News Briefs

Google to Deactivate Goo.gl URL Shortener, Sparking Concerns Over ‘Link Rot’

Google has announced it will fully deactivate its URL shortening service, Goo.gl, by August 25, 2025, prompting concerns about widespread "link rot." Starting next month, Goo.gl links will display a warning message before ceasing to work altogether by the 2025 deadline. more

Global IT Outage Disrupts Airlines, Businesses, and Hospitals

A massive IT glitch originating from a software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike has caused significant disruptions worldwide, impacting airlines, businesses, medical facilities, and broadcasters. The issue, identified as a faulty update in Microsoft cloud services, led to widespread outages early Friday. more

Damaged Internet Subsea Cables Repaired in Red Sea Amid Militant Attacks on Ships

Repairs on three crucial subsea telecommunications cables in the Red Sea, damaged since February, have begun despite ongoing militant attacks. The AAE–1 cable, a significant 25,000-kilometer fiber optic link between Asia and Europe, was repaired by E-Marine. more

Kaspersky Lab to Shut Down U.S. Operations Amid Federal Ban

Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab has announced the closure of its U.S. division, resulting in layoffs for its U.S.-based employees. The decision follows a recent U.S. Commerce Department ban on the sale of Kaspersky software, effective from July 20, due to national security concerns. more

Senators Introduce COPIED Act to Combat AI-Driven Deepfakes

In a bipartisan effort to address the growing threat of deepfakes, U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) have introduced the Content Origin Protection and Integrity from Edited and Deepfaked Media Act (COPIED Act). more

Security Lapses Lead to Squarespace Domain Hijacks

At least a dozen organizations experienced domain hijacks through the domain registrar Squarespace last week. The incidents, occurring between July 9 and July 12, primarily affected cryptocurrency businesses such as Celer Network, Compound Finance, Pendle Finance, and Unstoppable Domains. more

South Korean Telecom Giant KT Corporation Accused of Infecting 600,000 Users with Malware Over Torrent Use

South Korean telecom giant KT Corporation has been implicated in deliberately infecting over 600,000 users with malware due to their use of torrent services, as reported by JTBC. more

Biden Administration Probes Chinese Telecom Firms Over U.S. Data Security Concerns

The Biden administration is investigating China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom over concerns that these companies could potentially exploit their access to U.S. data through their cloud and internet services, potentially sharing this data with the Chinese government. more

Biden Administration Bans Kaspersky Software Over National Security Concerns

The Biden administration is set to prohibit the sale of Kaspersky Lab's antivirus software in the U.S., citing national security risks due to the company's ties to the Russian government. more

French Court Orders Google, Cloudflare, Cisco to Poison DNS in Anti-Piracy Crackdown

In a significant escalation against piracy, a French court has ordered Google, Cloudflare, and Cisco to tamper with their DNS resolvers to block access to approximately 117 pirate sports streaming domains. more

ICANN Announces Kurt Erik Lindqvist as New President and CEO

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has appointed Kurt Erik "Kurtis" Lindqvist as its new President and CEO, effective December 5, 2024. Lindqvist, an industry veteran with over 30 years of experience in the development of Internet Service Providers and global network carriers, currently serves as the CEO of the London Internet Exchange (LINX). more

Canadian Bill S-210 Sparks Controversy Over Internet Regulations

A new bill in the Canadian Senate, Bill S-210, has ignited a heated debate over its potential impact on the Internet in Canada. The bill, which mandates strict age verification for online content, has raised significant concerns among privacy advocates, network operators, and digital rights groups. more

Mystery Malware Takes Down 600,000 Windstream Routers in Coordinated Attack

In late October, subscribers of Windstream's Kinetic broadband service reported widespread router failures, affecting approximately 600,000 devices across 18 states. Users flooded online forums with complaints, noting their ActionTec T3200 routers displayed a persistent red light and were unresponsive to resets. more

Internet’s 50th Anniversary Celebrated Worldwide with IEEE Event

On May 19, 2024, the Internet's 50th anniversary was celebrated in a virtual event named i50, drawing participation from 1,000 IEEE members and internet enthusiasts from 56 countries. The live-streamed event was a highlight in a series of celebrations marking this milestone. more

Unexplained Glitch Disrupts Root-Server, Raises Security Concerns

For over four days, a crucial server within the Internet's domain name system (DNS) experienced an unexplained glitch, causing it to fall out of sync with its 12 peer root servers. The server, operated by Cogent Communications, is one of the 13 essential root servers that manage the Internet's root zone. more