Micah Danney reports: You might think of hackers as people sitting at computers, but custom software applications, or bots, can be the ones doing the dirty work. Bots automate the business of hacking, tearing through massive troves of stolen account data, for example, or bombarding website login pages with passwords, probing for hits. Enter Unbotify,…
Category: Commentaries and Analyses
School District in Maryland Stops Collection of Social Security Numbers
Allen Etzler reports: Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) is no longer collecting Social Security numbers under the district’s new data security policy. Director of Technology Infrastructure Edward Gardner, who oversaw the development of the new data policy, said the school system would not collect student Social Security numbers “unless explicitly necessary,” and he could not…
New FTC Policy Would Shield Lawyers, Staff From Personal Liability
C. Ryan Barber reports: The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday adopted an indemnity policy that will shield lawyers and other staff from any personal liability for enforcement actions that draw a lawsuit and expose them to a monetary judgment. The policy, adopted without public comment, will allow the agency to cover the cost of any…
Schools face hefty fines for data breaches under new EU laws
John Dickens reports: Schools face having to free up a teacher to work three days every week on EU data protection issues, say tech experts. From May next year, schools must comply with the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or face financial penalties of up to 4 per cent of their turnover. The new…
SQL Injection Vulnerability in WP Statistics
If you’re using the WordPress plugin WP Statistics, you might want to stop and immediately read John Castro’s post, SQL Injection Vulnerability in WP Statistics.
High school hacker who changed grades pays for his actions, now studies cybertech
T. Keung Huia reports: A former Wake County high school student who hacked into his school’s computer system to change grades had his criminal charges dismissed Wednesday after he repaid the school district and completed community service. Saivamsi Krishna Hanumanthu was a 17-year-old senior at Panther Creek High School in Cary in February 2016 when…