Twitter Could Face $250M FTC Fine Over Improper Data Use

Twitter may be facing a Federal Trade Commission FTC fine of up to $250 million, after the social media giant last year revealed the improper use of users’ email addresses and phone numbers. In October 2019, Twitter acknowledged that user phone numbers and email addresses gathered for security...

FTC Releases Article on Protecting Small Businesses from Cyber Threats

The Federal Trade Commission FTC has released an article on their Protecting Small Business playlist, which is a collection of videos with tips for small businesses to protect their networks from common cyber scams and cyberattacks. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA...

Google Bans Stalkerware Ads – With a Loophole

Google will soon prohibit ads on its platform that promote stalkerware products and services – but the tech giant’s ban comes with a catch that some security experts worry will render it ineffective. Starting August 2020, Google’s ads policy will be updated to ban advertisements for stalkerware,...

Facebook Privacy Glitch Gave 5K Developers Access to ‘Expired’ Data

Facebook is facing yet another privacy faux pas in how its users’ data is collected and used by third-party apps. The social media giant said that it recently discovered that 5,000 developers received data from Facebook users — long after their access to that data should have expired. In 2018, on...

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...

FTC Slams Children’s App Developer for COPPA Violations

Children’s app developer HyperBeard has agreed to pay $150,000 after being accused by the Federal Trade Commission FTC of illegally collecting children’s data without parental consent. HyperBeard‘s website says it’s the largest mobile game developer and publisher in Mexico, with various games suc...

A week in security (May 11 – May 17)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we explained why RevenueWire has to pay $6.7 million to settle FTC charges, how CVSS works: characterizing and scoring vulnerabilities, and we talked about how and why hackers hit a major law firm with Sodinokibi ransomware. We also launched another episode of our...

TikTok Violated Children’s Privacy Law, FTC Complaint Says

The popular video sharing app TikTok has landed in hot water again over privacy issues. On Thursday, a group of privacy advocates filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission FTC alleging the platform failed to adequately protect children’s privacy. The complaint alleged that TikTok violat...

RevenueWire to pay $6.7 million to settle FTC charges

What can you do as a scammer when no legitimate payment provider wants to process your payments anymore? Or, what if you are growing sick and tired of these same payment providers reimbursing disgruntled customers who claim that your products didn't fix computers, like—you know—you said they woul...

'Unbreakable' Smart Lock Draws FTC Ire for Deceptive Security Claims

The Federal Trade Commission has slapped Tapplock, the maker of smart padlocks that it bills as “unbreakable,” with an official complaint that could lead to fines down the road. The agency alleges that the company engaged in false and deceptive claims about its security practices, after the lock...

National Consumer Protection Week

National Consumer Protection Week NCPW is March 1–7. This annual event encourages individuals and businesses to learn about their consumer rights and how to keep themselves secure. The Federal Trade Commission FTC and its NCPW partners provide free resources to protect consumers from fraud, scams...

Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week

Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week is February 3-7. The Federal Trade Commission FTC Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week webpage will provide webinars and other resources from FTC and its partners throughout the week to help educate the public on how to protect against identity theft this tax season...

Equifax Settles Class-Action Breach Lawsuit for $380.5M

A Georgia court granted final approval for an Equifax settlement in a class-action lawsuit, after the credit-reporting agency was hit by its massive 2017 data breach. Equifax will pay $380.5 million to settle lawsuits regarding the 2017 data breach, the Atlanta federal judge reportedly ruled this...

New Consumer Online Privacy Rights Act (COPRA) would empower American users

Despite the already dizzying number of comprehensive data privacy proposals before the US Senate—nearly 10 have been introduced since mid-2018—yet another bill has entered the conversation: the Consumer Online Privacy Rights Act. This time, the bill, called COPRA for short, is sponsored by a...

Federal Data Privacy Bill Takes Aim at Tech Giants

A new digital privacy bill has been introduced to the the Senate, which would give the Federal Trade Commission FTC more teeth when it comes to providing oversight on tech companies’ use of consumer data. Sen. Maria Cantwell D-Wash., ranking member on the Senate Commerce Committee, led the...

Security Firms, Nonprofits Team to Fight Stalkerware

The scourge of so-called “stalkerware” has accelerated as mobile cyberattacks in general have become more common, and it’s something that’s being addressed through a security industry collaboration that launched this week. The term “stalkerware” refers to both surreptitious spyware available on t...

FTC Provides Tips on Safeguarding Data Before Upgrading Mobile Phones

The Federal Trade Commission FTC has released an article with tips on how to protect personal information before trading in a mobile phone for a newer model. FTC recommends the following four steps to safeguard these devices: Back up data. Remove SIM and SD cards. Erase personal information. Veri...

Company Detected Years-Long Breach Only After Hacker Maxed Out Servers' Storage

What could be even worse than getting hacked? It's the "failure to detect intrusions" that always results in huge losses to the organizations. Utah-based technology company InfoTrax Systems is the latest example of such a security blunder, as the company was breached more than 20 times from May...

Stalkerware developer dealt new blow by FTC

Last week, the US Federal Trade Commission FTC interpreted its broad consumer protection mandate to file a first-of-its-kind enforcement action against the developer of three mobile stalkerware applications. The developer was banned from further selling the apps unless significant changes were ma...

FTC Provides Tips for Warding Off Hackers

The Federal Trade Commission FTC has released an article with tips on how protect your personal information from being stolen by hackers. In support of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month NCSAM, FTC provides recommendations on how to safeguard phones, computers, accounts, and personally...