Security News

Facebook to save US users from ads bought by foreign state-controlled media
2020-06-05 02:56

Facebook will hide ads bought by state-owned media outlets from its US-based users, as part of its plan "To provide an extra layer of protection against various types of foreign influence in the public debate ahead of the November 2020 election in the US.". Explained in a post by head of cybersecurity policy Nathaniel Gleicher, the plan will see The Social Network™ apply labels to content from state-controlled media outlets and any ads they buy, then block the ads in the USA anyway.

Data breaches cost US companies more than $1.2 trillion last year
2020-06-03 13:00

A new report from digital identity platform ForgeRock shows how and where data breaches are affecting US businesses and their customers. With more than 5 billion records compromised in 2019, breaches cost US organizations more than $1.2 trillion.

Britain Pushing US to Form 5G Club of Nations to Cut Out Huawei
2020-06-01 03:17

Britain said Friday it was pushing the United States to form a club of 10 nations that could develop its own 5G technology and reduce dependence on China's controversial telecoms giant Huawei. Britain has allowed the Chinese global leader in 5G technology to build up to 35 percent of the infrastructure necessary to roll out its new speedy data network.

Improved Version of Valak Malware Targets Enterprises in US, Germany
2020-05-28 14:34

Recent versions of the Valak malware have been used in attacks targeting Microsoft Exchange servers at organizations in the United States and Germany, Cybereason's Nocturnus researcher team warns. Discovered in late 2019, when it was used as a loader for malware such as Ursnif and IcedID, Valak has evolved into a sophisticated piece of malware that can be used as an information stealer, targeting individuals and enterprises alike.

Majority of COVID phishing attacks coming from US IP addresses, report finds
2020-05-27 19:23

COVID-19 phishing emails have been bombarding inboxes since the virus began to spread in December and January. Cybersecurity company INKY pored through the months of coronavirus-themed phishing emails and compiled a report on where most of them were coming from, finding that the majority of IP addresses found in email headers originated from the United States.

US Lawmakers Push for Internet Privacy Amendments to USA Freedom Act
2020-05-27 11:49

United States lawmakers this week will vote on an amendment to the surveillance bill known as the USA FREEDOM Reauthorization Act that would limit law enforcement access to people's search and browsing histories. Enacted in June 2015, the USA FREEDOM Act amends, among others, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, and USA PATRIOT Act, imposing limits on the bulk collection of data on U.S. citizens by the National Security Agency and other intelligence agencies.

US lawmakers get a second shot at forcing FBI agents to obtain a warrant before they leaf through web histories
2020-05-26 23:25

US lawmakers will get another vote on whether the FBI must get a warrant before agents can search Americans' search and web-browsing histories. One cause for concern is the lack of requirement, in section 215 of the legislation, for the Feds to get a search warrant before requesting access to people's internet activities from their ISPs.

US lawmakers get a second shot at forcing FBI agents to obtain a warrant before they leaf through web histories
2020-05-26 23:25

US lawmakers will get another vote on whether the FBI must get a warrant before agents can search Americans' search and web-browsing histories. One cause for concern is the lack of requirement, in section 215 of the legislation, for the Feds to get a search warrant before requesting access to people's internet activities from their ISPs.

Security expert weighs in on cybersecurity regulation and ransomware attacks of US cities
2020-05-26 20:03

CBS News and CNET Senior Producer Dan Patterson talked with Bryson Bort, founder and CEO of SCYTHE, a cybersecurity company that provides attack simulation, about privacy regulations, cities being attacked by ransomware, and whether cyber-deterrence works well. Dan Patterson: Presumably, somebody will win this election, and presumably we will have many people who are going to make determinations about regulation over the next, say, 18 to 36 months.

Security expert weighs in on cybersecurity regulation and ransomware attacks of US cities
2020-05-26 20:00

Bryson Bort, founder and CEO of cybersecurity company SCYTHE, fears "death by a thousand paper cuts" more than than a digital apocalypse. He also shares his views on how well cyber-deterrence works.