Mercedes-Benz reportedly suffered a security incident that exposed confidential source code on an Enterprise Git server. The incident occurred due to a compromised GitHub exposed by an employee. Although the incident occurred on September 29, 2023, it wasn’t discovered until January 11, 2024. A cybersecurity firm discovered the token during an internet scan and informed
Data Security
Red Cross Creates Rules for Civilian Hackers in Conflict Zones
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has taken a new step to regulate the activities of civilian hackers in conflict zones. To address the rise in the involvement of civilian hackers in inter-state conflicts, the ICRC has come up with eight directives to ensure that these hackers don’t end up harming non-combatants.
According…
Growing Calls to Ban Chinese Owned TikTok App and Other Software Apps Considered to be National Security Threats
Chinese company ByteDance faces growing concerns from governments and regulators that user data from its popular short video-sharing app TikTok could be handed over to the Chinese government. The concern is based on China’s national security laws, which give its government the power to compel Chinese-based companies to hand over any user data. More than…
University of Texas at Austin Permanently Blocks TikTok on Network
On Tuesday, January 17, 2023, the University of Texas at Austin announced that it has blocked TikTok access across the university’s networks. According to the announcement to its users, “You are no longer able to access TikTok on any device if you are connected to the university via its wired or WIFI networks.” The measure…
Nineteen States Have Banned TikTok on Government-Issued Devices
Governors of numerous states have issued Executive Orders in the past several weeks banning TikTok from government-issued devices and many have already implemented a ban, with others considering similar measures. There is also bi-partisan support of a ban in the Senate, which unanimously approved a bill last week that would ban the app from devices…
South Dakota Governor Bans State Workers from Using TikTok
It is estimated that some 80 million Americans and more than one billion people use TikTok. It is well known that TikTok has a direct connection to the Chinese Communist Party, which is a foreign adversary of the U.S. This week, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem signed an executive order banning all state workers or…
Privacy Tip #350 – Let’s All Ban the Use of TikTok Voluntarily
I continue to marvel at how many Americans are using TikTok but are oblivious to the fact that they are being duped by one of our foreign adversaries—the Chinese Communist Party. Folks, listen to and heed the warnings of both state and federal governments on the dangers that the use of TikTok poses to national…
The FCC Wants You to Delete TikTok
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr asserted that TikTok poses an “unacceptable national security risk” in a letter to the CEOs of Google and Apple urging the companies to remove the app from their mobile app stores. According to Carr, TikTok’s history of “surreptitious access of private and sensitive U.S. user data by persons located in Beijing…
If Your Disclosure of a Data Breach Was “Late,” You May Have to Litigate
A professional accounting firm in Illinois received an unwanted holiday “gift” in the form of a class action complaint stemming from its alleged failure to secure personally identifiable information (PII) and to timely notify affected parties of a data breach.
On December 17, 2021, a lawsuit was filed against Bansley & Kierner, LLP, which offers…
Privacy Tip #301 – Can Your Co-Worker Guess Your Password? Probably!
We talk about passwords a lot. As you know, I am a fan of passphrases instead of passwords as they are hard to guess and easy to remember—a perfect combination for security data.
Despite emphasizing how important passwords and passphrases are in protecting data, most individuals are not trying very hard to think about and…