The metaverse is looking to monetize the things you imagine, and other privacy and security news
Privacy
The metaverse, capturing the things we imagine, will be the The next privacy crisis
The encroachments on our privacy are proceeding apace
Signal unveils how far US law enforcement will go to get information about people
Russian Hackers Reportedly Hid Behind Americans' Home Networks to Mask Their Cyber Espionage
The commercial motivation is clear: Apple's Privacy Policy Cost Snap, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube an Estimated $9.85 Billion in Revenue Naturally, this is value consumers provided to those companies for without being compensated.
To get some money back, US Citizens Sue Company That Processes Billions of Texts For Exposing Their Data
As Mozilla Firefox joins browsers implementing Global Privacy Control, the real question is whether the web sites honor the “do not track” requests.
Illustrating how carefully they vet their users, Facebook verified a fan page posing as Elon Musk
Security
Surprisingly, no major new ransomware attacks were announced last week, despite the fact that It's a 'golden era' for cyber criminals - and it could get worse before it gets better and the claim that Ransomware has proliferated because it's 'largely uncontested', says GCHQ boss
Ransomware decryptor roundup: BlackByte, Atom Silo, LockFile, Babuk decryptors released
Feds cuff Russian said to be developer of 'Trickbot' ransomware
In other hacks,
A security bug in health app Docket exposed COVID-19 vaccine records
Third-party data breach in Singapore hits healthcare provider
Large Chinese Tech Firm Raided by the FBI After Accusations of Aiding Cyberattacks
Reports on the state of IT security showed a surprising lack of commitment:
Nearly all US execs have experienced a cybersecurity threat, but some say there's still no plan
79% of IT teams have seen increase in endpoint security breaches
83% of orgs leave most sensitive data unencrypted on the cloud
55% of execs say that SolarWinds hack hasn’t affected software purchases
We’ll see lots more violations going forward!
On the positive side, Google Patches 2 Actively Exploited Chrome Zero-Days
Not all problems, though, are the result of attacks: KT clarifies routing error caused outage instead of DDoS attack
Regulation
The different approach to privacy between the US and the EU seems to defy a solution: Data transfers between the EU and the US: Still unclear on what you're supposed to do? Here's an explainer
Coming down on the side of consumers,
Snap, TikTok and YouTube need to do more to protect children, lawmakers say
The US Copyright Office just struck a blow supporting the right to repair
EU Rejects Nvidia's Arm Deal Proposals, Citing Competition Concerns
Seagate violated sanctions by selling hard drives to Huawei, says Senate committee
Finally, China's personal data protection law kicks in today It will be interesting to watch how this plays out.