Aaron Mackey and Kurt Opsahl of EFF write: The Supreme Court’s Van Buren decision today overturned a dangerous precedent and clarified the notoriously ambiguous meaning of “exceeding authorized access” in the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the federal computer crime law that’s been misused to prosecute beneficial and important online activity. The decision is a victory for all Internet…
Category: Commentaries and Analyses
Hackers Breached Colonial Pipeline Using Compromised Password
William Turton and Kartikay Mehrotra report: The hack that took down the largest fuel pipeline in the U.S. and led to shortages across the East Coast was the result of a single compromised password, according to a cybersecurity consultant who responded to the attack. Hackers gained entry into the networks of Colonial Pipeline Co. on…
Imperva: 75.9% of stolen data in breaches involve personal information
VB reports: In an analysis of more than 100 of the biggest and most well-known data breaches of the last decade, Imperva Research Labs found that 75.9% of data stolen in these breaches was personally identifiable information (PII). An in-depth analysis of more than 100 of the largest data breaches in the past decade by Imperva Research Labs reveals a bleak…
DOJ Announces New Guidance Tackling Ransomware Attacks
Kaila Philo reports that in the wake of some big ransomware attacks, DOJ has issued new guidance. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco released an internal memo late Thursday detailing new guidance on how to tackle cyber-attacks as a result. These recent ransomware attacks “underscore the growing threat that ransomware and digital extortion pose to the Nation, and…
Diverse six-justice majority rejects broad reading of computer-fraud law
Ronald Mann writes: The Supreme Court’s decision on Thursday in Van Buren v. United States provides the court’s first serious look at one of the most important criminal statutes involving computer-related crime, the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s opinion for a majority 0f six firmly rejected the broad reading of that statute that the…
IBM gives grants to some k-12 districts to harden security against ransomware attacks
Charlie Osborne reports: All United States public K-12 school districts were eligible to apply for the grants, designed to help school officials “proactively prepare for and respond to cyberattacks.” The grants, worth $500,000 each, have been awarded to school districts in Florida (Brevard Public Schools), New York (Poughkeepsie City School District), Georgia (KIPP Metro Atlanta Schools),…