Associated Press reports: The government’s own watchdogs tried to hack into HealthCare.gov earlier this year and found what they termed a critical vulnerability — but also came away with respect for some of the health insurance site’s security features. Those are among the conclusions of a report released today by the Health and Human Services…
Category: Commentaries and Analyses
CFPB Must Improve Financial Data Security: GAO
Mike Muckian reports: If you’re one of the 25 million to 75 million U.S. credit cardholders whose account information has been gathered by the CFPB, your financial data may not be as safe as it should be. The U.S. Governmental Accountability Office recently analyzed the bureau’s data security practices and was not pleased with the…
On the Front Lines: The FTC’s Role in Data Security
Keynote Address by FTC Commissioner Julie Brill on September 17 at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Workshop on Stepping Into the Fray: The Role of Independent Agencies in Cybersecurity. (pdf)
Failure to patch Oracle leaves students and kids at risk of info theft
Jake Tapper reports that some organizations still haven’t patched Oracle, leaving sensitive information at risk of hacking: This month, [researchers] found that a weakness in Oracle’s software – that the company discovered in 2012 and provided a patch for – still remains a huge vulnerability to any customer that missed or ignored that news. Seely…
Education And Information Sharing: Underutilized Tools In FTC’s Data Security Work
Glenn G. Lammi of the Washington Legal Foundation writes: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has brought 52 enforcement actions involving data breaches. Fifty of those businesses, whose computer systems were illegally accessed by hackers, settled rather than fight FTC’s accusations that they acted “deceptively” or “unfairly” under § 5 of the FTC Act. And yet,…
It’s Time for a Data Breach Warning Label
Adam Levin thinks it’s time for a warning label: Data security, identity-related consumer issues and privacy are all areas screaming for big-picture solutions. This is a situation in search of a paradigm shift—one that produces tools which enable consumers to make informed choices. There is a precedent that could serve as a template. Passed in…