Is blockchain compatible with privacy?
Coming up on the tenth anniversary of Satoshi Nakamoto’s paper, do we really need yet another take on Bitcoin? Well, I think so. Today, I am going to focus on an aspect of this technology that needs more discussion — privacy. The bedrock of blockchain — that every transaction is added into the history and…
You should prepare for the next mega data breach
As of September 2018, it’s been one year since the historical Equifax mega data breach that impacted nearly half of all consumers in the U.S. Since this monumental invasion of personal data, fraudsters have shown little to no notion of slowing down as evident by the continued emergence of additional data breaches. In fact, within…
U.S. Unveils First Step Toward New Online Privacy Rules
The Commerce Department said the announcement is part of an effort to “modernize US data privacy policy for the 21st century.” The move follows the implementation this year of ramped up data protection rules imposed by the European Union, and a new privacy law enacted in California. Both measures will impact internet firms whose websites…
Millions of Twitter Users Affected by Information Exposure Flaw
According to Twitter, the issue is related to the Account Activity API (AAAPI), which allows developers registered on the social network’s developer program to build tools designed to better support businesses and their customer communications on the platform. Users who between May 2017 and September 10, 2018, interacted with an account or business on Twitter…
Data privacy automation: Unlock your most valuable asset
In years past, data privacy was the purview of the chief privacy officer. However, increasingly, CTOs are being tasked with operationalizing a data privacy solution for the company. That’s because data privacy is fundamentally a data issue, with privacy being an outcome of a comprehensive data protection strategy. In a world of exploding data, it’s…
Facebook Pulls Security App From Apple Store Over Privacy
The twin developments come as Facebook is under intense scrutiny over privacy following the Cambridge Analytica scandal earlier this year. Allegations that the political consultancy used personal information harvested from 87 million Facebook accounts have dented Facebook’s reputation. Since the scandal broke, Facebook has investigated thousands of apps and suspended more than 400 of them…
Get serious about consumer data protection
The idea that organizations should be doing more to protect the personal data they hold about individuals has been gaining ground in recent years. The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) sparked a scramble to operationalize data management and security. If you thought that it was a one-off, then the incoming California Consumer Privacy…
Apple releases security updates, adds new privacy protection for iOS users
Apple has released new versions of its many operating systems and software products, with fixes for a wide variety of vulnerabilities. The iOS update also comes with USB Restricted Mode, a new security feature that will protect users’ iPhones and iPads from being accessed by law enforcement with software cracking tools like GrayKey. iOS USB…
New insider attack steals passwords by reading thermal energy from keyboards
After entering a password, your regular computer keyboard might appear to look the same as always, but a new approach harvesting thermal energy can illuminate the recently pressed keys, revealing that keyboard-based password entry is even less secure than previously thought. Computer Science Ph.D. students Tyler Kaczmarek and Ercan Ozturk from UC Irvine’s Donald Bren…
Facebook Responding to US Regulators in Data Breach Probe
Facebook acknowledged Tuesday it was facing multiple inquiries from US and British regulators about the major Cambridge Analytica user data scandal. The leading social network offered no details but its admission confirmed reports of a widening investigation into the misuse of private data by Facebook and its partners. “We are cooperating with officials in the…