Data Security

CANCUN — It was a moment out of science fiction. All eyes were on Kaspersky Lab researcher Povel Torudd as he sat center stage here at the Kaspersky Security Analyst Summit late Monday, waiting to become a cyborg. Torudd volunteered to have a Near Field Communications (NFC) chip implanted in his hand by a professional body piercer using sterilized tools,...

The other day a reporter asked me who’s to blame for the growing epidemic of identity-related tax fraud. I almost replied, “the government and the bad guys,” but I caught myself before committing to that inaccuracy. “We’re all to blame,” I said. I believe that breaches, and the identity theft that flows from them, have become the third certainty in...

Anthem, the second-largest health insurer in the U.S., was hit by a major data breach last week. The news broke Feb. 4, and the company posted a letter online from the president and CEO, Joseph R. Swedish. Two sentences from this letter are displayed in a large, blue box on the side of anthemfacts.com, the page created for updates on...

The nation’s second-largest health insurer has suffered a cyberattack that might become the largest hacking headache ever for American consumers. Anthem Inc. announced Wednesday that computer criminals had infiltrated its systems and stolen a treasure trove of personal information. While the firm says no medical data or credit card information was targeted or stolen, hackers made off with names, birth...

A recent report in Science Magazine revealed the soft underbelly of what was once considered a well-armored use of “anonymized” consumer information. The study’s authors were able to successfully identify consumers based on several anonymized data sets—specifically, their credit card purchases. Using purchase metadata with no credit card numbers, names or any other simple identifiers, the report’s co-authors found they...

Fake debt collection scams are on the rise, and now rank among the top complaints scammed consumers file around the country, the National Consumers League says. The consumer advocacy organization issued a special warning about the scams, which generally involve a cold call from a would-be criminal trying to intimidate the recipient into paying for an alleged debt. Some are from...

“If we’re going to be connected, then we need to be protected,” President Obama proclaimed at the Federal Trade Commission on Monday. In wide-ranging remarks, the president expressed what should be a self-evident truth, but is not yet a reality in the new digital age: “As Americans, we shouldn’t have to forfeit our basic privacy when we go online...

During the holiday season a missed or stolen package can be aggravating, which is doubtless why you eagerly watched for deliveries all December, calling the nanosecond you suspected a problem. Unfortunately, many employers don’t send tracking numbers when the packet of vital documents marked “Important Tax Information Enclosed” hits the mail destined for your home address. We receive some of...

T’was the night after Christmas, when all through the house Every stripe of device with no need of a mouse Sent oodles of data to that Cloud in the Air While their owners slept soundly, with nary a care… When it comes to gifts from the Internet of Things department, there’s no jolly guy in a white-trimmed red suit with a bag full...

Angelina Jolie may have been all thorns when she ran into Sony’s Amy Pascal last week after the hacker group Guardians of Peace leaked the co-chair’s email rant about the “Maleficent” star, but while the gossip mill grinds and the spin doctors do their best to stop the bleeding at the company, the real lesson here revolves around a...