Software company sues tech site Ars Technica, journalist Goodin

A software company has filed suit against tech news site Ars Technica and one of its journalists, Dan Goodin, claiming it was defamed in an article earlier this month.

Keeper Security Inc. claims that the article, published on Dec. 15, was defamatory because it mentioned that its software has a bug that allows hackers to steal users’ passwords.

After the article was originally posted, it was “updated to add comment from Keeper and Microsoft and to reflect details about the vulnerability and the Windows 10 versions reported to receive automatic installs,” according to an addendum to the article.

“It was later edited to remove characterization the Keeper was forced on some Windows 10 users and to clarify the amount of time the prebundled version was vulnerable and the role of the browser plugin,” the addendum states.

However, Keeper claims that the article still includes defamatory statements. It says it has fixed the bug, and that no consumers were harmed.

Goodin is security editor at Ars Technica, where he oversees coverage of malware, computer espionage, botnets, and hardware hacking. A journalist with more than 15 years experience, he has been chronicling hackers since 2005 as a reporter for the Associated Press.

Keeper filed the lawsuit in the Northern District of Illinois. The company is based in Chicago.