News Briefs

EU Presidency Pushing Other Member States for Substantial Internet Surveillance

A leaked document by Statewatch reveals the current EU Presidency (Estonia) has been pushing the other Member States to strengthen indiscriminate internet surveillance and to follow in the footsteps of China regarding online censorship. more

Europe and North America Energy Sector Targeted by Sophisticated Cyberattack Group

The Western energy sector is being targeted by a new wave of cyberattacks capable of providing attackers ability to severely disrupt affected operations, according to reports on Wednesday. more

RIPE NCC to Hold Sixth IPv6 Focused Hackathon

The Regional Internet Registry for Europe, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia (RIPE NCC) together with Comcast and Danish Network Operator's Group (DKNOG), are organizing the sixth IPv6 focused hackathon. more

Domain Registries to Discuss Possibility of ICANN Fee Cuts in Private Meeting This Month

Heads of 20 or more gTLD registries will meet privately this month to discuss various topics including the possibility of a reduction in their ICANN fees. more

Researchers Expose Over 320 Million Hashed Passwords

A group of security researchers have succeeeded in cracking over 320 million passwords which were made public in an encrypted blacklist. more

China Continues VPN Crackdown, Targets Alibaba and Other Ecommerce Sites

In the latest series of measures taken by China to clamp down on use and distributions of VPNs, Chinese authorities have issued warning to the country's top ecommerce platforms, including Alibaba's Taobao.com, over the sale of illegal virtual private networks that allow users to skirt state censorship controls. more

Cloudflare Reverses Long-Held Policy to Remain Content-Neutral, Ends Service to the Daily Stormer

Cloudflare on Wednesday reversed its long-held policy to remain content-neutral and terminated its service to neo-Nazi site, The Daily Stormer. more

U.S. Department of Justice Demands IP Addresses, Other Details on Visitors to Trump Resistance Site

The Los Angeles-based hosting company, DreamHost on Monday revealed that for the past several months it has been dealing with a search warrant from the Department of Justice pertaining to a website used to organize protests against President Trump. more

British Organizations Could Face Massive Fines for Cybersecurity Failures

Organizations who fail to implement effective cybersecurity measures could be fined as much as £17 million or 4% of global turnover, as part of Britain's plan to prevent cyberattacks. more

China Carries Out Drill with ISPs to Practice Taking Down Websites Deemed Harmful

China carried out a drill on Thursday to practice shutting down websites that are deemed harmful amidst country's preparation for a sensitive political reshuffling set to take place later this year. more

British Security Researcher Credited for Stopping WannaCry Is Charged in a U.S. Cybercrime Case

The 23-year-old British security researcher, Marcus Hutchins, who a few months ago was credited with stopping the WannaCry outbreak by discovering a hidden "kill switch" for the malware, is now reported to have been arrested by the FBI over his alleged involvement in separate malicious software targeting bank accounts. more

Verizon, AT&T Speeds Slow After Unlimited Data Plans Launch

Verizon and AT&T re-introduced their unlimited data plans earlier this year, and as a result, studies show that the providers' 4G speeds and overall speeds have fallen due to increased data demand on their networks. more

U.S. Senators to Introduce IoT Security Bill

U.S. senators on Tuesday announced plans to introduce legislation seeking to address vulnerabilities in IoT devices. more

No Dates for the Next gTLD Round Yet, Says ICANN

According to a letter sent from ICANN's chair to the Registries Stakeholder Group (RySG) this week, the agency will not be setting a date for the next round of new gTLD applications anytime soon despite keen interest from registry operators. more

EFF Cautions Against Unfair TLD Policies, Offers Advice on Choosing New gTLDs for Best Protection

In a white paper released on Thursday, EFF has warned domain registrants against unfair policies set by new TLD registries and offers ways to minimize exposure to trademark bullying. more