FTC Archives - Cyber Security Minute

Making Cyber Insurance Available for Small Biz, Contractors

Issued by: Dark Reading

The soaring costs of recovering from a security incident or data breach is driving interest in cyber insurance. While cyber insurance is typically viewed as a product mainly for large organizations seeking coverage and protection against state-sponsored attackers, criminals, and politically motivated hackers, it is also valuable to small and midsized companies and independent contractors….

Network Security

The FTC Pushes Boundaries With Proposed Health Rule Change

Issued by: DataBreach Today

Proposed changes unveiled this week by the Federal Trade Commission to its health breach rule have many advocates agreeing that personal health data needs stronger protections even as some question whether the agency has the legal authority to enact its proposal. Commissioners voted unanimously Thursday for a rule-making codifying an earlier policy change made in…

Application Security

Twitter Fined $150M for Security Data Misuse

Issued by: Dark Reading

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a $150 million fine against Twitter for misrepresenting its security and privacy practices. The FTC, in cooperation with the Department of Justice (DoJ), says that Twitter has been using the email addresses and phone numbers it collects from users to enable two-factor authentication to serve targeted advertising. In…

Application Security

Breach reporting required for health apps and devices, FTC says

Issued by: CSO

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) commissioners, in a split-vote (3-2), issued a policy statement on September 15, requiring both health applications and connected devices to comply with the “Health Breach Notification Rule (August 2009).” The commissioners recognized how the applications and devices did not fall within the scope of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability…

Application Security

FTC orders Zoom to enhance security practices

Issued by: Help Net Security

Zoom Video Communications, the maker of the popular Zoom video conferencing solution, has agreed to settle allegations made by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that it “engaged in a series of deceptive and unfair practices that undermined the security of its users.” The settlement requires Zoom to – among other things – establish and…

Network Security

Report: Facebook’s Privacy Lapses May Result in Record Fine

Issued by: Security Week

The FTC is considering hitting Facebook with a penalty that would top its previous record fine of $22.5 million , which it dealt to Google in 2012 for bypassing the privacy controls in Apple’s Safari browser, according to The Washington Post. The story published Friday cited three unidentified people familiar with the discussions. In an…

Network Security

FTC Seeks Tools for Securing Home IoT Devices

Issued by: Security Week

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced on Wednesday the launch of a contest that aims to find solutions for securing the Internet of Things (IoT) devices deployed in consumers’ homes. The IoT Home Inspector Challenge seeks a technical solution for addressing vulnerabilities in IoT devices. The FTC said the tool can be a physical…

Vulnerabilities

Privacy groups complain to FTC over Google’s ‘deceptive’ policy change

Issued by: CIO Security

Privacy groups have complained to the Federal Trade Commission that Google is encroaching on user privacy through a policy change in June that allows it to combine personally-identifiable information with browsing data collected by its DoubleClick digital advertising service. The complaint by Consumer Watchdog and Privacy Rights Clearing House alleged that Google has created “super-profiles”…