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Category Archives: ID Theft

US-CERT: Backoff Point-of-Sale Malware

Systems Affected – Point-of-Sale Systems – Alert (TA14-212A) “This advisory was prepared in collaboration with the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC), United States Secret Service (USSS), Financial Sector Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC), and Trustwave Spiderlabs, a trusted partner under contract with the USSS.  The purpose of this release is to provide relevant and… Continue Reading

NY AG Releases Report Showing Rise In Data Breaches, Provides Security Tips To Small Businesses & Consumers

“Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today issued a new report examining the growing number, complexity, and costs of data breaches in the New York State. Using information provided to the Attorney General’s Office pursuant to the New York State Information Security Breach & Notification Act, the report, titled “Information Exposed: Historical Examination of Data Security in New… Continue Reading

Is Your Android Device Telling the World Where You’ve Been? – EFF

“Do you own an Android device? Is it less than three years old? If so, then when your phone’s screen is off and it’s not connected to a Wi-Fi network, there’s a high risk that it is broadcasting your location history to anyone within Wi-Fi range that wants to listen. This location history comes in the… Continue Reading

Internet of Things: Connected Home – Survey

“Fortinet® – a global leader in high-performance network security released the results of a global survey that probes home owners about key issues pertaining to the Internet of Things (IoT). Independently administered throughout 11 countries, the survey titled, “Internet of Things: Connected Home,” gives a global perspective about the Internet of Things, what security and… Continue Reading

2014 Trustwave Global Security Report

“The 2014 Trustwave Global Security Report is back for another year,…and we again lean on hard evidence gathered from hundreds of data breach investigations conducted last year – 691 to be exact, spread across industries and the world – as well as threat intelligence gathered from our products and security operations centers. Using that evidence,… Continue Reading

At the Nexus of Cybersecurity and Public Policy

“We depend on information and information technology (IT) to make many of our day-to-day tasks easier and more convenient. Computers play key roles in transportation, health care, banking, and energy. Businesses use IT for payroll and accounting, inventory and sales, and research and development. Modern military forces use weapons that are increasingly coordinated through computer-based… Continue Reading

The Target Data Breach: Frequently Asked Questions

CRS – The Target Data Breach: Frequently Asked Questions. N. Eric Weiss. Specialist in Financial Economics; Rena S. Miller, Specialist in Financial Economics. April 22, 2014. “According to Target, in November and December of 2013, information on 40 million payment cards (credit, debit, and ATM cards) and personally identifiable information (PII) on 70 million customers was compromised. The Secret Service has… Continue Reading

Verizon 2014 Data Breach Investigations Report

Excerpt from the Verizon 2014 Data Breach Investigations Report: ‘“We have more incidents, more sources, and more variation than ever before—and trying to approach tens of thousands of incidents using the same techniques simply won’t cut it. Not only would the dominant incident characteristics drown out the subtleties of the less frequent varieties, but we cannot… Continue Reading

FTC Announces Top National Consumer Complaints for 2013

News release: “Identity theft continues to top the Federal Trade Commission’s national ranking of consumer complaints, and American consumers reported losing over $1.6 billion to fraud overall in 2013, according to the FTC’s annual report on consumer complaints released today. “Americans of all ages are vulnerable to identity theft, and it remains the most common consumer… Continue Reading

Commentary – FBI Issues Cyber Attack Warning To Retailers: Is Chip And PIN The Answer?

Eric A. Packel: “Point-of-sale (POS) systems are under attack.  In the wake of breaches at Neiman Marcus, Target and other stores over the 2013 holiday season, the FBI is now warning retailers to expect similar cyber attacks in the coming months.  The warning came in the form of a 3 page report distributed to numerous retailers… Continue Reading

CRS – Identity Theft: Trends and Issues

Identity Theft: Trends and Issues, Kristin Finklea, Specialist in Domestic Security. January 16, 2014. “Policymakers continue to be concerned with securing the economic health of the United States—including combating those crimes that threaten to undermine the nation’s financial stability. Identity theft, for one, poses both security and economic risks. By some estimates, identity fraud cost Americans nearly $21 billion in… Continue Reading

Report to Government on Massive Theft of Credit Card Data From Retail Customers

KAPTOXA POS Report Overview – “iSIGHT Partners, working with the U.S. Secret Service, has determined that a new piece of malicious software, KAPTOXA (Kar-Toe-Sha), has potentially infected a large number of retail information systems. This software can find, store, and then transmit sensitive information such as credit card and PIN numbers. These findings are part of a… Continue Reading