Data manipulation and responsibility

It can be hard to definitively assess which industry is most affected by data breaches.  Some research, such as the 2017 Trustwave Global Security Report, points to retailers being the most compromised.  Others, like Citrix ShareFile using data from Ponemon, conclude that it’s the healthcare industry, which we’ve written about here on prior occasions. Whoever… Read More

Are you being outspent by cyber criminals?

“Identity theft is not a joke, Jim!  Millions of families suffer every year!” Dwight Schrute may have been the butt of a comedic scene when shouting that, but he wasn’t wrong about the problem’s severity.  This remains as true today as it did when The Office was on TV. In fact, as reported by CPO… Read More

Is your data encrypted?

I recently saw a figure that both startled me, but also really did not.  Tech Pro Research conducted a survey of IT professionals, to study how their companies were interacting with new Internet of Things (IoT) technology. The number that stuck out to me was: of those respondents who said their businesses did use IoT… Read More

Are data breaches mundane now?

For we who cover the field of data security, its incidents and trends, it is interesting to reflect on how much certain things have changed in just a few years.  I talked about this last time, but the constant inundation of data breach headlines has altered how people conceive of these stories.  What once was… Read More

Are consumers becoming apathetic about data breaches?

Complacency is an immobilizing condition that can creep up on people at any time, whether a situation is improving or trending down over time.  This holds true whether you’re talking about global politics or cybersecurity.  In the latter case, as The Motley Fool’s Daniel Kline points out, consumers do not seem to have met the… Read More

Apple’s Hacky Hack Hack

We’ve already seen recently how young hackers can expose the insecurity of US voting machines in very little time.  Now, it looks like in a few years, those same kids can graduate to targeting slightly more complex cyber defenses: Apple’s. When you want to apply for your dream job, most of us probably wouldn’t think… Read More

Cybersecurity incidents too big to ignore

I wonder how historians will describe this period in time, specifically pertaining to the rise of data breaches.  Just ten years ago, this would have been a phenomenon so minor it would have barely garnered a newspaper article.  Now, it’s a subject that has bludgeoned its way into the public consciousness, one impossible for future… Read More

Scrambling for data transparency under GDPR

It’s been a few months now since GDPR was finally implemented, and already it seems to be having the intended effect.  In some instances, even too much of an effect. One of the requirements stipulated by GDPR is that organizations track all data breaches and report certain types to the proper authorities within 72 hours… Read More

The State of Your Online Anonymity

Have you ever gotten a quick bite at Shake Shack, posted it to Instagram, hopped in a cab (or Uber) and then made an online purchase?  If you have, then you could probably be identified fairly easily from that information alone.  All it takes is a few bits of data and a mildly competent first… Read More

Data Breaches at an All Time High

I see some analysts in the field using this time, with the year halfway through, to take stock of the data breaches we’ve encountered so far.  The results paint a unique picture. One area that has seen a marked increase is in the actions of state-sponsored actors.  Beginning in 2017, evidence pointed to Russian hackers… Read More