Data Privacy and Cybersecurity

The inside of a computer in Jersey City, N.J.

Ransomware Attack Affects Hundreds of Businesses

The attack centered on a Florida-based technology company called Kaseya.

 | AP

Colonial Pipeline CEO Joseph Blount.

Colonial Pipeline CEO Defends $4.4M Ransom Payment Decision

Joseph Blount told senators that authorizing the payment to hackers was the right thing to do to bring an end to the pandemonium and fuel shortages.

 | Graeme Jennings / Pool via AP

Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California Stephanie Hinds speaks about the Colonial Pipeline ransomware at

Colonial Pipeline CEO To Testify To Lawmakers

He's expected to tell members of the Senate Homeland Security Committee how his company responded when it was hit by a major cyberattack last month.

 | Simon Kaufman and AP

Tanker trucks parked near the entrance of Colonial Pipeline Company.

U.S. Government Recovers Majority Of Pipeline-Hacking Ransom

It's the first operation undertaken by a specialized ransomware task force created by the Biden administration Justice Department.

 | AP

A train passes people at New York's Grand Central Subway Station.

Hackers Breached New York City Transit Systems In April

Hackers who breached the computer systems reportedly have ties to the Chinese government.

 | Robin Dich

JBS meatpacking plant in Greeley, Colo.

JBS Expects Majority Of Plants To Resume Today

The company told U.S. authorities about a ransom demand from a criminal organization likely based in Russia.

 | Robin Dich

The meatpacking company JBS.

World's Largest Meat Supplier Hit By Cyberattack

JBS USA said the attack hit some of its servers in North America and Australia.

 | Robin Dich

Tanker trucks are parked near the entrance of Colonial Pipeline Company

New Cybersecurity Measures Expected This Week

It will require pipeline companies to report cyber incidents to the federal government.

 | Robin Dich

A hand holds a phone.

KSTU: New Study Reveals Which Websites Get Your Data And Why

Researchers say your data is sent all around the world. And Instagram is the biggest culprit.

 | Scripps News Salt Lake City

Colonial Pipeline storage tanks are seen in Woodbridge, N.J.

Report Says DarkSide Made $90M In Bitcoin Ransom

The hack led to the pipeline being closed for days, which caused panics and gas shortages in the southeastern U.S.

 | Kamil Zawadzki

A note posted at a gas pump indicates the pump is out of premium gasoline at a Costco Warehouse fuel station in Mis

Reports: Colonial Pipeline Paid Ransom To DarkSide Hackers

The hackers had demanded $5 million in ransom pay.

 | Robin Dich

President Joe Biden delivers remarks in the South Court Auditorium at the White House.

President Biden Signs Order To Improve Cybersecurity

The order removes barriers to the private sector sharing information about hacks with the federal government.

 | Robin Dich

An out-of-service gas pump

Days After Hack, Colonial Pipeline Restarts Amid Fuel Outages

The Colonial Pipeline Company says it will take time for normal fuel flow to resume across the Southeast, and panic-buying is hastening outages.

 | James Packard

Vehicles are seen near Colonial Pipeline in Helena, Ala.

Biden Administration Working With Colonial Pipeline To Reopen

A cyberattack forced the U.S. pipeline to shut down.

 | Robin Dich

Site director for Facebook's Prineville data centers, shows the computer servers that store users' photos and other data

More Than 500M Facebook Users' Data Found Online

Facebook said it knew about this issue in 2019 and had fixed it the same year.

 | Robin Dich

Protesters stand in the snow.

KMGH: Colorado Lawmakers Push Bill To Protect Public Health Workers

House Bill 21-1107 would let public health workers remove private information from certain state websites if they are being threatened.

 | KMGH

President-elect Joe Biden speaks at The Queen Theater

Biden: We Will 'Respond In Kind' To Cybersecurity Breach

President-elect Biden blamed the current administration for allowing it to happen in the first place.

 | Scripps News Staff

The sign outside the National Security Agency

Officials Say Cybersecurity Hack Poses Grave Threat To U.S.

Federal authorities say a hack into U.S. government computer systems poses a grave threat to the country.

 | Scripps News Staff

Christopher Krebs, former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

Former Top Cybersecurity Official Defends Election Integrity

Chris Krebs, former election security chief under President Trump, tells Senate panel that claims of widescale voter fraud have "got to stop."

 | Jay Strubberg

'Anonymous' Hacker Comes Forward And Vows To Take Down QAnon

"I'm here to stop this horrible nightmare that I see as a next generation version of what I started," says Anonymous hacker Aubrey Cottle.

 | Sasha Ingber

Screengrab of hacked trump campaign website.

Trump Campaign Website Hacked

Hackers defaced the site's homepage and solicited cryptocurrency payments.

 | Lauren Magarino

Microsoft Corp. signage outside the Microsoft Visitor Center in Redmond, WA

Microsoft Announces Foreign Cyberattacks On Presidential Campaigns

Microsoft says several countries are trying to influence the U.S. election through cyberattacks.

 | LeeAnne Lowry

A camera with facial recognition capabilities

Portland, Oregon, Bans Use Of Facial Recognition Technology

City departments, including police, won't be able to use the technology starting in January.

 | LeeAnne Lowry

A person uses TikTok

TikTok Poses Similar Data And Privacy Risks As Facebook, Google

In the first half of 2020, TikTok amassed 184.7 million downloads in the U.S., making it the second-most downloaded app behind Zoom.

 | Tyler Adkisson

A man walks by the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg

Data-Sharing Pact Between EU and U.S. Struck Down By Top Court

The "Privacy Shield" agreement allowed thousands of companies to transfer EU citizens' data to the United States.

 | LeeAnne Lowry

Robert Williams

Detroit Man's Arrest Highlights Racial Bias In Facial Recognition Tech

Robert Williams' case sheds light on how facial recognition algorithms make far more false identifications of Black and Asian faces than White ones.

 | Tyler Adkisson

A COVID-19 test being performed in Yonkers, New York

The U.S. Needs Tens Of Thousands Of Contact Tracers. Most Aren't There

Experts say we need 30 contact tracers per 100,000 people. In many places, staff counts are well below that. Departments are hiring in the thousands.

 | James Packard

Police officers test a drone

More Cities Are Testing Drones As Tools To Control COVID-19 Spread

Drones can provide a safe way for first responders to interact with potentially infected individuals. But the devices may also pose privacy concerns.

 | Tyler Adkisson

T-Mobile building

FCC Proposes Fines For 4 Wireless Carriers Over Privacy Allegations

The FCC said it wants the nation's four biggest wireless carriers to pay more than $200 million in fines to settle allegations of privacy violations.

 | Stephanie Sandoval

MGM Grand

Personal Information Of 10 Million MGM Hotel Guests Posted Online

A hacking forum posted the information this week from a breach that occurred last summer.

 | Meg Hilling