Negotiations in the ongoing debate over how internet service companies, like Facebook, Inc., and Google, Inc., will be able to use personal information to track the browsing habits of its patrons have apparently hit a stalemate. Unless mediators between the Obama Administration, privacy advocate groups, and Internet industry firms can come to some sort of amiable […]
A lawsuit was filed in San Jose, CA, on June 15, 2012, seeking class action status against LinkedIn, Corp., stemming from the recent data breach of user passwords that ended up on a Russian Internet forum. The lawsuit filed by a Chicago-based attorney, Ms. Katie Szpyrka, accuses LinkedIn of deceiving its customers and for failing to implement […]
Mr. Alnoor Ebrahim, former AT&T executive, admitted to a Federal Court in Lower Manhattan today that he sold AT&T sales figures on Apple and RIM products to traders who purchased shares based on that information. In a plea agreement with the federal government, prosecutor’s are recommending a maximum sentence of 2 years in prison for Mr. Ebrahim’s […]
In a first of its kind legal action, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) today announced that Pasadena-based, Spokeo, Inc., agreed to an $800,000 settlement over charges that the data collecting company improperly compiled and sold people’s personal information for use by potential employers in screening job applicant’s. Without admitting any guilt and as a part […]
In The New York Times today, Ms. Nicole Perlroth, started her column with “LinkedIn is a data company that did not protect its data.” This is a very powerful statement coming on the heals of a cyber-attack that posted the usernames and passwords of over 6 million LinkedIn users on a Russian Internet forum. Has […]
In recent days, high-profile social media companies LinkedIn and eHarmony disclosed that data from their IT systems have been exploited, via a cyber-attack, and the information obtained from the hack was placed on Russian Internet forums. LinkedIn estimated that approximately 6.46 million passwords were hacked, and are advising all users to update/change their login credentials. In response to […]
On behalf of the European Union, French privacy regulators expressed “deep concern” over Google’s new privacy policy stating that the search engine company has not been “sufficiently forthcoming” in its investigation with the regulatory agency. The National Commission for Computing and Liberties (also known as “C.N.I.L.”) asked Google in February to answer a questionnaire, which […]
The U.S. government announced yesterday (May 22, 2012) that terrorist organizations, like al Qaeda, are looking to launch “electronic jihad” on U.S. networks that are critical to its infrastructures. A video released by the terrorist organization yesterday urged extremists to exploit network flaws in systems related to the aviation and power grid industry, to name a few. This […]
When assessing risk options for cyber-attacks, the natural response for corporate managers is to insure against the risk by paying a third-party to ‘indemnify and hold harmless’ against such a catastrophe. However, in mid-April this year, Insurance Journal reported that 3 out 4 corporate managers were forgoing cyber-insurance policies to cover data breaches despite the […]
Atlanta-based Global Payments, Inc., was the latest payment processor to have its mission-critical information accessed in an unauthorized manner by hackers this past Friday. The fallout extends far beyond the possible exposure of up to 1.5 million accounts maintained by the seventh-largest payment processor. The high-profile customers that this relatively unknown company represents includes businesses, like Caesars […]