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Final Arguments in Google Antitrust Trial Conclude, Setting Up Landmark Ruling

✇NYT: Technology
By: David McCabe and Cecilia Kang
3 May 2024 at 18:11
Judge Amit P. Mehta must now decide whether Google violated the law, potentially setting a precedent for a series of tech monopoly cases.

© Jason Henry for The New York Times

The Justice Department and state attorneys general say that Google has abused a monopoly over the search business, stifling competitors and limiting innovation, something the company denies.

U.S. Antitrust Case Against Google Is Just the Start

✇NYT: Technology
By: Cecilia Kang and David McCabe
3 May 2024 at 05:06
As the Justice Department’s case against Google nears an end, the federal government has more suits in the pipeline trying to rein in Big Tech.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

Lina Khan, the chair of the Federal Trade Commission, has vowed to take on Big Tech monopolies.

Why Google Employees Aren’t Reacting to US Antitrust Trial

✇NYT: Technology
By: Nico Grant
3 May 2024 at 10:29
They shrugged off concerns about the company’s fate ahead of closing arguments in the Justice Department’s lawsuit this week.

© Jason Henry for The New York Times

Despite an antitrust lawsuit, it has been business as usual on Google’s campus in Mountain View, Calif.

Judge Grills U.S. and Google on Antitrust Claims

✇NYT: Technology
By: David McCabe and Cecilia Kang
2 May 2024 at 14:28
Judge Amit P. Mehta tried poking holes in the closing arguments of a landmark monopoly case as he weighs a ruling that could reshape tech.

© Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times

Lawyers for the Department of Justice, including Kenneth Dintzer, front right, and Meagan Bellshaw, front left. The Justice Department has sued Google, accusing it of illegally shoring up a monopoly in online search.

Google Antitrust Trial Concludes With Closing Arguments

✇NYT: Technology
By: David McCabe
2 May 2024 at 15:15
The first tech monopoly trial of the modern internet era is concluding. The judge’s ruling is likely to set a precedent for other attempts to rein in the tech giants that hold sway over information, social interaction and commerce.

© Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times

At the heart of the case in federal court in Washington is Google’s dominance in online search, which generates billions of dollars in profits annually.

Binance Founder Sentenced to 4 Months in Prison

✇NYT: Technology
By: David Yaffe-Bellany
30 April 2024 at 17:56
Changpeng Zhao, the founder and former chief executive of the Binance cryptocurrency exchange, had pleaded guilty to a money-laundering violation.

© Grant Hindsley for The New York Times

Changpeng Zhao, the founder of the Binance cryptocurrency exchange, walking into the federal courthouse in Seattle on Tuesday to face sentencing.

U.S. Reveals Charges Against Iranian Nationals in Extensive Cyber Attack Plot

✇Cybersecurity News and Magazine
By: Mihir Bagwe
24 April 2024 at 05:50

multi-year hacking operations

The U.S. government charged four Iranian nationals for their alleged involvement in multi-year hacking operations targeting several prominent entities including the U.S. Treasury and State departments, defense contractors, and two New York-based companies. These activities are purportedly conducted on behalf of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).  The indicted individuals Hossein Harooni, Reza Kazemifar, Komeil Baradaran Salmani, and Alireza Shafie Nasab are charged with conspiracy to commit computer fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and wire fraud. They face significant penalties, including up to five years in prison for the computer fraud conspiracy charge and up to 20 years for each count of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.  “Criminal activity originating from Iran poses a grave threat to America’s national security and economic stability,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland. “These defendants are alleged to have engaged in a coordinated, multi-year hacking campaign from Iran targeting more than a dozen American companies and the U.S. Treasury and State Departments.” 

US Treasury Imposed Sanctions While State Offers $10 million Reward

Owing to this, the U.S. Department of Treasury also imposed sweeping sanctions on the accused, while the State Department offered a reward of up to $10 million and potential relocation for any information leading to the apprehension of three of the suspects or the associated companies.  [caption id="attachment_64673" align="alignnone" width="1962"]multi-year hacking operations Source: US Rewards for Justice[/caption] The Treasury Department said that all four individuals have ties to IRGC front companies, namely Mehrsam Andisheh Saz Nik (MASN) and Dadeh Afzar Arman (DAA), which were allegedly used in orchestrating various aspects of the attacks.  “Today’s charges pull back the curtain on an Iran-based company that purported to provide ‘cybersecurity services’ while in actuality scheming to compromise U.S. private and public sector computer systems, including through spearphishing and social engineering attacks,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.  Of the four, Harooni was allegedly responsible for procuring, administering, and managing the online network infrastructure, including computer servers and customized software used to facilitate the computer intrusions. He faces additional charges of knowingly damaging a protected computer, which could result in a further 10-year prison term.   Harooni, Salmani, and Nasab are also accused of aggravated identity theft, carrying a mandatory consecutive two-year prison sentence, according to the Justice Department. 

The Deeper Dive Into the Multi-year Hacking Operations

The group is alleged to have engaged in "a coordinated multi-year campaign to conduct and attempt to conduct computer intrusions" from 2016 through at least April 2021. The hackers employed spearphishing, targeting employees via deceptive emails, infecting over 200,000 accounts in one campaign and 2,000 in another. They used an undisclosed custom application to organize and execute these attacks efficiently, as per the Justice Department.   By compromising an administrator email of a Defense Contractor, they created unauthorized accounts to launch spearphishing campaigns against employees of other contractors and consulting firms. They also employed social engineering tactics including women impersonations, to gain victims' trust and deploy malware, further compromising devices and accounts, the Justice Department said.  Their primary targets were cleared defense contractors, entities authorized to access, receive, and store classified information for the U.S. Department of Defense.  In addition to defense contractors, the group also reportedly targeted a New York-based accounting firm and a New York-based hospitality company. Overall, they are accused of targeting over a dozen U.S. companies, in addition to the Treasury and State departments, according to the State Department's reward offer.  The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), has previously warned that the IRGC and its affiliated cyber actors have been targeting and compromising Israeli-made Unitronics Vision Series programmable logic controllers (PLCs), that are especially used in various critical infrastructure sites.  Other than hacking, Iran has also resorted to influence operations to achieve its geopolitical aims, combining offensive cyber operations in a multi-pronged approach.  Media Disclaimer: This report is based on internal and external research obtained through various means. The information provided is for reference purposes only, and users bear full responsibility for their reliance on it. The Cyber Express assumes no liability for the accuracy or consequences of using this information.

The Trustbuster Who Has Apple and Google in His Sights

✇NYT: Technology
By: David McCabe
22 March 2024 at 05:02
Jonathan Kanter, the head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division, made his boldest move on Thursday by accusing Apple of antitrust violations.

© Alyssa Schukar for The New York Times

Jonathan Kanter, far left, during an awards ceremony at the Justice Department in December, two years after he started leading its antitrust division.
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