Oops, you’ve been hacked
As it happens, the largest data breach in history occurred just last month. Spam operator River City Media had an email leak of a whopping 1.37 billion addresses. After that, 1.2 billion user credentials stolen by Russian hackers in 2014 are next on the list. The pace of cybercrime on this massive scale is increasing;… Read More
Privacy and Public Safety
Americans can’t expect “absolute privacy,” according to controversial FBI director James Comey. Well, we don’t. However, I don’t think it’s unreasonable for citizens not to wish their privacy rights eroded any further than they have been over the last couple of decades. Which makes it concerning that Comey seems to still be advocating for the… Read More
Don’t be CyberFooled
CSO Online reports that a severe lack of comprehension among Yahoo executives led to the failure to investigate the two major breaches from a few years ago. Those at the top underestimated the ubiquitous threat of data breaches, and as a result, 500 million accounts were compromised. I would go further; I think it’s safe… Read More
NetLib Security hits the road for RSA
NetLib Security attended its second RSA Conference last week in San Francisco, where some major themes were big data, analytics, incident management and response, and the like. Our team took to the show floor at the Moscone Center with gusto and clever shirts that seemed to be a hit with visitors over the four days… Read More
Ransomware is Big Business Now
The risk of ransomware attacks that organizations face is growing exponentially. In 2015, the reported losses from this type of cybercrime totaled $24 million, and last year, that value shot up to $209 million. And that’s just in the US. About half of European companies confirmed to Radware researchers that cyber ransom had been the… Read More
What 2017 will mean for the Internet of Things & Security
It’s a topic I’ve covered a fair amount recently, and it seems to be what everyone is perpetually talking about: The expanded attack surfaces concurrent with advancements in Internet of Things technology. Security for these new devices and tech has been notoriously lacking from the outset. Although organizations are still taking advantage of connected devices,… Read More
Yahoo’s Cyber Problems and Yours
I saw a funny tweet the other day, riffing on the new Star Wars movie, Rogue One. “Find out your Star Wars’ droid name! Just enter your last name and the last 4 digits of your Social Security number!” Or something like that. Very clever. While I would assume there is no earthly way anyone… Read More
Parents & Kids Beware: Back To School Brings Big Identity Risks
It’s back to school time! Yes, it’s an event that kids all over either anticipate or dread to their souls. I was generally in the latter camp when I was that age—as I suspect many are—though not for any tangible reason, as the experience itself was never horrible for me once it began. Still, the… Read More
Hacking an Election
One of the dichotomies in the information security landscape is neatly exhibited in a couple of patchwork systems. Our hodgepodge national data breach notifications laws show the disadvantages of decentralized standards, on the one hand. Conversely, it is that same type of fragmentation that provides a substantial benefit when it comes time for us to… Read More
CyberSecurity – fact or fiction?
Our world seems to be rapidly transforming into the vision Masamune Shirow had when he began the story of Ghost in the Shell in 1989. We’re arriving even faster than the story’s mid-21st century setting—which just so happens to be our near future. The first of an eventual franchise, the original Japanese manga created a world… Read More