News Briefs

U.S. Critical Infrastructure Will Be Attacked Within 2 Years, According to 2017 Black Hat Survey

According to a 2017 Black Hat Attendee Survey, cyberattacks on U.S. enterprise and critical infrastructure are coming soon, and in most cases defenders are not prepared. more

PayPal Sells X.com Back to Its Previous Owner, Elon Musk

PayPal's corporate communications director confirmed that the company has sold the domain X.com back to its previous owner, Elon Musk. more

Google, Facebook Latest to Join Net Neutrality Protest on Wednesday

Google and Facebook, two companies that generally stay on the other side of the Net Neutrality debate, have told reporters they will be participating in the July 12th net neutrality protest. more

U.S. Nuclear Power and Other Energy Companies Hacked by Russians According to Government Officials

Russian government hackers are reported to be behind latest cyber-intrusions into the business systems of U.S. nuclear power and other energy companies with efforts to assess networks. more

China Clamps Down on VPNs, Carriers Told to Block Access by Feb. 1

State-run telecommunications firms in China are given until February 1 to block people from using VPNs, shuttering key ways both locals and foreigners still manage to access the global, unfiltered web on a daily basis. more

U.S. Lawmakers Wary of Kaspersky Lab, the Russian Cybersecurity Firm

U.S. Congress is growing increasingly suspicious of the popular Russian anti-virus software provider, Kaspersky Lab. more

Over 750 Domain Name Registrars Expected to Shut Down in the Next 12 Months, ICANN Predicts

ICANN estimates over 750 accredited domain name registrars are likely to close within the next 12 months as a result of the over-saturated drop-catching market. more

Domain Registrations in New TLDs Overwhelmingly for Defensive Purposes, INTA Study

During the ICANN meeting in South Africa last week, the impact of new gTLD rights protection mechanisms (RPMS) was the subject of key discussions, and some concerns were voiced regarding trademark owners themselves registering domain names excessively and technically abusing the sunrise period. more

Governments Changing Censorship Tactics as More Websites Adopt HTTPS

With websites and social media platforms moving from HTTP to secure HTTPs connections in recent years, a new degree of complication is affecting Internet censorship efforts around the world. more

Petya Ransomware Spreading Rapidly Worldwide, Effecting Banks, Telecom, Businesses, Power Companies

A large scale ransomware attack today is spreading rapidly worldwide, shutting down computers at corporates, power supplies, and banks across Russia, Ukraine, Spain, France, UK, India, and Europe and demanding $300 in bitcoins. more

South Korean Banks Receive DDoS Threat from Hacker Group, Record Ransomware Payment Demanded

Various sources including South Korea's news agency Yonhap are reporting that a hacker group has threatened to launch a DDoS attack against seven South Korean banks unless they pay about 360 million won (US$315,000) in bitcoin. more

Cycling Legend Greg LeMond Sues Cybersquatters Upward of $6.6 Million

A federal restraining order has been issued against a father and son accused of registering several domain names based on cycling legend Greg LeMond's name and his company. more

Mozilla, National Science Foundation Offer $2M Prize for a Decentralized Web

Mozilla and the National Science Foundation have announced a $2 million prize for ideas that decentralize the web; prizes will be available for both early-stage design concepts and fully-working prototypes. more

Cyberattack on UK Parliament Halts Email Access

UK parliament has been the target of a "sustained and determined" cyberattack by hackers attempting to gain access to Member of Parliaments' and their staffers' email accounts. more

Pharmacy Chain Boots Terminates Its New TLD .boots

"Boots becomes latest company to terminate new gTLD but other '.brands' go full steam ahead." Trevor Little reporting in World Trademark Review. more