FBI: Haitian Earthquake Relief Fraud Alert
U.S. Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation
The FBI today reminds Internet users who receive appeals to donate money in the aftermath of Tuesday’s earthquake in Haiti to apply a critical eye and do their due diligence before responding to those requests. Past tragedies and natural disasters have prompted individuals with criminal intent to solicit contributions purportedly for a charitable organization and/or a good cause. Therefore, before making a donation of any kind, consumers should adhere to certain guidelines, to include the following…
Broadcasting Vulnerabilities Hinders Security
By Tom Groenfeldt, Technology Journalist - Contributor at CIOZone
The way most of the vendors do PC security makes it very easy for the bad guys to circumvent their software pretty quickly, said John Viega, vice president of engineering at McAfee and author of a new book, The Myths of Security: What the Computer Security Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know. The technologies generally have not gotten good enough fast enough, and there hasn’t been the best collaboration between vendors, even though they do collaborate, he added. They are getting better, but some vendors, who market by publicly announcing vulnerabilities in popular software packages, do more to hurt than help…
Physical Security Tips For International Travel
By Professor Jenni Hesterman, Counterterrorism Expert
Augustin Roberto “Bobby” Salcedo, 33, was abducted and killed by gunmen while visiting his wife’s family in Mexico. He was found dead in the northern state of Durango by Mexican authorities. Five other men were abducted at the same time and sadly, all were brutally executed. If you travel or work internationally, you are a potential target for criminals and terrorists who want to raise funds by putting a price on your life. Protect yourself.
Report: China Probing Soft Cyber Underbelly
By Tom Groenfeldt, Technology Journalist - Contributor at CIOZone
In China today, there are thousands of people in a sustained effort to collect intelligence, many of them on an entrepreneurial basis within a competing bureaucratic structure. China understands that a strategic vulnerability of the United States is its soft cyber underbelly. I believe they seek to ‘own’ that space, says Mike McConnell, former director of National Intelligence and director of the NSA.
TSA Breach is a Nightmare for Holiday Travel
Laura Wilson, JD, CISA
This week’s revelation that the Transportation Safety Administration exposed its rules for airport security screening online is outrageous. As holiday travel ramps up, the possibilities and repercussions are horrifying. Coupled with the huge rise in information security breaches across many sectors and rampant identity theft, the TSA’s breach sets the stage for potential disaster.
New Gift Card Laws Also Benefit Terrorists
By Professor Jenni Hesterman, Counterterrorism Expert
Let’s say you are a bad guy and have some “dirty” money to launder. Cards might be a good idea. First of all, there is no limit to how many cards you can buy. You can buy them with cash. You can sell them on an online auction site, transfer the value to a nonbank, and liquidate it by asking for a debit card you can use anonymously at an ATM. Or you can use pre-paid Visa cards to purchase items which you can then sell. And the law change makes this method even more lucrative.
Massive TSA Security Breach Revealed
By BRIAN ROSS and MATT HOSFORD of ABC News
In a massive security breach, the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) inadvertently posted online its entire airport screening procedures manual, including some of the most closely guarded secrets regarding special rules for diplomats and CIA and law enforcement officers.
Cyber Liability Insurance Mitigates Exposure
By Laton McCartney, Editor at CIOZone
CIOs are starting to embrace the idea of protecting against the risk that comes about as the unintended consequence of Web 2.0 technology. At the same time, data is becoming increasingly regulated, which is creating new exposures, particularly in the areas of data privacy and reputational risk,” Drew Bartkiewicz, vice president of cyber and new media risk at The Hartford, tells CIOZone’s Latom McCartney.
Ten Most Damaging Data Breaches of 2009
By Laton McCartney, Editor at CIOZone
Every week for the past four years the Privacy Rights Clearing House has been chronicling data breaches on a weekly basis. “These are the mega-breaches that can skew the figures in terms of the number of people victimized,” says Paul Stephens, PRCH’s director of policy and advocacy. Here are the ten biggest, most damaging and most embarrassing breaches to date this year.
US Navy Successfully Tests Cloud Based IaaS
By Kevin L. Jackson, Vice President at Dataline
During a recent interview Navy CIO Robert Carey stated that cloud computing offered real value to the Navy, iting that both the Navy Next Generation Enterprise Network and Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Service programs will leverage cloud computing. He envisions a future day when “Grey clouds” within a ship’s hull will transition to clouds within the battle group.
