Citibank Computers Hacked by Russian Cyber Gang
In additional cyber security news, the Wall Street Journal reported today that Citibank was the victim of a hack by what appears to be a Russian cyber gang that resulted in the loss of tens of millions of dollars. The attack also targeted two other entities, at least one of which is a government agency. The attack was discovered over the summer, but could have taken place as much as a year earlier. The case is being investigated by the FBI with... [Read More...]
Obama Appoints Cyber Security Czar – Howard A Schmidt
Seven months into his term, President Obama has appointed Howard A. Schmidt to the role of cyber security chief. He will report to the National Security Council and will have regular access to the President. Mr. Schmidt is an industry veteran who previously served the Bush White House. He was formerly the chief information security officer at Ebay, the chief information officer at Microsoft and worked in computer security for the Air Force, the... [Read More...]
Personal Data & Information Privacy Compromised by Technology
A recent trip got me thinking about technology and the ramifications it imposes on data privacy, our safety and our lives. The thought started as I watched in amazement as each passenger on my flight readily handed over his or her credit card to purchase a snack. Many didn’t need it, certainly not the person next to me, but that’s off the point. Those who tried to pay in greenbacks were told the airline does not accept cash. Does this trouble... [Read More...]
Controlling Risk to Information Assets – Cyber & Data Security in the Workplace
Is information security an afterthought in your business? At what point is security considered? Now being a technologist you might answer that it is at the forefront of your activities and that’s great but for the business people at what point does it enter the business discussion? Chances are it doesn’t. The reason I raise the question is simple. Effective security should be core to business operations and culture, not a bolt on application,... [Read More...]
Government IT & Cyber Security Compliance & Regulation Not Enough – The Case for Effective Risk Management
Balancing Government compliance, regulation and security initiatives while helping define and drive your priorities and timelines to manage what can be enormous investments – risk management practices and principles supporting today’s information rich, connected, online present organizations. I am amazed at the number of organizations that continue to take either a lax, or too narrow approach in protecting information assets. I am certain... [Read More...]
Information & Cyber Security Threat Assessment & Risk Mitigation – New York, New Jersey, Connecticut & Pennsylvania
Information Defense has been conducting a variety of online, data and secure information breach incident response and cyber forensic investigations for New York NY and surrounding states based organizations. (New Jersey NJ, Connecticut CT and Pennsylvania PA in particular.) We are seeing increased losses from having insufficient detective resources and data loss prevention strategies in place to stop such action. Often evidence is either wiped (cleaned)... [Read More...]
Information & Cyber Security Threat Assessment & Risk Mitigation – Bay Area, San Francisco & Silicon Valley
Information Defense has been assisting a variety of organizations in the San Francisco Bay and and Silicon Valley Areas of California fortify their security postures through its comprehensive information security solutions. We have been helping a variety of Bay Area organizations prepare for PCI compliance initiatives, strengthen the security of their applications and networks, as well as to implement various risk mitigation strategies including comprehensive... [Read More...]
Managing Your PCI Audit (Part 2)
Welcome back to our Managing Your PCI Audit & Compliance Blog! By Michael Nelson – PCI Practice Manager See here for Managing your PCI Audit & Compliance blog part 1 By now your organization has chosen a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) who will be performing PCI compliance assessments, but now when do you schedule the on site visit for the QSA? The answer is simple; once the organization is prepared. As discussed prior in Managing Your... [Read More...]
Managing Your PCI Audit (Part 1)
Managing Your PCI Audit & Compliance Blog! By Michael Nelson – PCI Practice Manager PCI DSS compliance has now become a household name for security and IT departments worldwide, potentially having significant impact on those organizations that store or process credit cards. According to the PCI Security Standards Council “All merchants, whether small or large, need to be PCI compliant.” While the security requirements are the same for all... [Read More...]
Ensuring Employee Security During Layoffs
A poorly organized termination process can lead to major IT and physical security problems. As many companies have transitioned to a mobile workforce, and vendor supported access, increasing numbers of people have remote access to sensitive and proprietary information. Companies that fail to cancel subscriptions, passwords, accounts and retrieve blackberries, PDAs and laptops leave themselves open to a major security breach. As a result, proprietary... [Read More...]
