Balough
February 23, 2016
(February 23, 2016) The maker of ASUS home routers deceived customers when it claimed the devices could protect consumers’ local networks from attack. Instead, the company failed to employ reasonable security practices causing “substantial injury” to consumers, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) found. ASUSTeK Computer, Inc., has agreed to an FTC consent order that requires […]
Balough
February 18, 2016
(February 18, 2016) It was not a Hollywood movie but a real life ransomware attack that shut down the enterprise-wide hospital information system of an acute care facility for 10 days. Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center said it paid 40 Bitcoins or about $17,000 in ransom to obtain a decryption key to unlock its information system. […]
Balough
February 15, 2016
(February 15, 2016) Richard C. Balough spoke at the Internet of Things (IoT) 2016 National Institute in Washington, D.C. The panel will discuss “IoT Intellectual Property Rights: How to Avoid Getting It Wrong.” Mr. Balough spoke on “Autonomous Vehicles Offer a Ride into the Internet of Things.” The two-day institute is designed to offer attendees an […]
Balough
February 5, 2016
(February 5, 2016) Users who downloaded a browser extension game were the ones who got played, according to a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) action. General Workings, Inc., d/b/a Vulcun purchased the Running Fred online extension game from its founders and replaced the game with its own extension, called Weekly Android Apps. An extension is a […]
Balough
January 26, 2016
(January 26, 2016) A new study finds Americans are willing under certain circumstances to share personal information for tangible benefits but are frequently unhappy about what happens to the information once they give it out. The Pew Research Center conducted a survey as well as online focus groups in which the participants were given specific […]
Balough
January 14, 2016
(January 14, 2016) In an effort to speed the development of autonomous vehicles, in the next six months the U.S. Department of Transportation will prepare proposed rules for their deployment and operation. U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx made this announcement at the Detroit Auto Show. The push for new regulations is part of the White House’s […]
Balough
January 5, 2016
(Jan. 5, 2016) It was a no brainer for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to charge the owner and marketer of the Lumosity brain-training program with deceiving customers through unsupported claims. Lumos Labs, Inc. d/b/a Lumosity, along with its co-founder and its chief scientific officer, agreed to pay $2 million in penalties and will notify […]
Balough
December 16, 2015
(December 16, 2015) A new surge in ransomware attacks is underway, posing a threat to businesses and consumers, Symantec Corporation says. The computer security company said attackers are encrypting files and demanding ransom by using an updated version of the ransomware program TeslaCrypt. Over the past two weeks, attackers have sent “out massive volumes of […]
Balough
November 22, 2015
(November 22, 2015) Cyberattacks on automobiles will increase in 2016 and beyond, “likely resulting in lost lives” according to McAfee Labs’ 2016 Threats Prediction. The problem is acute because there has been a rapid deployment of hardware in cars connected to the internet and much of the hardware is “built without foundational security principles,” leaving […]
Balough
November 6, 2015
(November 6, 2015) Don’t have time to draft a response to your emails? No need to worry. Gmail will draft a response for you. Google is rolling out a new Gmail feature called Smart Reply, which determines what emails need an answer and then gives you three suggested responses based upon the emails you receive. […]
