Software Industry Announcements and News


Justice Dept Charges Megaupload Leaders

[ No Comments ] Posted on 01.25.12 under Government News, Security & Privacy

Justice Department Charges Leaders of Megaupload with Widespread Online Copyright Infringement

WASHINGTON—Seven individuals and two corporations have been charged in the United States with running an international organized criminal enterprise allegedly responsible for massive worldwide online piracy of numerous types of copyrighted works through Megaupload.com and other related sites, generating more than $175 million in criminal proceeds and causing more than half a billion dollars in harm to copyright owners, the U.S. Justice Department and FBI announced today.

This action is among the largest criminal copyright cases ever brought by the United States and directly targets the misuse of a public content storage and distribution site to commit and facilitate intellectual property crime.
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McAfee Labs Predicts Threats for 2012

[ No Comments ] Posted on 01.09.12 under Security & Privacy

McAfee Labs 2012 Threat Predictions Include High-Profile Industrial Attacks, Cyberwarfare Demonstrations and New Hacktivist Targets

RISE IN “LEGITIMATE” SPAM AND THREATS TO MOBILE BANKING, VIRTUAL CURRENCY AND EMBEDDED HARDWARE EXPECTED IN THE COMING YEAR

SANTA CLARA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–McAfee today unveiled its 2012 Threat Predictions report, outlining the top threats that McAfee foresees for the coming year. The list indicates that emerging threats from 2011 are on track to become the major players for cyberactivity in 2012, including mobile banking, “legal” spam and virtual currency. McAfee Labs also predicts that attacks involving political motivation or notoriety will also make headlines, including high-profile industrial attacks, cyberwarfare demonstrations and hacktivist attacks targeting public figures.

“Many of the threats that will become prominent in 2012 have already been looming under the radar in 2011,” said Vincent Weafer, senior vice president of McAfee Labs. “Over the past year, the general public has become more aware of some of these risks, such as threats to critical infrastructure or the impact of hacktivism as they gain international media attention. In the meantime, we continue to see cybercriminals improving their toolkits and malware and are ready to make a significant impact in 2012.”
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Yahoo! Awarded $610 Million Against Spammers

[ Comments Off ] Posted on 12.31.11 under Business, Security & Privacy

SUNNYVALE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO), the premier digital media company, today announced it has been awarded a $610 million default judgment against spammers responsible for a fake Yahoo! lottery email scheme. In the scheme, email messages were unlawfully sent to Internet users with the intent of deceiving them into believing they had won a lottery prize offered by Yahoo!. The order was handed down by a federal district court judge in New York on Monday, December 5, 2011.

The order in Yahoo!’s favor was the culmination of a multi-year lawsuit that began in 2008. The judge found the defaulting defendants jointly and severally liable as participants in a conspiracy under New York common law. The $610 million judgment was comprised of a statutory damages award for trademark infringement in the amount of $27 million and a statutory damages award for violation of the CAN-SPAM Act in the amount of $583 million. Yahoo! was also awarded attorneys’ fees.
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Cybercriminals Kick Off Holiday Season by Spreading Malware and Phishing Attacks

[ Comments Off ] Posted on 12.30.11 under Security & Privacy

GFI Labs identified numerous scams last month, including cybercriminals posing as the federal government to exploit food stamp recipients

CLEARWATER, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–GFI Software today released its VIPRE® Report, a compilation of the 10 most prevalent threat detections for the previous month. Noteworthy threats in November 2011 included a new Facebook worm; the return of PDF-based malware posing as the U.S. Postal Service; Bank of America and SunTrust Bank phishing scams; and a phony food stamp website.

“Staying vigilant online—especially during the holiday shopping season—is key to not falling victim to scams or infecting a PC by clicking on malicious links or files,” said Christopher Boyd, senior threat researcher for GFI Software. “When in doubt, users should take a page from Santa’s playbook by ‘checking it twice.’ Never open attachments or provide information in response to unsolicited emails, and always remember that a bank will never ask for sensitive information via email.”
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FTC To Provide Refunds to Victims of Bogus Scareware Scam

[ Comments Off ] Posted on 12.16.11 under Government News, Security & Privacy

Starting this week, more than 300,000 consumers who were victims of a “scareware” scam will receive refunds resulting from Federal Trade Commission settlements with Innovative Marketing and other parties involved in the scheme. Several defendants agreed to surrender more than $8 million total in ill-gotten gains to settle FTC charges that they used deceptive ads to trick consumers into thinking their computers were infected with viruses or spyware, and then sold them software programs such as Winfixer, Drive Cleaner, and XP Antivirus to “fix” their non-existent problem.

Consumers who receive checks must cash them within 60 days. The average amount of the checks will be $20, however the exact amounts will be based on the amount of individual loss. The FTC never requires consumers to pay money or provide information before redress checks can be cashed.

Approximately 320,000 checks will be mailed by the FTC’s settlement administrator, Epiq Systems. Consumers who believe they are entitled to a refund or have questions may call the settlement administrator toll free at 1-877-853-3541 or visit www.FTC.gov/refunds for more information.

The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s Web site provides free information on a variety of consumer topics. Like the FTC on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

FTC Offers Online Shopping Tips

[ Comments Off ] Posted on 12.01.11 under Government News, Security & Privacy

Shopping Online This Holiday Season? FTC Offers Advice on Getting the Best Deal

Whether your gift list is ready or you’re wondering how long you can wait to start your holiday shopping, the Federal Trade Commission has online tips to help you get the best deals. The bottom line: Some extra research can really pay off:

Set a Budget. Create a gift list and check it twice to help you stay on track and not overspend.

Decide What Matters. Especially if you’re buying gadgets, know what your “must-have” features are vs. those that are just nice to have.
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