Public Intelligence reports: Cyber attacks against law enforcement, fire departments and other emergency services have become increasingly common and are likely to increase according to a recent intelligence assessment prepared by the Department of Homeland Security and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC). The assessment, which was distributed to law enforcement in September…
Month: February 2016
Congress Looking at Potential Energy-Sector Cybersecurity and Privacy Reform
C. Kyle Simpson and Jared Bomberg write: Energy-sector cybersecurity and privacy is generating significant attention of late. Last month, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a final rule creating new standards for the cybersecurity of the electric grid. FERC followed this issuance with a report on electrical grid recovery and restoration planning that makes a number of recommendations for…
MO: Former IRS employee sentenced for $326K fraud scheme
AP reports that Demetria Brown, a former IRS employee, has been sentenced to two years and six months in prison in a $326,000 fraudulent tax refund scheme. She has also been ordered to pay restitution to Missouri and the IRS. Brown’s case was previously noted on this blog in June, 2015, when she pleaded guilty. At…
NY: College staffers hacked girls’ laptops to steal nude photos: suit
Kathianne Boniello reports: A Bronx college had its own “Freak Squad” of tech workers who hacked student and employee computers to steal porn and intimate images, according to a lawsuit. Four men in the Academic Computing Center at Hostos Community College admitted breaking into the personal laptops of female students to steal naked pictures and…
Letter to New York State Banks and Insurance Companies: New Cybersecurity Regulations Likely (Part 2 of 2)
Randall J. Collins writes: In my previous post, I reviewed the New York State Department of Financial Services’ (NYDFS) findings and conclusions of survey results of financial institutions and insurers’ programs, costs, and future plans related to cybersecurity. Anthony J. Albanese – Acting Superintendent of Financial Services – writes in a November 9, 2015 letter to Financial and…
Spec’s sues insurance provider for legal fees related to data breaches
Ah, here’s the explanation I didn’t have the other day. Joe Martin reports: Houston-based Spec’s Family Partners Ltd. is suing its insurance provider for over $1.3 million in legal fees stemming from two data breaches, according to court documents. Spec’s filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of Texas in Houston Feb. 19 against the…