Pentagon Launches First Cyberoperation to Protect Elections Against Russian Interference
The United States Cyber Command has begun conducting the first known overseas cyberoperation to protect American elections. The operation involves targeting Russian operatives with digital alerts, warning them against interfering with the approaching midterm elections. News of the operation comes after the White House recently lifted restrictions on Cyber Command’s ability to conduct offensive attacks.
Yahoo Agrees to $50 Million Settlement for Massive Data Breaches
Yahoo has agreed to pay $50 million to settle claims resulting from data breaches in 2013 and 2014. If the settlement is approved by a Federal judge, Yahoo would pay $50 million in compensation to an estimated 200 million users in the U.S. and Israel. The company would additionally cover up to $35 million in attorneys’ fees, as well as provide affected users in the U.S. with credit monitoring for two years.
UK Watchdog Fines Facebook for Cambridge Analytica Scandal
On October 24, the U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office fined Facebook £500,000 ($645,000) for failing to protect user data in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Since the investigation began in 2017, the fine is the maximum allowed under the outdated 1998 UK Data Protection Act. Had the figure been calculated using the EU’s new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regulations, the fine could have been up to $1.6 billion.