Sinclair Broadcast Group Says Cybersecurity Incident Disrupts Networks

Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc., one of the largest owners of broadcast stations in the U.S., said it is working to contain a cybersecurity incident that disrupted some of its networks and had some of its servers and workstations encrypted with ransomware. Sinclair said the event, which it identified over the weekend, has caused a disruption, and may continue to do so, to parts of the business, including its local advertisements.

Treasury Department Says Digital Currencies Could Hinder Sanctions

The Biden administration warned that digital currencies posed a threat to America’s sanctions program and said in a new report that the United States needed to modernize how sanctions were deployed so that they remained an effective national security tool. The warning was included in a six-month Treasury Department review of the nation’s sanctions program, which has been used more aggressively in recent years as a lever in international diplomacy.

U.S. Preparing for International Cybersecurity Challenge in Greece

As the United States seeks to shore up its defenses against cyberattacks, the country is seeking to harness the skills of some of the country’s most promising young minds using a model that mirrors competitive video gaming, also known as esports. U.S. Cyber Games, a project founded in April and funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education, has assembled a team of 25 Americans, ages 18 to 26, who will compete against other countries in the inaugural International Cybersecurity Challenge, scheduled to be held in Greece in June 2022.

Ransomware Gangs Attack Three U.S. Water and Wastewater Treatment Facilities

Ransomware gangs have silently hit three U.S. water and wastewater treatment facilities this year, in 2021, the U.S. government said in a joint cybersecurity advisory published by the FBI, NSA, CISA, and the EPA. The attacks — which had been previously unreported — took place in March, July, and August and hit facilities in Nevada, Maine, and California, respectively.

Ransomware Payments in U.S. on Track to Double in 2021, Treasury Dep't Says

The volume of suspected ransomware payments flagged by U.S. banks has surged this year, on pace to nearly double last year’s, the Treasury Department said, highlighting the scale of a problem that governments across the world have described as a critical national security threat. Nearly $600 million in transactions were linked to possible ransomware payments in so-called Suspicious Activity Reports financial services firms filed to the U.S. government in the first six months of this year, according to a Treasury Department report.

South Korea, Apple Clash Over New Requirements on App Payment Systems

Apple Inc. was on a collision course with South Korea over new requirements that it stop forcing app developers to use its payment systems, with a government official warning of a possible investigation into the iPhone maker's compliance. The development comes after South Korea amended the Telecommunication Business Act in August to try to curb the tech majors' market dominance and stop the big app store operators such as Apple and Alphabet Inc.'s Google from charging commissions on in-app purchases.

Iranian Hacking Group Still Waging Attacks Internationally, Google Says

An Iranian hacking group that targeted a U.S. presidential campaign in last year’s election has continued to wage widespread attacks, using an evolving list of tactics to dupe victims into clicking on malicious links. Known variously as APT35, Phosphorous, Charming Kitten and Ajax Security team, the hacking group has for years “hijacked accounts, deployed malware and used novel techniques to conduct espionage aligned with the interests of the Iranian government,” according to a blog by Google’s Threat Analysis Group.

YouTube's Stricter Policies Led to Less Misinformation Elsewhere, Report Says

YouTube’s stricter policies against election misinformation was followed by sharp drops in the prevalence of false and misleading videos on Facebook and Twitter, according to new research, underscoring the video service’s power across social media. Researchers at the Center for Social Media and Politics at New York University found a significant rise in election fraud YouTube videos shared on Twitter immediately after the Nov. 3 election.

Senators Plan Bill to Stop Tech Companies from 'Self-Preferencing'

A bipartisan group of senators plans to introduce a bill that they say would prevent tech platforms from using their power to disadvantage smaller rivals, signaling growing momentum in Congress to rein in Silicon Valley giants. Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s antitrust subcommittee, and Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced that they will introduce legislation making it illegal for Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google to engage in “self-preferencing,” the tech giants’ practice of giving their own products and services a boost over those of rivals on their platforms.

Lawyers for Facebook Whistleblower Share Documents with State Officials

Lawyers representing Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen are targeting attorneys general in states like California and Massachusetts in the hopes they could play a similar role in imposing limits on the social network. John Tye, a lawyer representing Haugen through the nonprofit Whistleblower Aid, said that his team has shared some of the documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission with state attorneys general offices in California, Massachusetts, Vermont, Nebraska and Tennessee.

LinkedIn to Stop Offering Networking Services in China Due to Compliance

Microsoft Corp.’s LinkedIn said it would shut the version of its professional-networking site that operates in China, marking the end of the last major American social-media network operating openly in the country. LinkedIn, in a statement, said that it made the decision after “facing a significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements in China.”

Facebook to Provide Bullying Protection for Activists, Journalists

Facebook Inc. will now count activists and journalists as "involuntary" public figures and so increase protections against harassment and bullying targeted at these groups, its global safety chief said in an interview this week. The social media company, which allows more critical commentary of public figures than of private individuals, is changing its approach on the harassment of journalists and "human rights defenders," who it says are in the public eye due to their work rather than their public personas.

Senator Wants Facebook to Preserve Documents in Whistleblower Testimony

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) is calling on Facebook to preserve documents related to the congressional testimonies from a company whistleblower and the tech giant’s head of global safety, as Congress looks for ways to conduct oversight of the platform amid new damning allegations. Cantwell penned a letter to Facebook Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday requesting that the company “preserve and retain” documents, data and other information stored electronically that relates to the testimonies whistleblower Frances Haugen delivered on Oct. 5, and Global Head of Safety Antigone Davis on Sept. 30.

Senator Wants TikTok to Provide Information About Extremist Content

Senate Homeland Security Chairman Gary Peters (D-Mich.) pressed video-sharing app TikTok for information about its efforts to curb violent extremist content before and after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, expanding the panel’s probe into how social media may have contributed to the violence. Peters expressed concern over reports that domestic extremists used the platform to “recruit, organize and communicate” in the days leading up to the riot, and that they “continue to spread their messages through content supporting white supremacists, extremists, and terrorist organizations.”

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