Tesla’s Massive Document Leak (Plus Apple & Google Both Fined Millions) | May 30th, 2023
In Today’s Tech News:
- Tesla’s Massive Document Leak
- Google Fined $32.5 Million
- Apple Fined $50M for Faulty Keyboard
- Bandit, a New Go-Written Info Stealer
Tesla’s Massive Document Leak
Tesla is in the hot seat as over 23,000 internal files and documents were leaked to the german news organization Handelsblatt.
The documents hold information from 2015-2022 and include PII, or personally identifiable information, for over 100,000 current and former employees.
Along with the PII, the documents include 2400 reports about self-acceleration issues, 1500 reports about braking problems, 139 about unintentional emergency breaking, 383 about phantom stops from flash collisions, over 1000 crash reports and 3000 records where drivers expressed concerns about the driver assistance system.
Tesla has not publicly responded to the documents and is considering the data stolen via their Managing Counsel for Litigation, Joseph Alm.
Further more, the company is suing the ex-employee for “theft of Tesla confidential information and employees’ personal data.”
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Google Fined $32.5 Million
Google has been given a crushing defeat as it has been fined $32.5 million in a verdict Friday, May 26th.
The legal battle that started in 2020 revolves around the use of patented multi-room audio technology owned by the audio technology company, Sonos.
This was not a crushing victory for Sonos as the jury deemed Google was not infringing on a separate patent regarding the Google Home app which was estimated to rack up $90 million in damages according to a Sonos expert witness.
The final fine set was broken down to $2.30 per unit, across 14,133,558 units for a grand total of $32,507,183.40.
The honorable Judge William Alsup was preceding the case and described it as an “emblematic of the worst of patent litigation” going on, addressing the issue surrounding the technical jargon within the patents.
Law360 reported that he had to check in at points that the jurors were awake during the hearing.
Sources:
Apple Fined $50M for Faulty Keyboard
Apple is also being charged with a fine as US District Judge Edward Davila upheld a $50 million settlement Friday.
The case revolves around the MacBook butterfly keyboard installed in MacBooks, MacBook Airs, and MacBook Pros from 2015 and 2016.
The lawsuit alleged that Apple failed to provide sufficient repairs or troubleshooting help for specific MacBook “butterfly” keyboards manufactured between 2015 and 2019.
Class members are expected to receive between $50 and $395 dependant upon the number of repairs they endured and the number of requests the settlement gets.
Currently, more than 86,000 claims have been submitted.
The amount seen by the end users will only hit a max of $35 million as the judge granted Apple’s lawyers’ request for $15 million in legal fees
Sources:
Bandit, a New Go-Written Info Stealer
Bandit, a new Go-written information stealer currently targeting Windows systems has been found in the wild by TrendMicro Friday.
The malware is currently Window’s only, but does have Linux commands in it’s execution, prompting researchers to expect a cross-platform version soon.
The current techniques used are similar to python based stealers including Creal Stealer, Luna Grabber, Kyoku Cookie token stealer, and Pegasus Stealer
Currently, the executable steals computer details including IP, location, and OS details; browser data including logins, cookies, history, and credit cards; local crypto currencies including Bitcoin and Ethereum; and Crypto wallets including Crypto.com and Clover.
There are not currently any groups associated with this malware.
To mitigate your risk of stealers
- Update your operating system
- Install a reputable antivirus
- Enable 2FA wherever possible
- Don’t download anything you aren’t expecting
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What Are Your Thoughts?
- Have you enabled 2FA on your YouTube account?
- How far out are self-driving cars?
- Did Peter really pick a patch of picked peppers?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments at the bottom of the page!
