Visa risk chief calls for increased use of smart cards, password tokens
April 28, 2011
The data breach of Sony’s PlayStation Network notwithstanding, the frequency of major data breaches of companies that store massive of amounts of consumer data has been on a downward trend over the past couple of years.
Security experts say that’s largely due to stronger enforcement of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), a worldwide standard for secure data handling practices governing all organizations that conduct …More
Apple’s complex denial of iPhone location tracking doesn’t get it off the hook
April 27, 2011
Apple finally broke silence today about the controversial location tracking systems built into iPhones and iPads.
The company issued a complex denial, backed by a rare interview with CEO Steve Jobs, granted to the Wall Street Journal.
So what were Apple’s lawyers and marketing executives doing for the past seven days? Apparently they were locked away concocting a nuanced definition of location tracking, crafted to put the company …More
Silence about iPhone, Android location tracking demonstrates arrogance
April 25, 2011
Google and Apple are taking the Tiger Woods approach to crisis communications.
The tech giants continue to say very little about a roiling controversy over recent disclosures that iPhones and Android smartphones keep precise track of each user’s whereabouts every day.
“It’s arrogance demonstrated with a very loud megaphone,” says Michael Robinson, senior vice president of Levick Strategic Communications. “They’re saying, ‘Who are you to question us?’”
Apple has declined …More
Google’s Android location tracking more invasive than iPhone’s tracker
April 25, 2011
Do you completely trust Apple and Google to use location-tracking data they continually collect strictly in desirable ways?
If not, are you willing to disable GPS and Wireless on your iPhone or Android phone?
At the moment, those are two central questions spinning out of the revelations last week that Apple iPhones and Google Android phones keep precise track of each user’s whereabouts every day.
Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., and Rep. …More
Apple asked to disclose intent of iPad, iPhone location logging feature
April 21, 2011
If you are using an Apple iPad or iPhone purchased within the past 12 months, and you care about your personal privacy and security, you should keep a close eye on this.
Two researchers, Alasdair Allan and Pete Warden, earlier this week revealed their discovery of the location logging feature, which is integrated into iPads and iPhones that use i0S 3.2, which Apple rolled out in April …More
Cybercriminals still enjoy bragging about their escapades
April 13, 2011
Details about whether the initial hacks of permission e-mail marketers Epsilon and Silverpop were achieved via a successful spear phishing attack, followed by a classic persistent intrusion caper, may take a while to figure out. But even if investigators do solve those puzzles, it’s unlikely details will be publicly disclosed.
Breached enterprises generally do not discuss the results of forensic investigations. But there is another way …More
Why data thieves covet permission-marketing e-mail addresses
April 12, 2011
Data thieves have begun taking systematic aim at caches of e-mail addresses stored in support of permission-driven e-mail marketing campaigns, a cornerstone of online commerce.
The recent theft of potentially tens of millions of consumer e-mail addresses from online marketing firm Epsilon followed a spate of similar hacks last December, LastWatchdog research shows.
Last week, Dallas-based Epsilon disclosed that hackers stole an undisclosed number of e-mail addresses connected to …More
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