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
GDPR Spurs Counterpart Efforts in US
Well, I did wonder a few weeks ago if US citizens might start pushing for a stateside equivalent of GDPR. Though nothing has yet materialized at the federal level, it does appear that certain states have begun such action on their own. While all 50 states had enacted notification laws by March of this year,… Read More
How is your data being used, or misused?
Spoilers for season 2 of Westworld The second season of Westworld wrapped up last weekend. Throughout most of its run, a large issue has been the company behind the show’s non-virtual reality park, Delos, secretly monitoring the brains of its human guests in order to replicate and store them as data. (At least, that’s what… Read More
Cybersecurity Concerns Across Federal Agencies
Earlier this year, the position of federal cybersecurity czar was voided by the US government. The reasoning behind this questionable decision was that federal agencies could independently handle issues of cybersecurity management and risk assessment, therefore such a position was extraneous. Well, if this latest Office of the Management and Budget (OMB) report is any… Read More
Now that GDPR is here, what does it mean?
Realistically, despite it having now gone into effect, there will still be plenty of entities that drag their feet on GDPR compliance. For some, rolling the dice on avoiding a breach would seem like a preferable option to overhauling their policies to implement the new regulations. If you don’t get breached, you don’t get penalized,… Read More
Taking responsibility for data breaches
The New Jersey state legislature has a group of bills circulating, intended to increase company accountability in the event of a breach. One would require breached companies to pay for customer credit reports for six months, as well as allowing a parent or guardian to freeze their child’s credit report. Another would require the encryption… Read More
Cybersecurity and the C-Suite (the C stands for complex)
The growth of the cybersecurity sector has brought many new opportunities for businesses across the board. Inevitably, however, such increase also brings about greater complexity: challenges that now present themselves to security decision makers. You know the story. Larger security budgets, hurried spending, and a proliferation of products to navigate and select. How should the… Read More
Facebook, Your Data, and Growing Cybercrime Economies
With GDPR implementation looming in Europe, Facebook picked an awkward time to have a major data incident. Nevertheless, previously planned changes to their platform are moving forward. European users are now starting to see these privacy policy updates for numerous services. Let’s just focus on Facebook for now, however. New consent flows and terms of… Read More