reuters

Keys denies giving Tribune log-in credentials to Anonymous

Matthew Keys, the deputy social media editor at Reuters who was recently indicted of charges of conspiring with Anonymous, has denied allegations he fed information to the hacktivist group that led to the defacement of the Los Angeles Times Web site.

Prosecutors alleged last week that Keys, a former Web producer for a TV station owned by the Tribune Company, handed over log-in credentials and passwords for the network of his former employer to members of the hacker group a couple of years ago. The Tribune Company also owns the L.A. Times.

The Los Angeles Times site's defacement … Read more

Reuters editor indicted on Anonymous conspiracy charge

When Matthew Keys allegedly handed over the passwords of his former employer to members of the hacker group Anonymous a couple of years ago, he probably didn't think it would lead to an indictment.

However, the U.S. Department of Justice announced today that Keys was being indicted on three counts: conspiracy to transmit information to damage a protected computer, transmitting information to damage a protected computer, and attempted transmission of information to damage a protected computer.

Keys, 26, currently works as a deputy social media editor at Reuters but used to be a Web producer for the Tribune … Read more

New intrigue on trail of cheaper iPhone

The mystery of whether Apple will come out with a lower-priced iPhone has taken a new twist.

The Reuters news agency this morning cryptically withdrew a story it had written yesterday pegged to remarks purportedly made by Apple's Phil Schiller in China. That story had been based on a report in the Shanghai Evening News, which Reuters said, ever so tersely in a short replacement post, "was subsequently updated with substantial changes to its content."

That was it -- "substantial changes," with no elaboration. Intriguing, yes. But also frustratingly vague.

We spent a good part … Read more

China to curtail trademark trolls

China said it would change its laws to crack down on "malicious" trademark registrations, which have allowed local companies to misuse well-known names and brands.

The changes come after international companies and well-known individuals have complained to China, according to Reuters, citing state media today.

Perhaps most famous is the case in which a Chinese company sued Apple for the use of the name "iPad," a dispute Apple ultimately settled for $60 million.

Other instances include Michael Jordan, who sued a Chinese sportswear company for using his name, and French luxury brand Hermes International, which has … Read more

Massive worm hits Tumblr, spams big blogs like USA Today

A massive bug swept Tumblr today and infected some of the biggest blogs -- including USA Today, Reuters, The Verge, and CNET -- until Tumblr resolved the issue shortly before 10:30 a.m. PT.

GNAA, a hacker group, claimed responsibility for the attack. The group's Twitter profile earlier today said 8,600 unique Tumblr users were affected.

Tumblr didn't explain what happened but said in a blog post that no accounts were compromised, and users didn't need to take any further action.

"Our sincere apologies for the inconvenience," the company said. "As always, … Read more

Reuters hacked (again) with fake story of Saudi minister's death

Someone must have it out for Reuters. For the second time in two weeks, the blogging platform for the news source's Web site has been hacked into and false stories have been illicitly published.

Today's sham article reported that Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal had died, according to Reuters. The first bogus story, posted earlier this month, was about the rebel Free Syrian Army suffering setbacks in their battle against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

"Reuters did not report the false story and the post was immediately deleted," Reuters News' director of … Read more

Reuters Twitter account hijacked, fake tweets sent

Reuters has suffered a second security breach in two days after hackers gained control of one of its Twitter accounts, the news agency revealed this morning.

The Reuters Tech account was commandeered late Saturday and renamed TechMe, Reuters said today in a tweet on its main Twitter news feed. The account has since been suspended and an investigation of the breach is under way, Reuters said.

Earlier today @reuterstech was hacked and changed to @reutersme. The account has been suspended and is currently under investigation

— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) August 5, 2012

The newly renamed feed was then defaced with … Read more

Apple v. Samsung: Tech firms want trade secrets protected

Some of the largest tech firms want the country's court system to hush up when it comes to their trade secrets.

Apple, Samsung, Intel, and Qualcomm are fighting to keep their trade secrets from spilling out into public view as part of the Apple v. Samsung patent trial.

The most recent example came this afternoon when Qualcomm filed papers opposing attempts by Reuters news service to unseal documents in the case, including details about licensing agreements Qualcomm entered with at least one of the litigants. Earlier, Samsung lawyers tried to get an Apple executive to open up about the unreleased iPhone 5. … Read more

Reuters hacked, phony Syria stories posted

The 19th century military theorist Carl von Clausewitz famously asserted that war was an expression of politics by other means. A 21st century postscript: add cyber hacking to the list of means.

With Syria in the midst of a raging civil war, somebody hacked the Reuters.com Web site on Friday with a phony post purporting to carry an interview with Free Syrian Army head Riad al-Asaad.

"Our blogging platform was compromised and fabricated blog posts were falsely attributed to several Reuters journalists," the company said in a statement and later tweeted. "We are working to address … Read more