The State of Security: Panama Gate
It’s already being christened by Ed Snowden as the biggest data breach ever in data journalism, the 2.6 terabyte leak of the Panama Papers that exposes the ugly, shadowed underbelly of a globalized corporate finance system. Already, Icelandic Prime Minister Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson has resigned after being named in the documents. Debates will rage about whether… Read More
Your Voice, Your Vote for Data Security
Data breaches of private corporations have become exceedingly common these days. Almost mundane. However, for all the personal information exposed through these breaches, as well as how flawed security can be for the breached entity, it is now coming to light that a significantly greater risk to people’s data might just be posed by political… Read More
Free Wi-Fi Not Without Cost
The first thing I think of when I hear about plans to introduce a new, public Wi-Fi service that will provide free internet for users in New York City, is Citi Bike. Every day, thousands of bikers speed through the streets of New York using the public bicycle sharing system that began service in 2013;… Read More
Major Factors in Retail Breaches and Cyber Insecurity
Commonalities underlie many fields of interest. Whether it be in similar story and character beats in books or films, gameplay mechanics in different video games, or a play drawn up for a basketball team; despite seemingly infinite variations and iterations, if you dig down deep enough, it becomes apparent that there are only so many… Read More
Small Businesses At Even Greater Risk
Larger enterprises dominate the headlines when a data breach strikes. Target, Experian, Anthem, you name it. They have no trouble drawing media attention, whether they like it or not. Unsurprisingly, a business’ size is inversely proportional to the coverage its own breaches receive, which usually go under the radar as far as the average person… Read More
New Commission Will Try to Solve Encryption Debate
I don’t think I’ve ever written on the same subject three times in a row. When the situation changes on an almost daily basis, however, it becomes hard to ignore. There is no shortage of updates on the confrontation between Apple and the Justice Department, and this week is the intended time for two Congressmen… Read More
Presidential Candidates Stumble About in Apple Encryption Case
Although “Jeb!” has now reverted to “Jeb” as he withdraws from the presidential race, the narrowing field is still full of candidates who, even if they do have a somewhat decent grasp of the information when it comes to encryption, nevertheless try to straddle the fence instead of acknowledging the realities of the situation. During his… Read More
Apple Opposes FBI in the Encryption Debate
Donald Trump likes to paint himself as the ultimate Washington outsider. To be fair, he has a point. All his blustering and posturing has even his own party hating him. On certain issues, however, he seems to fit right in with the dominant administrative modus operandi; in this case, encrypted devices. The big news yesterday… Read More
New Survey Finds the Crippling Cost of a Data Breach: Priceless
The results are in, and word is out, from the US, UK, France, Germany, and a number of other European countries. 1,000 non-IT business managers were surveyed across these nations by NTT Com Security on the subject of cybersecurity, data protection, and organizational preparedness and cost. The most telling statistic reveals a trend that has… Read More
Securing Customer Data
The United States still lacks any centralized, formal legislation at the federal level regarding the security of the electronic transmission of personal data. Instead, companies rely on a sectoral approach, combining other means of regulation in addition to government policy, which often differs by state (see the nationwide patchwork that is the set of data… Read More