Many readers questioned me about the Wall Street Journal article this week entitled, “Facebook to Banks: Give Us Your Data, We’ll Give you Our Users.” The questions and comments ranged from “Can they really do this?” to “This is outrageous!” Without getting into a legal analysis, there are laws that banks have to follow when … Continue Reading
The BBC recently posted a story about one of its employees who had access through a mobile app to someone else’s video footage of their home security camera. The security camera was manufactured by Swann. Following the story, a group of security researchers from Pen Test Partners decided to check it out and bought several … Continue Reading
We previously reported that LifeLock suffered a data breach and has been sued by the Federal Trade Commission for allegations of misleading customers [view related post], for which it settled with the FTC for $116 million [view related post] and then settled a suit alleging false statements to customers for $68 million [view related post]. … Continue Reading
Wearable technology and medical devices have vulnerabilities just like anything else that is digital. ICS-CERT recently issued an advisory about vulnerabilities in Medtronic’s MyCareLink patient heart monitors. These devices are implantable cardiac devices that transmit patients’ heart rhythms directly to a provider. The alert notes that vulnerabilities identified in the devices could be exploited by … Continue Reading
Timehop, an app that allows users to find and claim old photos and posts on social media, has reported a data breach of its cloud computing environment on July 4, 2018, which compromised 20.4 million accounts, 3.8 million of which are in the GDPR zone. According to an updated posting on its website yesterday, the … Continue Reading
Summer is finally here, and with summer comes vacations. Some of us are planners and plan vacations far in advance. Others look for last-minute finds that include “super savers.” If you are looking for a super saver, be aware that scammers are using different methods to commit fraud on unwary vacationers looking for vacation rentals. … Continue Reading
It used to be anecdotal that hackers can change the integrity of data in a bank account or steal your money if they get into the electronic system. I have heard many credible accounts of intrusions into systems where the intruders are able to change the integrity of the data—that means that if the balance … Continue Reading
I hang out with Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and Chief Information Officers (CIOs). I support them because they have thankless jobs and have a mountain of responsibilities to protect an organization, most of the time without complete support from the organization. I try to help CISOs and CIOs get the budgeting they need to … Continue Reading
The Singapore summit was the focus of news stories this week. The media descended on Singapore to capture all of the news. When journalists started posting pictures of the contents of the gift bags that they were given at the summit by a company associated with the local government, cybersecurity experts from around the world … Continue Reading
If you have ever purchased tickets from Ticketfly, be aware that it took its homepage offline last week because it has experienced a “cyber incident.” It stated that “Following a series of recent issues with Ticketfly properties, we’ve determined that Ticketfly has been the target of a cyber incident…” A hacker, self-dubbed IsHaKdZ confirmed and … Continue Reading
Admittedly, parents of teens have unique worries about their children. So-called “helicopter parents” worry more than others. A perfect app for such parents is Teen Safe, which allows those worried parents to monitor their children’s location, text messages, call history, app downloads and browsing history. Yikes—the only monitor I ever had with my kids was … Continue Reading
I have been watching several articles published by ZDNet with interest. First, ZDNet reported that “four of the largest cell giants in the US are selling your real-time location data to a company that you’ve probably never heard about before.” That company is LocationSmart, which touts itself as a data aggregator that has “direct connections” … Continue Reading
Update on Removing Your Name from Offers of Credit or Insurance and Access to Disclosure Report from NCTUE Last week’s Privacy Tip touched a nerve with many readers, and I received numerous comments and thank you’s from loyal readers who, like me, also had no idea about NCTUE or that they could opt out of … Continue Reading
Just when I thought I had frozen all of my credit, and was doing everything I can to protect myself from identity theft and fraud, I find out today about another one from KrebsOnSecurity. I am pretty knowledgeable on the subject matter of credit freezes, and have been an advocate of placing a credit freeze on … Continue Reading
As a frequent traveler, both personally and professionally, this bit of research unnerved me. Of course, it makes sense when you think about it, and none of us should be surprised, but it is a good reminder for those of us who are on the road a lot. Security researchers at F-Secure in Finland report … Continue Reading
How low can these scammers go? Too low. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is alerting consumers this week that imposters are calling people, and saying they are from the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF), then telling them that they may be eligible for compensation from the fund. They have spoofed New York area codes … Continue Reading
Here’s a great idea offered by the National Cyber Security Alliance and the Better Business Bureau: while you are doing your spring cleaning, don’t forget to do a digital spring cleaning too—that is, your computer, cellphone and Internet-connected devices. The tips acknowledge that we all have information contained on our computers, cellphones and mobile devices … Continue Reading
Many readers know that it would be a cold day in H-E-Double Hockey Sticks (Go Bruins!) that I have in the past or ever in the future will take an online quiz. Why on earth would anyone do that? What is the benefit to you of participating in a seemingly innocuous quiz about yourself and … Continue Reading
I have the privilege of teaching Privacy Law at Roger Williams University School of Law, one of the few law schools in the country to offer the course. This is the fourth year the course has been offered, and the students who take the course are bright and engaged. The fun thing about teaching the … Continue Reading
As our readers know, I am particularly interested in protecting our seniors from fraud. They continue to be a vulnerable population and unfortunately, here is another scam that makes me mad: social security fraud. Many elect to have their social security payments deposited by direct deposit, and in fact, it is required by the Social … Continue Reading
I was so honored to be a presenter at the Bryant Women’s Summit last week. It is always an incredible event and I enjoy attending every year. But the bonus for me this year is that I also got to interact with a lively group of executive and professional women that were eager to learn … Continue Reading
There is a global malware campaign that is targeting mobile devices across the world. It is called Dark Caracal, which is believed to be sourced in Beirut by the Lebanese General Security Directorate. According to security researchers, attacks on mobile devices are on the rise because people are using their smartphones more than they are … Continue Reading
This writer has been lamenting for years about the fact that Medicare recipients’ Social Security numbers are included on the face of the card. This is an unnecessary risk posed to Medicare recipients, which are primarily senior citizens, some of our most vulnerable citizens, who are already preyed upon by scammers. Medicare has recognized the … Continue Reading
When talking to colleagues and friends, it appears that folks do not understand how their smartphones work and the data that can be accessed through them. This prompted me to again give basic steps that can be used to protect personal information that can be accessed, legitimately and in an unauthorized manner through the settings … Continue Reading
