The unauthorized release of mission-critical data presents a multitude of problems for victimized companies, but there are several steps a business can take to mitigate the risk of data loss and subsequent collateral damage. Speaking at Georgetown University, U.S. Deputy Attorney General, James Cole, itemized some best practices for businesses to follow (it bears repeating, even if […]
Ever since Mr. Edward Snowden released classified information about the U.S. spying program “Prism,” a dirty little secret within the tech service industry has emerged – namely, that when it comes to securing mission-critical data, companies like Google, Facebook, Yahoo, etc., must, in accordance with the law, hand over such data, thereby throwing a wrench into […]
Last Week, State of Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed SB 5211 into law, which prohibits employers from requiring or requesting that prospective or current employees disclose their username and password to their personal social media accounts. Washington State now joins a growing list of states (Maryland, California, Illinois, Michigan, Utah, New Mexico, Arkansas, and Colorado) who […]
Verizon recently released its 2013 Data Breach Investigations Report, and the outlook for organizations trying to protect their intellectual property is dire. Cyber-based corporate and industrial espionage has risen so dramatically in the last year that intelligence officials are asking boardrooms across the U.S. to be more vigilant against cyber-criminals who are motivated by financial gain […]
As reported in The Wall Street Journal today, Netflix, Inc., has filed documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) stating its intent to disclose “material information” on its corporate Twitter feed, Facebook page, and blog, as well as the Facebook page of its CEO. The Los Gatos-based company will continue to file traditional disclosures, regarding important […]
On July 1, 2013, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) will begin enforcement of new regulations pertaining to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (“COPPA”). For two years, regulator’s had sought to update COPPA “with the times” by expanding the law beyond its original intent – to prevent web-based companies from obtaining personal information of children […]
Earlier this month, March 8, 2013, the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals issued a ruling related to the warrantless forensic examination of electronic data on a laptop that was seized at the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona (U.S. v. Cotterman, No. 09-10139). The fallout from the U.S. v. Cotterman ruling is significant in that, going forward, law […]
The United States Telecom Association, whose member representatives include Internet service provider’s like CenturyLink, AT&T, and Verizon, appears to have blocked a Federal Communications Commission advisory panel’s recommendation on measures needed to deal with the nation’s cyber-security problem. The lack of an agreement on Internet regulatory oversight highlights growing tension between the Obama administration’s directive, which orders […]
As the U.S. intelligence community prepares to militarize its cyber-units for warfare in a virtual world, the rest of us are left to wonder how can we protect our asset resources from a “virtual-attack.” Cyber-warfare and espionage have now supplanted terrorism as the greatest threat to our national infrastructure. As a result of more mainstream media coverage, the […]
Tomorrow I will be boarding a red-eye flight to Boston to speak at prestigious Harvard University on the topic of cyber-bullying. The term cyber-bullying can be defined as using any form of electronic communications to harass, torture, threaten, or humiliate another person. In an unrelated, but ironic, headline I read in this mornings The New York […]