DataBreaches.Net

Menu
  • About
  • Breach Notification Laws
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report
Menu

PwC sends ‘cease and desist’ letters to researchers who found critical flaw

Posted on December 13, 2016February 1, 2026 by Dissent

Zack Whittaker reports:

A security research firm has released details of a “critical” flaw in a security tool, despite being threatened with legal threats.

Munich-based ESNC published a security advisory last week detailing how a remotely exploitable bug in a security tool, developed by auditing and tax giant PwC, could allow an attacker to gain unauthorized access to an affected SAP system.

[…]

The corporate giant argued that ESNC shouldn’t have had access to the software in the first place, as it wasn’t a licensed partner.

“ESNC did not receive authorized access or a license to use this software. The software is not publicly available and was only properly accessed by those with licenses, such as PwC clients working with trained PwC staff,” said the spokesperson.

Read more on ZDNet.

This is yet another reminder of why the federal statute, CFAA, needs to be updated and to include protection for researchers.


Related:

  • Under Pressure: Exploring the effect of legal and criminal threats on security researchers and journalists
  • IRS’s Top 10 Identity Theft Prosecutions
  • Protect Good Faith Security Research Globally in Proposed UN Cybercrime Treaty
  • Silent no more: Exposing a campaign that intimidated researchers and journalists
  • Growing Pains: As HackerOne has grown, is it harming what it intended to help? Part 1.
Category: Business SectorCommentaries and AnalysesOf NoteThreats

Post navigation

← Hacker Claims Theft of Thousands of Passport Numbers from Russian Consulate
Yahoo to Defend Massive Data Breach on Home Court →

Now more than ever

"Stand with Ukraine:" above raised hands. The illustration is in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine's flag.

Search

Browse by Categories

Recent Posts

  • Ransomware incident responder gave info to BlackCat cybercriminals during negotiations, DOJ alleges
  • 45,000 malicious IP addresses taken down in international cyber operation
  • The Broken Records: tracing the human cost of the 2022 British MoD leak
  • Telus Digital confirms breach after ShinyHunters claims 1 petabyte data theft
  • China’s CERT warns OpenClaw can inflict nasty wounds
  • Bell Ambulance data breach impacted over 238,000 people
  • Lotte Card fined 9.6 billion won for leaking users’ social registration numbers
  • Handala claims responsibility for attack on medical device maker Stryker
  • Police Scotland fined £66k for extracting and sharing mobile phone data
  • The rise of teen hackers ‘makes for a good headline’, but cyber crime activities peak later in life

No, You Can’t Buy a Post or an Interview

This site does not accept sponsored posts or link-back arrangements. Inquiries about either are ignored.

And despite what some trolls may try to claim: DataBreaches has never accepted even one dime to interview or report on anyone. Nor will DataBreaches ever pay anyone for data or to interview them.

Want to Get Our RSS Feed?

Grab it here:

https://databreaches.net/feed/

RSS Recent Posts on PogoWasRight.org

  • New data shows increase in FBI searches of Americans’ data last year
  • CalPrivacy Fines PlayOn Sports $1.1 Million for CCPA Violations Involving Student Privacy
  • 17 States Sues Trump Administration Over Unlawful Data Demands Targeting Colleges
  • Privacy watchdogs sound alarm over US bid to get travellers’ social media
  • Petition filed over misuse of protesters’ data by Kenyan government and telcos

Have a News Tip?

Email: Tips[at]DataBreaches.net

Signal: Dissent.73

Contact Me

Email: info[at]databreaches.net
Security Issue: security[at]databreaches.net
Mastodon: Infosec.Exchange/@PogoWasRight
Signal: Dissent.73
DMCA Concern: dmca[at]databreaches.net
© 2009 – 2025 DataBreaches.net and DataBreaches LLC. All rights reserved.