'Wordle Archive' Website Taken Down After Legal Request from New York Times

Wordle Archive — a website that let users play through hundreds of previous daily five-letter Wordle puzzles — has been taken down at the request of Wordle owner The New York Times. The archival site, which offered a backward-looking play feature that's not available in the NYT's official version of Wordle, had been up since early January.

Germany's Cyber Security Agency Says Kaspersky Software Poses Risk

Germany's cyber security agency warned users of an anti-virus software developed by Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab that it poses a serious risk of a successful hacking attack. The BSI agency said that the Russia-based cyber-security company could be coerced by Russian government agents to hack IT systems abroad or agents could clandestinely use its technology to launch cyberattacks without its knowledge.

Cyberspace Administration of China Wants 'Youth Mode' for Online Gaming

Companies engaged in online gaming, livestreaming, audio and video in China should set up a "youth mode" to protect minors, according to draft regulations issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China. The major platforms should regularly conduct assessments on cyber protection for minors in order to provide a "clean" online environment for them, CAC said, adding that the platforms should also cap daily spending amount for minor users.

Large-Scale Cyberattack Takes Down Several Israeli Government Websites

Israel appears to be recovering from a large-scale cyberattack. According to Haaretz and Kan's Amichai Stein, attackers took down several Israeli government websites, including those for the ministries of health, interior, justice and welfare. The Prime Minister's Office website was also affected. All of the websites are back online, the country's National Cyber Directorate said in a statement.

Restaurant Group Sues Google for Prioritizing Food Delivery Apps

A Florida restaurant group has sued Google for allegedly prioritizing food delivery apps over directing users to an establishment's own website. The lawsuit, filed in Northern California District Court on March 8 by Left Field Holdings, alleges that Google would allow users to place an order through search directly via an "order online" button that takes users to another Google ordering webpage, where orders are sold to food delivery companies.

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Ukrainian Security Researchers Say HackerOne Not Paying Bug Bounty Rewards

Ukrainian hackers and security researchers say bug bounty platform HackerOne is withholding their bug bounty rewards, in some cases thousands of dollars, and refusing to let hackers withdraw their earnings. Several hackers and researchers with affected HackerOne accounts said in tweets that HackerOne is blocking payouts, citing economic sanctions and export controls following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February, but that the sanctions don’t apply to them.

Insurers Fear Claims for Coverage of Cyberattacks Linked to Ukraine War

Insurance for cyberattacks has been a booming business, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has insurers sweating about the possibility of big losses. They are rushing to plug a possible loophole that leaves them vulnerable: A judge in New Jersey ruled last year that essentially said a common acts-of-war exclusion doesn’t cover cyberattacks.

Russian Internet Users Seek Ways to Avoid Ban on Facebook, Instagram

As Russia blocked access to Meta Platforms Inc's flagship social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram, demand from internet users for tools to skirt the restrictions skyrocketed, data from a monitoring firm showed. Instagram access in Russia was cut in response to Meta's decision to allow social media users in Ukraine to post messages such as "Death to the Russian invaders".

Meta Says Rules Change Doesn't Allow 'Calls for the Death of a Head of State'

Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc. clarified that it is against the company’s user rules to share a post that “calls for the death of a head of state” -- likely a reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Last week, Facebook temporarily relaxed its policies so that Ukrainian users could post threats of violence against the Russian military, which invaded its neighbor in late February. The change led to some public confusion as to what was allowed, and what was not, on Facebook and Instagram.

YouTube App 'Vanced' Being Discontinued 'Due to Legal Reasons'

The popular Vanced YouTube app is being discontinued, after a legal threat from Google. The creators of Vanced have revealed the project will be shut down in the coming days, with download links set to be removed. While the app will continue to work for anyone who currently has it installed on Android, without any future updates it’s likely to stop working at some point soon. The Vanced owners say they’ve had to discontinue the project “due to legal reasons.”

Russia Legalizes Patent Infringement by Those in 'Unfriendly' Countries

Russia has effectively legalized patent theft from anyone affiliated with countries “unfriendly” to it, declaring that unauthorized use will not be compensated. The decree illustrates the economic war waged around Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as the West levies sanctions and pulls away from Russia’s huge oil and gas industry.

Twitter, Facebook Remove Posts from Russian Embassy After Hospital Bombing

Twitter Inc. and Meta Platform's Facebook have removed posts from the Russian Embassy in the United Kingdom about the bombing of a children's hospital in Mariupol for breaking its rules against denying violent events, the companies said. Three people including a child were killed in the air strike on the maternity and children's hospital in the Ukrainian city, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.

Facebook to Allow Posts Calling for 'Death to the Russian Invaders'

Facebook will allow some calls for violence against Russian invaders as the war in Ukraine drags on, creating an unusual exception to its long-standing hate speech rules that prohibit such language. “As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine we have temporarily made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules like violent speech such as ‘death to the Russian invaders.’ We still won’t allow credible calls for violence against Russian civilians,” spokesman Andy Stone said.

Ukrainian Man Extradited to United States in Ransomware Case

A Ukrainian man charged last year with conducting one of the most severe ransomware attacks against U.S. targets has been extradited to the United States and made a court appearance, the U.S. Justice Department said. According to an August 2021 indictment, Yaroslav Vasinskyi, 22, accessed the internal computer networks of several victim companies and deployed Sodinokibi/REvil ransomware to encrypt the data on their computers, the Justice Department said in a statement.

Bitcoin Price Surges After Biden Signs Executive Order on Cryptocurrencies

Bitcoin’s price surged on President Biden’s executive order to study digital currencies, a move the industry welcomed and skeptics decried as delaying needed regulation. The order, titled “Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets,” directed agencies across the federal government to produce reports on digital currencies and consider new regulations.

Fresno, Calif., Lost $400,000 After Falling Victim to Phishing Scam

The city of Fresno, Calif., lost about $400,000 in 2020 after falling victim to an electronic phishing scam, and former Mayor Lee Brand’s administration failed to disclose the loss to the Fresno City Council and taxpayers, The Fresno Bee has confirmed. Furthermore, the Fresno City Attorney’s Office in December 2021 rejected a public records request from The Fresno Bee seeking city communications regarding the fraud.

Belarus Blamed for Phishing Attacks Against Polish Military, Ukraine Officials

Belarus conducted widespread phishing attacks against members of the Polish military as well as Ukrainian officials, security researchers said, providing more evidence that its role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has gone beyond serving as a staging area for Russian troops. Google’s threat-hunting team released details of the tricks deployed against the Polish military, which a spokeswoman said appeared to be the first report of its kind.

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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.