Mental health company Cerebral failed to protect sensitive personal data, must pay $7 million

The Federal Trade Commission FTC has reached a settlement with online mental health services company Cerebral after the company was charged with failing to secure and protect sensitive health data. Cerebral has agreed to an order that will restrict how the company can use or disclose sensitive...

FTC Fines Fortnite Maker Epic Games $275 Million for Violating Children's Privacy Law

Epic Games has reached a $520 million settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission FTC over allegations that the Fortnite creator violated online privacy laws for children and tricked users into making unintended purchases in the video game. To that end, the company will pay a record $275...

Mudge Files Whistleblower Complaint against Twitter

Peiter Zatko, aka Mudge, has filed a whistleblower complaint with the SEC against Twitter, claiming that they violated an eleven-year-old FTC settlement by having lousy security. And he should know; he was Twitters chief security officer until he was fired in January. The Washington Post has the...

Zoom Takes on Zoom-Bombers Following FTC Settlement

Zoom has once again upped its security controls to prevent “Zoom-bombing” and other cyberattacks on meetings. The news comes less than a week after Zoom settled with the Federal Trade Commission over false encryption claims. Two of the new features allow moderators to act as “club bouncers,” givi...

Facebook's FTC-Mandated Privacy Committee Now in Effect

Facebook on Thursday said it has started to report its privacy practices to a newly formed, independent Privacy Committee. The creation of the independent committee was part of the company’s settlement a year ago with the Federal Trade Commission FTC over data privacy violations, which came in...

A week in security (September 9 – 15)

Last week on the Labs blog, we looked at free VPN offerings, how malware can hinder vital emergency services, and explored how the Heartbleed vulnerability is still causing problems. We also talked about a large FTC settlement involving Google, and how to keep an eye out for leaky AWS buckets...

Mobile Advertising Firm Found Tracking Users To Pay $950K

After settling charges with the Federal Trade Commission this week a mobile advertising company will pay nearly $1M after it was determined the company tracked customers – including children – without their consent. InMobi, an India-based firm with offices across the world, will pay $950,000 in...

Oracle Ordered to Publicly Admit Misleading Java Security Updates

Security issues have long tantalized over 850 Million users that have Oracle's Java software installed on their computers. The worst thing is that the software was not fully updated or secure for years, exposing millions of PCs to attack. And for this reason, Oracle is now paying the price. Oracl...

Snapchat Settles With FTC Over Privacy and Security Concerns

Snapachat, the maker of the popular video and photo chat app, has agreed to settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission that the company misrepresented the supposedly ephemeral nature of the messages users send and failed to take adequate security precautions with the data it collects, leading...

Flashlight App Settles with FTC

The makers of a popular Android flashlight application have settled with the Federal Trade Commission over allegations that they covertly tracked the locations of the “Brightest Flashlight Free” users and sold that information to advertising firms. The FTC’s charges stem primarily from the fact...

LG Android Backup Software Vulnerable to Root Exploit

A vulnerability in backup software installed on some LG Android smartphones could enable an attacker with access to the device to gain root privileges. Sprite Software’s AndroidBackup tool is installed by OEM on a number of LG Optimus, Mach, Lollipop, and Prada devices. The backup tool, in...

Google Play privacy issue, sends app buyers personal details to developers

Google is again under attack for its apparent mishandling of its users’ personal information. An Australian software developer 'Dan Nolan' revealed that the search giant was sending him the full names, email and post codes of everyone who purchased his app on Google's Play. In a blog post, Nolan...

FTC Bares Teeth, Levies $800k Fine Against Data Brokerage Firm

In a first-of-its-kind ruling, the Federal Trade Commission FTC told data brokerage firm Spokeo it has until tomorrow to hand over $800,000 to the Treasurer of the United States. The ruling came in a case addressing the sale of personal Internet information for the purpose of job applicant...

Facebook Fixes Complaint Feature Abused To Bypass Photo Privacy, Zuckerberg Among Victims

Facebook has fixed a critical flaw in a user feedback feature that allowed any user to access private photos posted in other users accounts. Before it was fixed, the flaw was used to hack the account of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and post photos online. The social network responded quickly afte...

LifeLock Settles with FTC for $11 Million

LifeLock, an Arizona company promising customers protection from identity theft, has agreed to pay $12 million to settle charges that the company overstated its benefits and used “scare tactics” to gain subscribers. Read the full article. Computerworld...