Tag Archives: computer fraud

Texas Developer Sentenced to 4 Years for “Kill Switch” Cyberattack on Former Employer

A former Eaton Corp. software developer received a 4-year federal prison sentence for deploying a “kill switch” that locked out thousands of users and caused over $360,000 in damages. Learn what happened and key lessons for businesses to prevent insider threats.

Texas Attorney General Issues Consumer Alert Warning Texans of Potential Scams Following Nationwide CrowdStrike Outage

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 19, 2024www.texasattorneygeneral.govPRESS OFFICE: (512) 463-2050Communications@oag.texas.govAttorney General Ken Paxton Issues Consumer Alert Warning Texans of Potential Scams Following Nationwide CrowdStrike Outage   AUSTIN – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton warned Texans of potential scams following the widespread CrowdStrike service outage.  Texans should be aware that bad actors can use cybersecurity incidents to take advantage …

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Feds Will Not Charge Good Faith Security Research Under the CFAA

On May 19, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice directed prosecutors to not charge security researchers who report cybersecurity vulnerabilities in “good faith” with violations of the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). The DOJ’s press release titled Department of Justice Announces New Policy for Charging Cases under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act …

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Fifth Circuit Upholds CFAA Conviction for Former Employee’s Misuse Causing Damage Based on Circumstantial Evidence

In United States v. Anastasio N. Laoutaris, 2018 WL 614943 (5th Cir. Jan. 29, 2018), the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a jury verdict finding Laoutaris guilty of two counts of computer intrusion causing damage, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1030(a)(5)(A) and (c)(4)(B)(i) of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Laoutaris …

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Y2K18? Are #Spectre and #Meltdown the Y2K Apocalypse, Eighteen Years Late?

Hear Shawn Tuma interviewed on News Radio 570 KLIF – Experts: Update Settings and Download Updates to Protect from “Meltdown” and “Spectre” CLICK HERE if you are impatient and only want to know what you should do ASAP to protect against Spectre and Meltdown With Y2K we had a warning. So much of a warning that …

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Top 3 CFAA Takeaways from Facebook v. Power Ventures Case in Ninth Circuit

Here are my top 3 key Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) takeaways from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ Order and Amended Opinion issued on December 9, 2016 in Facebook, Inc. v. Power Ventures, Inc. 1.  A violation of the CFAA can occur when someone “has no permission to access a computer or when such permission …

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Cybersecurity Legal Issues: What you really need to know (slides)

Shawn Tuma delivered the presentation Cybersecurity Legal Issues: What you really need to know at a Cybersecurity Summit sponsored by the Tarleton State University School of Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Strategic Studies’ Institute for Homeland Security, Cybercrime and International Criminal Justice. The presentation was on September 13, 2016 at the George Bush Institue. The following are the slides …

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D CEO Magazine: Why Cybercriminals Are Targeting Law Firms

Many thanks to attorney and legal scholar extraordinaire John G. Browning (@therealjohnbrow) for quoting Shawn Tuma in his article in this month’s D CEO magazine: Why Cybercriminals Are Targeting Law Firms. Please read the full article to hear Tuma’s advice to John’s questions of why law firms often have poor(er) cybersecurity and what law firms can …

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Tuma Discusses Hack of DNC Trump Research (Radio Interviews)

On Wednesday, June 15, 2016 and Thursday, June 16, 2016, Shawn Tuma was a guest on several radio stations to discuss the hacking attack on the Democratic National Committee in which the hackers obtained the DNC’s opposition research on Donald Trump. Here is the audio from some of the interviews: https://youtu.be/jyOKiqXROuI https://youtu.be/ONBWg0av-xs https://youtu.be/ZUd1jOiT5tg https://youtu.be/6OVWU6mNRCI https://youtu.be/po_cK53bppk …

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The CFAA is for Access of a Computer, Not Mere Possession

It often said that the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), 18 U.S.C. § 1030, is an access crime — meaning that it is designed to punish the wrongful access of a device. A recent case out of the Northern District of Texas highlights this point. In Nicole Clarke-Smith v. Business Partners in Healthcare, LLC, 2016 WL …

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