Migrating Security to the Cloud: A Model for Total Cost of Ownership

Sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same. Businesses are migrating from traditional on-premises maintenance of their hardware and software to software-as-a-service (SaaS) and cloud at record levels. But any evaluation of such a move must include more than just the obvious costs of hardware and software. When migrating security to the…

HIPAA Settlements of 2016: Lessons Learned

Over the course of 2016, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) reached many resolution agreements with a number of covered entities and business associates for violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). These HIPAA settlements are mutually agreed-upon resolutions between HHS and the offending…

Chip-and-PIN Credit Cards, One Year On

The U.S. was not an early adopter of chip-and-PIN credit cards, lagging behind major European countries and others. But more than a year after the official mandatory shift to this technology, the transition has reshaped most credit card transactions. As a result, the rate of credit card fraud is down sharply.

InterContinental Hotels Investigating Possible Card Breach

British multinational hotel company InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has launched an investigation after being informed of a possible payment card breach at some of its properties in the United States. Investigative journalist Brian Krebs learned from his sources in the financial industry that a pattern of fraud had been observed on credit and debit cards…

What to do if your data is taken hostage

Getting duped online by a cybercriminal is infuriating. You let your guard down for a minute and the thieves find their way in to your machine. And then the “fun” begins if ransomware is involved. Hopefully you have your data backed up, but if not now starts the dance with those who have ultimately taken…

Avoiding the Technology Upgrade? Don’t Dodge Security

Consumers love new technology. New iterations of iPhones or brand-specific Androids are embraced by devotees looking to analyze the latest features, dissect any potential flaws and conduct entirely biased comparisons to determine which device is best. Beyond the high-profile advertising that accompanies emerging tech, however, is the underlying software update that typically addresses issues such…

How to make sure your data doesn’t crash and burn

The dangers of public Wi-Fi are already well known, but the security issues of in-flight Internet connection are still somewhat obscure. Typically there’s no password protection on the Wi-Fi connection, so persons with malicious intent can intercept data that’s being transmitted on the wireless network quite easily. Airplanes are unique hacking grounds more dangerous than…