Balough
January 3, 2017
(January 3, 2017) The Joint Analysis Report on the Russian cyber activity in the recent election also serves as a warning to others of the need to implement best cybersecurity practices to protect computer systems. The report by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) found activity by Russian […]
Balough
June 16, 2015
Ransomware attacks spiked in 2015’s first quarter as new “families” of the malware have appeared. The new ransomwares have more evasive techniques to avoid detection and now also are targeting mobile platforms, McAfee Labs reports in its latest Threats Report. Ransomware programs are malicious software that encrypts data on a computer and prevent the owner […]
Balough
April 18, 2015
Customers whose images were captured by spyware put on their rental computers from a franchisee of Aaron’s, Inc. may file a class action, the Third Circuit ruled, reversing a trial court’s decision. The appellate court found that the plaintiffs’ proposed classes were ascertainable and not vague. As a result, the plaintiffs may proceed with their […]
Balough
January 30, 2014
Need to talk to your kids about internet use? The Federal Trade Commission has issued an updated guide to help with the conversation. “Net Cetera Chatting with Kids About Being Online” provides advice to parents on how to talk with kids about mobile apps, using public Wi-Fi securely, and recognizing text message spam. The guide […]
Balough
December 23, 2013
Some franchisees of Aaron’s, Inc., the rent-to-own retailer, leased computers with programs that spied on their customers with the franchisor’s knowledge and assistance. Aaron’s, Inc. agreed to a consent decree with the Federal Trade Commission acknowledging that it played a direct and vital role in surreptitiously tracking customers, mining personal information, and even taking pictures […]
Balough
December 14, 2013
Sears’ current tagline “Where Shopping Revolves Around You 24/7” might be better phrased as “Where We Spy On You 24/7.” Under a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) consent order, Sears Holdings Management Corporation (SHMC), owned by Sears, Roebuck and Company and Kmart Management Corporation, agreed that it failed to adequately disclose that a computer tracking program […]
Balough
December 14, 2013
A federal judge has temporarily stopped the marketing and use of a spyware program that tracks computer keystrokes of its unsuspecting victims. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) obtained a temporary restraining order (TRO) stopping CyberSpy Software, LLC from marketing, selling, and allowing access to information gained from its RemoteSpy program. In a complaint, the FTC […]
Balough
December 12, 2013
An anonymous file sharing software may come with an unwanted guest-spyware that slows down your computer and that cannot be easily uninstalled. The Federal Trade Commission has filed a lawsuit to stop Odysseus Marketing and its principal, Walter Rines, from advertising a software program that Odysseus claims allows customers to engage in peer-to-peer file sharing […]
Balough
December 7, 2013
A company that falsely claimed to have scanned consumers’ computers and detected spyware when, in fact, no scanning occurred, has been barred from making such false claims in the future. Trustsoft, Inc., which does business as Swanksoft, SpyKiller and SpyKiller.com agreed to a preliminary injunction that bars the Texas company from engaging in deceptive advertising […]
Balough
December 7, 2013
Your cheating heart may tell on you, but the spyware on the computer that captures the cheating in real time may not be admissible in court. A Florida appeals court found that spyware installed on a cheating husband’s computer by his wife resulted in an illegal intercept of communications in violation of a state law […]
