There is a new federal IoT law, H.R. 1668, the IoT Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2020, that recently passed the House and Senate and was signed by the President on December 4. The bill had 26 co-sponsors, representing Democrats and Republicans almost equally, and enjoyed bipartisan support in an era that has not seen
IoT
U.S. Chamber of Commerce and FICO Release Security Guidelines on Telework During COVID-19
By Linn Foster Freedman on
It is no secret that companies are experiencing an increase in security incidents following the transition from work in the office to work from home during the pandemic. There are a number of causes, including the difficulty of controlling the security of at-home technology equipment such as routers, printers, personal assistants and other IoT devices,…
Privacy Tip #249 – Use of Personal Assistants While Working from Home
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Internet of Things, Privacy Tips
I continue to be quite surprised at the lack of understanding that people have about personal assistants such as Alexa and Echo. It seems logical to me that when you yell out “Alexa, turn on the lights!” Alexa is using voice recognition technology to recognize your voice for the command and is processing that command…
IoT Manufacturers – What You Need to Know About California’s IoT Law
By Deborah George on
Posted in Data Privacy, Websites
California has a privacy law that took effect on January 1, 2020, and it’s not the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). This new privacy law regulates Internet of Things (IoT)-connected devices. SB 327 was enacted in 2018 and became effective on January 1, 2020. The California IoT law requires manufacturers of connected devices to equip…
Energy Sector’s Reliance on IoT Increases Cyber Vulnerabilities
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Cybersecurity
CyberX recently released its 2020 Global IoT/ICS Risk Report (Report), which compiles survey questions and answers from 1,821 production networks of electric utilities, and oil and gas companies. Although the Report admitted that oil and gas companies and electric utilities tend to be ahead of the curve on cybersecurity compared to other sectors, they are…
Cybersecurity and the Electric Grid – New GAO Report Identifies Actions Needed to Address Cybersecurity Risks
By Deborah George on
Posted in Cybersecurity
The United States Government Accounting Office (GAO) recently issued a report on the cybersecurity risks facing the electric grid. The GAO reviewed the cybersecurity of the electric grid to determine the risks and challenges facing the grid, to describe federal efforts to address those risks, to assess the extent to which the Department of Energy…
New Threat to Companies: Warshipping
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Cybersecurity
It is so hard to keep up with the latest ways the bad guys try to infiltrate company data. One new technique is called warshipping, and its implementation is pretty simple and a little old school.
IBM X-Force Red investigated the technique to give its customers an idea of the newest threats to enterprise systems.…
Privacy Tip #202 – Check the Privacy Settings on Your Phone Frequently
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
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…
Phishing Continues to Be Seen as Biggest Cybersecurity Threat to Companies
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Cybersecurity, Internet of Things
According to a recent survey of cybersecurity professionals by AT&T Cybersecurity entitled “Confidence: the perception and reality of cybersecurity threats,” phishing and cloud security threats are keeping them up at night.
The survey polled 733 cybersecurity professionals attending the RSA conference and asked the respondents about what they perceive to be the biggest internal and…
Privacy Tip #188 – Home Security Camera Vulnerabilities
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Internet of Things, Privacy Tips
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…