Legacy Workstations Security – What to do when you’re no longer supported
Operating on an old laptop? Have a bunch of old desktops in the office? In light of Microsoft ceasing support of Windows 7 last January, new security concerns revolve around protecting outdated desktops and laptops. This is pertinent whether people are still working remotely, if they’ve already begun returning to the office, or a combination… Read More
Exposed database affects millions of social media users
Everyone knows at this point, social media platforms draw cyber criminals like bears to honey…except these bears also have stingers. Mixed metaphors aside, it’s not surprising when a database with 235 million profiles gets exposed online. Containing accounts from Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube among others (many of which have had previous cybersecurity issues, to say… Read More
What will be the next big infosec issue?
Major cycles in cybersecurity come and go. Several years ago, we were covering nonstop stories about things like the payment card industry (PCI), thanks to mega breaches like Target and Home Depot. Payment terminal security was also a dominant trend…back when people still went into retail stores. These concerns naturally still exist, but these days… Read More
School Cybersecurity and Ransomware Attacks
As schools gradually begin to reopen, among all the other safety concerns pressing on districts, one risk that hasn’t subsided is the security of personal data. Even in this interim, data breaches have continued in education. Most recently we hear of ProctorU, an online exam platform, enduring a breach as part of 18 firms with… Read More
Big data, ethics, and their challenges
Here’s a pretty mind-blowing stat: by 2025, according to IDC, the worldwide collection of data will grow 61% to a total of 175 zettabytes. One of the issues that arises from this massive upward trend, already underway, is the growing relevance of ethical handling of the data. Approximately 55% of executives surveyed by NewVantage Partners… Read More
Examining the Twitter hack and cybersecurity failure
By now you’ve probably heard all about the Twitter hack from last week, when cyber criminals gained access to 130 Twitter accounts, including prominent names like Barack Obama and Bill Gates, and used them to run a Bitcoin scam. Social engineering is the given explanation in this case. Several employees with administrative access to internal… Read More
Cybersecurity News Roundup for the Week
All kinds of news items abound this week. LinkedIn has been sued for allegedly copying data from Apple users’ cut/copy/paste clipboards without consent, in violation of several federal and California privacy laws. LinkedIn has denied storing or sharing the clipboard data and is still investigating the matter. Popular app TikTok also continues to face data… Read More
Compliance with new data privacy regulations
As we discussed recently, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) is now in enforceable effect. This, despite requests from businesses to delay in light of the current pandemic, as is happening in places like Brazil and India. Unfortunately, and not surprisingly, we are seeing companies that have fallen behind now having to play a quick… Read More
Examining the state of privacy regulations
We have now passed a couple of years of GDPR enforcement, and today the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) will also take effect. The result of the former has been a net increase in data breach notifications across European businesses. One exception has been in the UK, according to a Linklaters report, which has seen… Read More
Planning for compliance and security
A recent ESI Thoughtlab report reveals how many small-to-mid-size businesses are planning to approach cyber-insurance spending over the next few years. Namely, about 65% of them plan for increases (58% for larger firms). This decision reflects a growing realization of the inevitability of cyberattacks: 45% now expect a breach to happen soon. As remote working… Read More