To be, or not to be for data responsibility
Only a short time after being roped into a controversial political situation in the US, Norway has become the victim of a massive data breach. In a nation of over 5 million people, 2.9 million have now had their personal and health information stolen by hackers. The healthcare organization pilfered in this scenario, Health South-East… Read More
Social Credit System – Where Will Your Data Rank You?
Among US media, at least, it has long been the prevailing view that Chinese citizens are, on the whole, less demanding when it comes to their personal data online, or critical of its misuse; that there is a greater generosity and leeway afforded than in Western countries. That perception is currently being put to the… Read More
VTech and Equifax still on the hook for breaches
Back in 2015, the electronic toy manufacturer VTech suffered a particularly shameful data breach that exposed personal information for millions of people, including children. Customers who registered for the company’s online Learning Lodge platform or its Kids Connect service had their information—190 GB worth of photos, chat logs, audio files and other tidbits—accessed by a… Read More
What You Need to Know about the Homeland Security Breach
It looks like we couldn’t go a single week in the new year without a significant data breach of a major government agency. Right off the bat, the Department of Homeland Security announced that personal information was compromised for over 240,000 former and current employees, as well as subjects and witnesses involved with investigations of… Read More
Data Security Year In Review – Threats and Breaches Galore
It’s that time of year again. The time when we look back at the cybersecurity year in review to see what trends soared, what information got compromised, and, hopefully, how to better protect ourselves in the future. We saw the evolution of ransomware, which, according to cybersecurity firm Bitdefender, totaled payments of $2 billion in… Read More
Don’t Get Caught Unprepared, GDPR Fast Approaching
It seems that the May 2018 deadline for the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is approaching just a bit faster than businesses are ready for. According to research for ProofPoint, Inc., less than half of IT decision makers at UK companies (48%) say they are financially prepared for the new regulations. This, despite the… Read More
The Value of Strong Security Policy
One of the most often used, but still meaningful clichés in sports is “culture,” and its importance in building winning teams. Attitudes, knowledge, the dynamics and interactions between different levels of the organization—these are the essential elements to team culture. Teams with a positive, mature, open culture are generally the ones that have the most… Read More
SHIELDing Consumers From Data Breaches
The New York City subways have become extremely problematic, enough to warrant a long form Times piece. Trying to avert disasters in another area, at least, New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman recently introduced the SHIELD Act (Stop Hacks and Improve Data Security Act) to protect New Yorkers and their personal information from data breaches. … Read More
Facing the Cyber Threats of the Future
Who would have thought the world of floristry could be so brutal? Alas, we are simply in a time where small private entities can crash their rivals’ websites through DDoS attacks. In the case I’m referring to, online florists pulled such a stunt on key dates like Valentine’s Day, to get a leg up on… Read More
The Value of Customer Loyalty
At a time when it seems more people are distrustful of institutions that are nominally supposed to look after their interests, it’s not surprising to find this trend extending to the realm of information security. According to a recent Ponemon report, which polled consumers from several countries including the US, UK and Germany, 62% of… Read More