Scott Ikeda, Senior Correspondent at CPO Magazine

TikTok app on screen showing GDPR fine in children's privacy case

TikTok Receives €345 Million GDPR Fine in Years-Old Children’s Privacy Case

September 25, 2023

A children's privacy complaint that dates back to 2021 has resulted in a major GDPR fine for TikTok. The issue largely centers on the "Family Pairing" feature introduced in 2020 which had no real verification process ensuring that the linked parent account actually belonged to a parent.

Locks on laptop screen showing Iranian hackers target defense organizations with password spraying attacks

Cyber Security News

Iranian Hackers Use Password Spray Attacks to Compromise Defense Organizations, Pharmaceutical Firms

September 21, 2023

A recent campaign by Iranian hackers has been very successful in using password spray attacks to breach high-value targets, with a particular focus on defense organizations and satellites as well as pharmaceutical company research.

Hammer on table showing FTC order and privacy and security review

Data Privacy News

Investigation Finds Elon Musk May Have Violated FTC Order With Failure to Conduct Required Privacy and Security Review for “Twitter Blue”

September 20, 2023

A government investigation of Elon Musk's tenure as leader of Twitter has determined that there may be violations of a 2022 FTC order that required certain privacy and security measures be implemented.

Data Privacy News

Mozilla: Connected Cars Perform Dismally on Privacy Tests, Every Brand Collecting Excessive Personal Information

September 19, 2023

Privacy tests have found that every connected car brand collects more personal data than it needs to, and employs it for non-essential purposes. The vast majority are sharing or selling customer data.

Slot machines in the casino showing ransom payment for cyber attack

Cyber Security News

Caesars Entertainment Discloses Cyber Attack, Ransom Payment Made Weeks Before MGM Heist

September 19, 2023

Caesars Entertainment quietly disclosed its own recent cyber attack in a SEC filing. Unlike MGM, Caesars appears to have skated through their own incident by making a $15 million ransom payment to the hackers.

Close up of hacker's hand over device showing Apple zero-click zero-day used by Pegasus spyware

Cyber Security News

New Pegasus Spyware Zero-Click Patched Out by Apple in Ongoing Battle Against Commercial Zero-Days

September 18, 2023

Citizen Lab reports that the new Pegasus spyware zero-click zero-day impacts the most recent version of iOS (16.6) and likely prior versions dating back to the iPhone 8. As with the prior Pegasus attack vector, victims only need to receive a iMessage to be compromised; they do not need to open the message or interact with it.

Google Ads application icon on phone showing consumer groups privacy lawsuit

Data Protection News

Two Major Dutch Consumer Groups Bring Privacy Lawsuit Against Google

September 18, 2023

Two Dutch consumer groups, the Privacy Protection Foundation and Consumentenbond, have filed suit against Google over its targeted advertising auctions. The suit is seeking the equivalent of $804 for each Google user harmed by its "constant surveillance" and sharing of personal data.

Light trails on the Westminster bridge showing UK Online Safety Bill and encrypted messaging

Data Privacy News

Privacy Advocates Celebrate Death of UK Online Safety Bill Clause as Government Admits Encrypted Messaging Can’t Be Scanned Without Breaking It

September 15, 2023

The most controversial portion of UK's Online Safety Bill appears to be dead in the water, as Ofcom has publicly admitted that the technology to create backdoors into encrypted messaging without breaking it does not exist.

Drums of slot machine showing cybersecurity issue at MGM

Cyber Security News

“Cybersecurity Issue” at MGM Brings Vegas Strip Properties to a Standstill

September 14, 2023

MGM, one of the two largest casino-hotel chains on the Strip, has not yet confirmed the nature of the attack, calling it a 'cybersecurity issue.' The properties remain open, but operations such as front desk check-ins and payouts for casino games have had to shift to entirely manual operations.

Data Protection News

TikTok’s New Data Center in Dublin Goes Live as Part of “Project Clover” EU Privacy Program

September 12, 2023

The opening of the Irish data center is part of the final stage of a EU privacy plan TikTok kicked off in mid-2021, seeking to address user data security concerns and the legal status of its international data transfers.

Iranian Hackers Use Password Spray Attacks to Compromise Defense Organizations, Pharmaceutical Firms

Investigation Finds Elon Musk May Have Violated FTC Order With Failure to Conduct Required Privacy and Security Review for “Twitter Blue”

Mozilla: Connected Cars Perform Dismally on Privacy Tests, Every Brand Collecting Excessive Personal Information

Caesars Entertainment Discloses Cyber Attack, Ransom Payment Made Weeks Before MGM Heist

New Pegasus Spyware Zero-Click Patched Out by Apple in Ongoing Battle Against Commercial Zero-Days

Two Major Dutch Consumer Groups Bring Privacy Lawsuit Against Google

Privacy Advocates Celebrate Death of UK Online Safety Bill Clause as Government Admits Encrypted Messaging Can’t Be Scanned Without Breaking It

“Cybersecurity Issue” at MGM Brings Vegas Strip Properties to a Standstill

TikTok’s New Data Center in Dublin Goes Live as Part of “Project Clover” EU Privacy Program

Data Breach at Denmark’s Central Population Registry Impacts 8.8 Million People

ASOS Data Breach Led to Customers Receiving Unauthorized Push Notifications

Wikimedia: Rogue AI Agents Traced Back to OpenAI Made Unauthorized Edits, Attempted to Compromise Etherpad

A Wave of AI-Powered Cyber Attacks Hits Numerous South Korean Banks, Exposing Sensitive PII