data_breaches
Lack of transparency surrounding data breaches not a good thing
March 4, 2009
In trying to secretly clean up after the series of data breaches of payment card processing companies, Visa and MasterCard are making ineffectual the data- loss disclosure laws on the books in more than 30 states. These hard-won laws were intended to put pressure on companies and organizations to be more accountable for sensitive consumer data they collect and store. In a recent Last Watchdog interview, John …More
Secrecy shrouds breach of possibly a third payment cards processor
March 3, 2009
Visa and MasterCard are being circumspect about a new round of warnings they’ve issued regarding stolen credit and debit card numbers circulating in the criminal world — data possibly stolen from another breach of a payment card processor. This follows major data thefts from Heartland Payment Sytems and RBS WorldPay, for which precious few details have officially been made public.
Visa has issued a statement waffling about what …More
States move to mandate encryption of sensitive personal data
March 2, 2009
First came data loss disclosure requirements and credit freeze laws. Now comes data encryption laws. In response to the continuing wave of data heists, Massachusettes and Nevada are leading the way in passing new state laws dictating what businesses must do to protect credit card transaction records and other personal data. These new laws go much further than the hard-won laws in more than 30 states requiring companies to …More
Cisco and Trend Micro offer router-level protection
February 18, 2009
Cisco Systems and Trend Micro have come up with a nifty way for home owners and small businesses to centrally deploy antivirus protection to a network of devices – just like a big corporation. The two companies announced a partnership to imbed Trend’s antivirus suite in two models of Linksys by Cisco Wireless-N routers.
The concept, called Home Network Defender, makes a lot of sense. It makes it a breeze for …More
Credit bureaus fight consumer-ordered freezes
June 27, 2007
USA TODAY
By Byron Acohido and Jon Swartz, USA TODAY
Find the original copy of this article here.
SEATTLE – Wearing his trademark bow tie, Eric Ellman goes to work every day prepared to explain why identity theft isn’t as big a threat as people think.
His logic has often found friendly ears in Washington, D.C., where Ellman, a lobbyist for the Consumer Data Industry Association (CDIA), champions the interests of the Big Three credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.
The CDIA has been …More