Leveraging Knowledge to Manage Your Data Risks
Happy New Year! 2025 was a busy year for the Insider authors—we published 271 posts throughout 2025. To kick-off 2026, in case you missed them last year, we are providing the articles from 2025 that were the most interesting to our readers across various categories.
We hope you enjoy them and look forward to another…
TransUnion has announced that attackers gained unauthorized access to a third‑party application used in its U.S. consumer support operation that is reported to be linked to a broader wave of attacks targeting Salesforce‑connected applications across major industries.
The breach affected more than 4.4 million individuals, but TransUnion emphasized that its core credit reporting systems were…
An analysis by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) shows that, since 2020, consumers have been swindled out of $65 million by rental scams. This statistic is particularly relevant during the holiday season when many people are traveling and renting places to stay.
According to the FTC, most of the scams involve fake rental listings…
On December 17, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a press release announcing that it is taking action against Illusory Systems, Inc. “for failing to implement adequate data security measures, leading to a major security breach in which hackers stole $186 million from consumers.”
In its complaint, the FTC alleged that Illusory, doing business…
The holidays are always a busy time—sending holiday cards, cooking, present shopping and giving, and spending time with family and friends. It’s also an opportune and busy time for scammers too.
A new report by KrebsonSecurity reminds us that fraudsters use the holidays to launch new campaigns, in this case, SMS phishing scams. According to…
In its 40th anniversary report, Trouble in Toyland 2025, the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) warns that “[T]oys with artificial intelligence bots or toxics present hidden dangers. Tests show A.I. toys can have disturbing conversations. Other concerns include unsafe or counterfeit toys bought online.”
The report outlines PIRG’s testing of four toys (Curio’s Grok…
I recently had the honor to be the guest speaker on Roger Williams University School of Law’s Law 401 podcast where we had a lively discussion about “Keeping Up with AI: Are Student Protections Falling Behind?”
We dug into how schools are promoting students’ use of AI tools yet not necessarily educating students…
In a recent blog post, KnowBe4 reported that it has “uncovered an emerging advanced phishing campaign targeting Microsoft 365 users globally to steal their credentials. The attackers are wielding a powerful new tool that’s completely changing the game for cybercriminals—turning what used to be complex, technical phishing setups into simple one-click launches that can bypass…
Nevada suffered a ransomware attack in August 2025 that caused a significant disruption in services. The attackers deleted the state’s backups, encrypted virtual machines, and deployed ransomware that affected 60 state agencies, including the Departments of Health and Human Services, Public Safety, and Motor Vehicles.
Despite the significance of the attack, Nevada refused to pay…
In today’s increasingly digital world, connected devices are an integral part of daily life. From smart speakers and thermostats to fitness trackers and home security cameras, these devices offer convenience and automation—but they also present new privacy and security challenges. Recognizing the growing concern among consumers, Consumer Reports (CR) has undertaken comprehensive testing to evaluate…
