All news in category "Regulation and Policy Brief"

Senator Wyden Urges FTC Probe of Microsoft's Security

🚨 U.S. Senator Ron Wyden requested that the FTC investigate Microsoft for what he describes as “gross cybersecurity negligence” after product weaknesses tied to Kerberos and legacy RC4 usage contributed to ransomware incidents, including the May 2024 Ascension Health breach that exposed data for 5.6 million patients. Wyden says his office alerted Microsoft in July 2024 and urged setting stronger ciphers like AES as defaults; he criticized an October Microsoft blog as too technical to warn corporate decision-makers. Microsoft replied that RC4 accounts for under 0.1% of traffic, that full removal risks breaking legacy systems, and that deprecation is on its roadmap.

CISA Publishes Strategic Roadmap for the CVE Program

🔒 CISA has published a strategic focus document, “CVE Quality for a Cyber Secure Future,” signaling federal support for the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) program and a shift from a growth-focused expansion to a defined Quality Era. The agency reaffirmed that the program should remain public and vendor‑neutral while evaluating potential mechanisms for diversified funding and taking a more active leadership role. The roadmap prioritizes automation, strengthened CNA services and CNAs of Last Resort, expanded API support, improved CVE.org capabilities, minimum data-quality standards and federated enrichment approaches such as Vulnrichment.

Wyden Urges FTC Probe of Microsoft After Ascension Hack

🛡️ US Senator Ron Wyden has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Microsoft following the 2024 ransomware attack on healthcare operator Ascension, which exposed data for 5.6 million patients after a contractor clicked a malicious Bing search result. Wyden says default Microsoft settings and support for the outdated RC4 standard enabled a Kerberoasting technique that granted administrative access. He notes Microsoft was warned in July 2024 and posted a blog in October announcing a planned update, but nearly a year later no update has been issued nor direct customer outreach made. The letter frames Microsoft’s control over default configurations as a systemic national security risk.

Senator Wyden Urges FTC Probe of Microsoft Ransomware Lapses

🔍 Senator Ron Wyden has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Microsoft for what he describes as "gross cybersecurity negligence" that he says facilitated ransomware attacks on U.S. critical infrastructure, including healthcare. Wyden's four-page letter to FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson cites the 2024 Ascension breach attributed to Black Basta and details an attack chain that began when a contractor clicked a malicious link after using Microsoft's Bing search. The senator highlights exploitation of insecure default Kerberos settings and legacy RC4 support enabling Kerberoasting, and criticizes Microsoft for not enforcing stronger defaults and minimum password requirements while noting the company's published mitigations and planned deprecations.

Senator Wyden Urges FTC Probe into Microsoft's Security

🚨 Senator Ron Wyden has asked the FTC to investigate Microsoft for what he calls "gross cybersecurity negligence," arguing insecure defaults enabled widespread ransomware attacks. He cites the February 2024 Ascension Health breach that exposed 5.6 million patient records and describes how a single click enabled lateral movement via Kerberoasting and lingering RC4 support. Wyden criticizes Microsoft for building a >$20 billion security business of add-on protections while leaving core products vulnerable and says promised fixes and plain-language guidance were inadequate. The letter warns this pattern poses national-security and industry-wide risks.

States Target Businesses Over Global Privacy Control Signals

🔔 The California Privacy Protection Agency and the attorneys general of California, Colorado and Connecticut announced a coordinated enforcement sweep targeting businesses that fail to detect or honor Global Privacy Control (GPC) opt-out signals. Regulators will contact firms believed not to be processing consumers’ opt-out requests and urge immediate remediation. Legal advisers recommend technical steps — from reliable GPC signal recognition to consent management platform integration, routine testing and monitoring, and clear privacy notice updates — to reduce enforcement risk.

CISA Outlines Strategic Vision for CVE Program Quality

🛡️ CISA released "CISA Strategic Focus: CVE Quality for a Cyber Secure Future," a roadmap that shifts the CVE Program from its Growth Era to a Quality Era emphasizing trust, responsiveness, and improved vulnerability data. The plan highlights expanded community partnerships, potential diversified government sponsorship, technological modernization, and stronger transparency and communications. It also prioritizes data quality improvements, including standardized enrichment approaches such as Vulnrichment and expanded Authorized Data Publisher capabilities.

CISA Leads CVE Program: Mandate, Mission, Momentum

🔒CISA reaffirms federal leadership of the CVE Program, arguing that a neutral, government steward is essential to preserve trust and national security. The agency ties the program to operational initiatives such as the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog and warns that privatization or fragmentation would erode reliability and increase risk. CISA outlines a shift from a 'Growth Era' to a 'Quality Era' focused on improving completeness, accuracy, timeliness, governance, and sustainable infrastructure, and invites practitioners, industry, and international partners to help shape the program's future.

US Sanctions Southeast Asian Cyber Scam Networks, $10B Theft

🚨 The U.S. Department of the Treasury has designated multiple cyber fraud networks in Burma and Cambodia that stole more than $10 billion from Americans, according to OFAC. The operations are linked to forced labor, human trafficking, and violent coercion and ran diverse scams from romance baiting to fake cryptocurrency schemes. The sanctions freeze U.S.-based assets and bar transactions with Americans, tightening these actors' access to international finance and platforms.

AI in Government: Power, Policy, and Potential Misuse

🔍 Just months after Elon Musk’s retreat from his informal role guiding the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the authors argue that DOGE’s AI agenda has largely consolidated political power rather than delivered public benefit. Promised efficiency gains and automation have produced few savings, while actions such as firing inspectors, weakening transparency and deploying an “AI Deregulation Decision Tool” have amplified partisan risk. The essay contrasts these outcomes with constructive alternatives—public disclosures, enforceable ethical frameworks, independent oversight and targeted uses like automated translation, benefits triage and case backlog reduction—to show how AI could serve the public interest if governed differently.

Czech Agency Warns Against Chinese Tech in Critical Sectors

⚠️ The Czech National Cyber and Information Security Agency (NUKIB) is urging operators of critical infrastructure to avoid using Chinese technology or transferring user data to servers in China, citing a reassessed High risk of significant disruption. NUKIB confirmed malicious activity by Chinese cyber-actors, including an APT31 campaign against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and warned that Chinese law can permit state access to data held by domestic providers. The guidance is not an outright legal ban, but entities covered by the Czech Cybersecurity Act must include the threat in their risk analyses and adopt appropriate mitigations.

FTC Probes Gmail Spam Filtering Of GOP Fundraising Emails

📧 The FTC chairman sent a letter to Google’s CEO asking why Gmail flagged Republican fundraising messages as spam while allegedly allowing similar Democratic messages through. Email-intelligence firms report that WinRed has triggered far more spamtraps than ActBlue, driven by aggressive list and delivery practices that degrade sender reputation. Blocklists and reputation signals, not political content, explain many filtering outcomes, experts say. The dispute highlights both operational deliverability risks for campaigns and potential regulatory overreach.

EU Fines Google €2.95B for Anti-Competitive Adtech

⚖️The European Commission has fined Google €2.95 billion ($3.5 billion) for abusing its dominance in the digital advertising technology market and favoring its adtech services over competitors. The regulator ordered Google to stop anti-competitive "self-preferencing" practices and to take measures to mitigate conflicts of interest in adtech. Google said the decision is wrong and plans to appeal, warning the changes could harm thousands of European businesses. Separately, France's CNIL fined Google €325 million for placing ads in Gmail without proper consent and violating cookie rules.

FTC Action: Robot Toys Collected Children's Location Data Illegally

🔒 The FTC and DOJ have acted against Chinese toy maker Apitor Technology after its robot toys and companion Android app transmitted precise geolocation data about children without parental notice or consent. The company integrated a third-party SDK, JPush, which collected street-level location sufficient to identify homes and routines. Apitor agreed to a settlement with a suspended $500,000 penalty, a permanent ban on collecting sensitive kids’ data without parental consent, and obligations to delete illegally gathered records and submit to monitoring.

France Fines Google €325M for Cookie Consent Breaches

⚖ The French data protection authority CNIL has fined Google €325 million for placing advertising cookies and showing ads in Gmail's 'Promotions' and 'Social' tabs without valid user consent after investigations in 2022–2023. CNIL found Google failed to inform new account holders that accepting advertising cookies was required to access services, breaching Article L.34-5 and the French Data Protection Act (Article 82). The authority said the cookie-related practices affected over 74 million accounts (53 million individuals saw the ads), described the conduct as negligent and cited prior sanctions; it also fined Shein €150 million the same day for separate cookie violations.

Fifteen Nations Agree Joint Guidance on SBOM Adoption

🔐 A coalition of 21 agencies from 15 countries, led by CISA and the NSA, published joint guidance titled A Shared Vision of Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) for Cybersecurity on September 3. The document defines SBOM concepts, clarifies roles for producers, choosers and operators, and urges cross-border adoption. It promotes harmonized technical implementations and integration of SBOMs into security workflows to reduce complexity and improve supply chain risk management.

France Fines Google €325M and Shein €150M Over Cookies

⚖️ The French data protection authority, CNIL, has fined Google €325 million ($379 million) and Shein €150 million ($175 million) for placing advertising cookies without valid consent. CNIL found users were nudged to accept personalized ad cookies during Google account creation and that information remained unclear even after an opt-out option was added in October 2023. The regulator also said targeted ads placed inside Gmail's Promotions and Social tabs required explicit consent under the CPCE. Shein has updated systems and plans to appeal; Google must comply within six months or face €100,000-per-day penalties.

Pressure Grows on CISOs to Conceal Security Incidents

🔒 A growing majority of CISOs report being pressured to hide breaches, with a Bitdefender survey finding 69% instructed to keep incidents confidential, up from 42% two years earlier. Security leaders say attackers increasingly prioritize stealthy data theft rather than disruptive encryption, making breaches less visible to the public. Regulatory regimes such as GDPR, NIS2 and DORA complicate disclosure decisions, while experts warn that concealment multiplies legal, financial and reputational risk and recommend robust, transparent incident response plans.

Court Upholds EU-US Data Privacy Framework Agreement

⚖️ The European Court of Justice's General Court has dismissed a legal challenge seeking to annul the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF), finding that, at the time of adoption, US law ensured an adequate level of protection for personal data transferred from the EU. Negotiated in July 2023, the DPF now stands as the main mechanism for transatlantic data flows, providing immediate relief to the European Commission and many businesses. Critics including Max Schrems and advocacy group NOYB have signalled likely appeals, meaning the ruling may not be the final word and legal uncertainty could continue.

US Sues Toy Maker Over Kids' Geolocation Data Leak

🔒 The U.S. Department of Justice has sued toy maker Apitor after an FTC referral, alleging it allowed a Chinese third party to collect precise geolocation data from children without notifying parents or obtaining consent required under COPPA. Apitor's Android app for robot toys uses the JPush SDK, which reportedly collected location data for any purpose, including targeted advertising. Under a proposed settlement, Apitor must secure third-party COPPA compliance, notify parents, delete collected personal information, limit retention, and faces a $500,000 penalty that is currently suspended amid claimed financial hardship.