Surveillance court redefined ‘relevant’ and special-needs doctrine to permit broad data collection

A special surveillance court of 11 judges appointed by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has issued a series of secret rulings that give the National Security Agency authority to collect large amounts of data in investigations of terrorism and other crimes affecting national security. The classified rulings define the…

Jul 8, 2013 3:10 PM CDT

Snowden blasts US, threatens new leaks; handy map shows his narrowing asylum options

Stranded at a Russian airport with a revoked U.S. passport and no exit visa from Russia, accused American spy Edward Snowden has blasted the Obama administration in a statement released through WikiLeaks, indicates he might make further disclosures and is pondering his narrowing asylum options. Snowden, a former contract worker…

Jul 2, 2013 9:22 PM CDT

As Eric Holder promises justice, Snowden may have more US secrets stored on thumb drive

As the world waits to see where former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden will surface after exposing a sweeping U.S. phone-surveillance program, it appears that he may have further secret files to reveal, at least some of which were transferred to a forbidden thumb drive. In addition to collecting…

Jun 14, 2013 3:45 PM CDT

Bank’s new cybersecurity audits catch law firms flat-footed

Under pressure from federal regulators, who are concerned about lax cybersecurity at law firms, the Bank of America Merrill Lynch has begun conducting audits on the law firms it does business with, to verify what they are doing to protect sensitive information. Although experts have been warning for some time…

Jun 13, 2013 9:10 PM CDT

ACLU sues Obama administration over NSA phone-records ‘dragnet’

In the first step in a process that could eventually lead to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the legality of a sweeping telephone records review revealed last week by a former National Security Agency contractor, the American Civil Liberties Union on Tuesday sued the Obama administration over its “dragnet”…

Jun 11, 2013 9:25 PM CDT

Surveillance leaker checks out of Hong Kong hotel as US readies charges

Where is Edward Snowden? The man who disclosed the wide sweep of the United States surveillance program has checked out of his Hong Kong hotel as the U.S. Justice Department readies charges against him. Snowden’s location is unknown, report the New York Times and the Associated Press. The Justice Department…

Jun 11, 2013 11:58 AM CDT

Fired worker and husband take plea in law firm computer hacking case

Two remaining defendants have taken misdemeanor pleas in a federal case over unauthorized intrusion into a downtown Pittsburgh law firm’s computer system. Alyson L. Cunningham, and her husband, Jonathan A. Cunningham, pleaded guilty Tuesday to trafficking in passwords and damaging a protected computer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Federal prosecutors say…

Jun 4, 2013 5:05 PM CDT

Court-martial begins in WikiLeaks case for soldier Bradley Manning

A military trial opened Monday at Fort Meade, Md., for a soldier accused of providing to WikiLeaks a massive trove of classified documents that some consider more momentous than the Pentagon Papers provided to the New York Times nearly 40 years ago concerning the Vietnam War. Pfc. Bradley Manning is…

Jun 3, 2013 7:40 PM CDT

This Pineapple can intercept Wi-Fi traffic

Jun 1, 2013 7:10 AM CDT

Firms are at risk of security breaches inside and out

Jun 1, 2013 7:00 AM CDT

Journalists threatened after finding massive data security lapse

A team of investigative reporters landed in hot water after finding a massive data security lapse that put hundreds of people at serious risk of identity theft. Journalists for the Scripps News Service notified Lifeline, the federal program for low-income Americans that offers a discounted phone service, within hours of…

May 24, 2013 7:45 PM CDT

Stunned by $45M cyberheist, banks have limited options for trying to recover money

It isn’t just bank customers who can see their funds vanish in a short time, with little or no recourse, when hackers take over their accounts. As a $45 million cyberheist revealed last week illustrates, banks themselves can have much the same problem. Two Middle Eastern banks lost the money…

May 13, 2013 4:35 PM CDT

ABA helps lawyers thrive by being at the forefront of new practice areas

May 1, 2013 9:50 AM CDT

ABA opinion cautions judges to avoid ethics pitfalls of social media

May 1, 2013 6:40 AM CDT

Judge puts the brakes on law firm’s suit over similar domain name, says bad faith not yet shown

A New York legal boutique known for its expertise in counterfeiting and cybersquatting cases is experiencing a frustrating delay in obtaining a relief against a Canadian computer programmer who they allege set up a website with a name almost identical to the law firm’s. Although GIOCONDOLAW.com is easily confused with…

Apr 30, 2013 9:03 PM CDT