Ryan Gallagher reports: Security experts have long worried that advances in quantum computing could eventually make it easier to break encryption that protects the privacy of people’s data. That’s because these sophisticated machines can perform calculations at speeds impossible for conventional computers, potentially enabling them to crack codes previously thought indecipherable. Now, a Swiss technology…
Category: Commentaries and Analyses
The Eleventh U.S. Circuit Weighs in on Data Breach Standing Issues
Alfred Saikali of Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. writes: Yesterday, in a 26-page opinion, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has weighed in on two important questions in the world of privacy and data breach litigation. First, does a plaintiff have standing where he was exposed to a substantial risk of future identity theft, even…
How the United States Lost to Hackers
Nicole Perlroth reports: If ever there was a sign the United States was losing control of information warfare, of its own warriors, it was the moment one of its own, a young American contractor, saw first lady Michelle Obama’s emails pop up on his screen. For months, David Evenden, a former National Security Agency analyst,…
The National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force Releases Ransomware Fact Sheet
The National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force (NCIJTF) has released a new joint-seal ransomware fact sheet. This educational product is intended to provide the public important information on the current ransomware threat and the government’s response, as well as common infection vectors, tools for attack prevention, and important contacts in the event of a ransomware…
Rise in ransomware attacks mistakenly causing data destruction
Ionut Ilascu reports: More and more ransomware victims are resisting the extortionists and refuse to pay when they can recover from backups, despite hackers’ threats to leak the data stolen before encryption. This stance resulted in Q4 of 2020 seeing a significant decline in the average ransom payments compared to the previous quarter, says ransomware…
Google says it’s too easy for hackers to find new security flaws
Patrick Howell O’Neill reports: … according to new research from Maddie Stone, a security researcher at Google: that it’s far too easy for hackers to keep exploiting insidious zero-days because companies are not doing a good job of permanently shutting down flaws and loopholes. The research by Stone, who is part of a Google security…