As cryptocurrency becomes more popular with investors, CipherTrace recently issued its Q2 2019 Cryptocurrency Anti-Money Laundering Report, which finds that “[O]utright thefts as well as scams and other misappropriation of funds from cryptocurrency users and exchanges continued apace, netting criminals and fraudsters approximately $4.26 billion in aggregate for 2019.” Yikes—that’s billion with a “b”. The … Continue Reading
I once again had the pleasure of presenting Cybersecurity for Tax Professionals at the IRS Nationwide Tax Forum today. The conference is designed for tax professionals in small- to medium-sized businesses. It is always a lively bunch, but following the afternoon session, a crowd of folks got in line to chat more, and they were … Continue Reading
Many readers have reached out to learn about the Capital One data breach and how it affects us. If you haven’t been watching the story unfold as closely as I have, here is a summary of what happened, what information was included, and what to do about it. Capital One announced on July 29 that … Continue Reading
Fireeye published research last week that it has identified a phishing campaign by APT34, which is known to be a hacking group out of Iran, that all LinkedIn users should be aware of when considering adding a LinkedIn contact. In particular, if you receive a LinkedIn request from someone named Rebecca Watts from Cambridge University, … Continue Reading
The U.S. government continues to be wary of cryptocurrency, and presently, no cryptocurrency exchange is protected by the FDIC. When you put your money in a FDIC-insured bank, if the bank becomes insolvent customers will not lose their deposits, usually up to a maximum of $250,000 per depositor per insured bank. But if you deposit … Continue Reading
Yesterday, I was honored to again have the opportunity to participate as a speaker at the Internal Revenue Service’s Nationwide Tax Forum 2019 in Washington, D.C. Through a generous grant provided by the American Coalition for Taxpayer Rights to the Pell Center of Salve Regina University, we are able to educate small- and medium-sized tax … Continue Reading
In my 25 years in the data privacy and cybersecurity profession, this is the first time that I believe a medical device has been recalled because of a cybersecurity risk. This week, Medtronic recalled its 508 Insulin pumps because of cybersecurity vulnerabilities. The FDA urged the recall, saying in a notice: “The FDA is concerned … Continue Reading
Part of the 2018 Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (which amended the Fair Credit Reporting Act) included a provision requiring credit reporting agencies (CRAs) to provide free electronic credit monitoring services to active duty military personnel. CRAs are required by law to notify active duty military consumers about any “material” additions or … Continue Reading
If you use Evite for e-invitations or social planning purposes, be aware that it announced last week that the account information for up to 10 million users has been compromised and is for sale on the Dark Web. According to Evite, the information compromised included users’ names, usernames, passwords, dates of birth, telephone numbers, mailing … Continue Reading
Many individuals and not-for-profit organizations, including those in the health care industry, believe that they do not have the resources to update to the newest versions of software. However, the newest versions are introduced by manufacturers to patch older versions that have known security flaws and vulnerabilities. Microsoft Windows users have been warned repeatedly over … Continue Reading
Summer vacation is almost here for school-age children, which means that kids will have more free time to roam the Internet. Unfortunately, according to the FBI, this means that the threat of online predators is high and the FBI is warning parents that it has seen an increase—a whopping 60 percent increase—in the number of … Continue Reading
Like many of you, I don’t answer my cell phone unless the number pops up as someone I know, because a majority of the calls I get are spam or robocalls. It’s so frustrating. Although these calls are probably a violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) – the … Continue Reading
In the top three of the list of highly sensitive personal data to be concerned about is our medical information. It’s so sensitive because it is so personal. It used to be that our medical information was located in paper charts at our doctor’s office, the hospital, the pharmacy and our health insurer. Now it’s … Continue Reading
These days, pretty much everyone is aware of potential security incidents and the risks involved with Internet of Things (IoT) devices because security was not built into the device during the manufacturing process, but there is less awareness of the risks associated with the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). Just like IoT devices, such as … Continue Reading
As someone who has been married a long time (longer than the Internet has existed), I never experienced the online dating scene. Everyone has their own opinion on the topic, and without getting into the merits of online dating, there is risk for children, which is the subject of this privacy tip. The Federal Trade … Continue Reading
I attended a meeting of cybersecurity professionals recently and overheard several of them talking about their new security cameras and how great it is to see everyone who comes up the driveway and to the front door, and monitors the family members and pets in the home. One mentioned how his wife doesn’t approve of … Continue Reading
We all watched in horror last week as the beautiful spire of Notre Dame Cathedral was engulfed in flames. I visited Notre Dame for the first time, right before I started my first year of law school, and it was awe inspiring. The fire and tragedy of the loss hit us all, and many of … Continue Reading
On April 14, 2019, Microsoft alerted some account owners that Microsoft Outlook and Hotmail email addresses had been compromised over a three-month period. According to Microsoft, “We have identified that a Microsoft support agent’s credentials were compromised, enabling individuals outside Microsoft to access information within your Microsoft email account.” It also said “[U]pon awareness of … Continue Reading
I try to keep my spam filter on the most restrictive setting, which has dramatically decreased the amount of spam I receive in my email box every day. But every once in a while, I receive an email that makes my gut twitch and my eyebrows raise. I got one today from a well-known bank, … Continue Reading
There are so many data breaches in the news these days that it is hard even for us to keep up, and this is our day-to-day profession. There were several recent data breaches that didn’t make headlines, but are important to note if you are a customer. Restaurant chain Buca di Beppo confirmed that it … Continue Reading
Apple has partnered with Goldman Sachs to offer a privacy-protected credit card that has no signature, card number or any other personal information except your name. The card is tracked through Apple Pay, so users can manage the account through their iPhone. It allows users to track their spending and receive reports on their phones … Continue Reading
In the midst of unending robocalls, news of big tech companies collecting, using and monetizing consumers’ information, and hackers and scammers, we forget that anyone is doing anything to protect our privacy. Only somewhat comforting against that backdrop is the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) annual report on its privacy and security work, which was released … Continue Reading
In another round of warnings from the federal government on protecting yourself from tax return fraud and identity theft, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued its 2019 “Dirty Dozen” Campaign, designed to warn individuals about the most common tax-related phishing schemes that are focused on tax fraud and identity theft. During tax season, cyber … Continue Reading
This week is National Consumer Protection Week. In celebration of that, this post is devoted to protection from tax identity theft. At this time of year, as we all prepare and file our tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), we are reminded again that tax identity theft continues to be a problem. Tax … Continue Reading
