsoft said that the far-reaching Russian hack of U.S. government agencies and private corporations had gone further into its network than the company previously understood. While the hackers, suspected to be working for Russia’s S.V.R. intelligence agency, did not appear to use Microsoft’s systems to attack other victims, they were able to view Microsoft source code through an employee account, the company said.

Ticketmaster to Pay $10 Million Fine for Accessing Competitor's Computer System

Ticketmaster will pay a $10 million criminal fine for repeatedly accessing the computer systems of one of its competitors without authorization. The online ticketing company agreed to the fine after being charged with five counts of computer intrusion and fraud by the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, the Justice Department said.

  • Read the article: CNET

Judge Dismisses Apple's Lawsuit Against Corellium Over 'Virtual' iPhones

In a ruling that has wide-reaching implications for iPhone security research and copyright law, a federal judge in Florida threw out Apple’s claims that Corellium had violated copyright law with its software, which helps security researchers find bugs and security holes on Apple’s products. Corellium, co-founded in 2017 by husband and wife Amanda Gorton and Chris Wade, was a breakthrough in security research because it gave its customers the ability to run “virtual” iPhones on desktop computers.

Computer Repair Shop Owner Sues Twitter for Labeling Him a 'Hacker'

A Delaware computer repair shop owner sued Twitter, alleging the social network defamed him by effectively labeling him a “hacker” after his business was cited as the source for info obtained from a laptop allegedly owned by Hunter Biden that served as the basis for several New York Post articles published in October. In the lawsuit (at this link), John Paul Mac Isaac said he was forced to shut down the Mac Shop, his computer repair business in Wilmington, Del., after Twitter said the NY Post stories violated its “hacked materials” policy and initially disallowed users from sharing links to them.

U.S. Government Appeals Order Blocking Restrictions on TikTok

The U.S. government appealed a federal judge’s order that blocked the Commerce Department from imposing restrictions on Chinese-owned short video-sharing app TikTok that would have effectively barred its use in the United States. President Donald Trump’s administration has cited national security concerns in its targeting of TikTok, arguing that the personal data of U.S. users could be obtained by China’s government.

Russian Government Hackers Compromised Microsoft Cloud Customers

Russian government hackers have compromised Microsoft cloud customers and stolen emails from at least one private-sector company, according to people familiar with the matter, a worrying development in Moscow’s ongoing cyberespionage campaign targeting numerous U.S. agencies and corporate computer networks. The intrusions appear to have occurred via a Microsoft corporate partner that handles cloud-access services, those familiar with the matter said.

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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.