Trevor Brown reports: After hearing a report that identified numerous security lapses, Wyoming lawmakers are considering a bill that would require school districts to better protect students’ personal information. A legislative committee was briefed Tuesday on a recent state Department of Audit report that found 42 of the state’s 48 school districts had issues related…
Category: Commentaries and Analyses
Wearable fitness trackers tested for data leakage and poor security
Graham Cluley writes: Independent IT security testing authority AV-Test.org has put nine different fitness trackers under the microscope, in order to explore how well they are protecting users’ data. At first it may seem peculiar that the organisation, famous for its in-depth tests of anti-virus technology, has turned its attention to fitness trackers. But in…
Experts: Hacking of Astros wasn’t advanced, but team’s computer defenses weren’t either
Evan Drellich reports: Both the offender and victim in professional sports’ first hacking scandal might share one trait: a lack of sophistication. Whoever made their way to private Astros information did not appear to do so with an advanced method of entry or cover-up beyond the capacity of any professional programmer. […] At the same…
Lawyers and ethical hackers weigh in on Astros hack
Robert Patrick interviews a number of attorneys and white-hat hackers about whether the government is likely to pursue charges under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act in this piece in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
U.S. employee data breach tied to Chinese intelligence: sources
Joseph Menn reports: The Chinese hacking group suspected of stealing sensitive information about millions of current and former U.S. government employees has a different mission and organizational structure than the military hackers who have been accused of other U.S. data breaches, according to people familiar with the matter. While the Chinese People’s Liberation Army typically…
The OPM Hack and the New DOD Law of War Manual
Kristen Eichensehr writes: Last Friday was a big day in cybersecurity news. OPM announced that, in addition to the compromise of the personnel information of federal employees revealed on June 4, Chinese hackers also breached a database containing millions of security clearance forms. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Potomac, the Department of Defense…