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Privacy Tip #44 – The flashlight app’s collection of your data

When you start needing longer arms to read restaurant menus in the candlelight, you might consider downloading a flashlight app to use with your reading glasses. But before you download it, first be aware that your...more

Oregon Health & Science University pays $2.7M penalty for data breaches

Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) has agreed to settle alleged HIPAA violations involving two separate data breaches with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) for $2.7 million. In the span of three months in 2013,...more

Privacy Tip #43 – Pokémon players: Beware

Pokémon GO has been downloaded 7.5 million times in the U.S. alone. It has been reported that it has surpassed Twitter. If you are enjoying the game, you should know how it is collecting and using your information....more

Hackers using cyber weapons to attack IT systems

A depressing new report by security firm LightCyber opines that hackers are using cyber weapons to evade detection when deploying attacks to IT systems rather than malware. In fact, the report says that cybercriminals are...more

Omni Hotels latest hotel chain hit with malware

Omni Hotels notified guests on Friday, July 8, 2016, that its point of sale systems were compromised with malware from December 23, 2015, through June 15, 2016....more

Physical security still an issue: Pruitt Health suffers breach in break-in

The importance of physical security and the risk associated with the unauthorized access to or loss of paper records is clear from recent experiences of Pruitt Health in South Carolina. On March 2, 2016, an intruder...more

Privacy Tip #42 – Android users beware of new malware HummingBad

Software maker Check Point has detected and reported that a new malware, dubbed HummingBad, discovered in February, may have infected at least 10 million Android devices around the world. Check Point has released an...more

Gartner identifies future cyber security technologies to fight cyber crime

A recent Gartner report has identified what it believes to be the Top 10 Cyber Security Technologies for the future to assist businesses with combating cyber crime....more

OCR levies first fine ever directly against business associate

Our predictions that the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) will become more aggressive with audits, investigations, and fines against HIPAA business associates has come true. On June 24, 2016, the OCR announced that it has...more

Banks embracing biometric technology

Passwords are a pain to keep track of and it is well known that consumers use the same password for multiple platforms because none of us can remember multiple complex passwords. When a hacker obtains one password, they can...more

Massachusetts General Hospital vendor Patterson Dental Supply reports breach of 4,300 patient records

Patterson Dental Supply, Massachusetts General Hospital’s (MGH) vendor that provides software to the hospital to manage dental practice information, has reportedly admitted that approximately 4,300 of MGH’s patient records...more

FTC warns telemarketers about prohibition of certain payment methods

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued an alert this week reminding businesses that the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) amendments that went into effect in November of 2015, prohibit telemarketers from using three types of...more

IRS shuts down electronic filing PIN program

Last week, the IRS announced that the electronic filing personal identification number tool (e-file PIN), used by taxpayers to verify their signature on their tax filings, “is no longer available.”...more

Privacy Tip #41 – Tape over your laptop camera and microphone

When I train clients’ employees on data privacy and security, I always mention the microphone on smartphones. They are powerful and if you allow apps access to your microphone, they can listen to every one of your...more

Facial Recognition Guidelines issued by NTIA and approved by IBIA

On June 15, 2016, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) issued its facial recognition best practices, which were developed by a multi-stakeholder group convened by...more

North Carolina Cyberbullying statute struck down as unconstitutional

On February 9, 2012, Robert Bishop was arrested and charged with one count of cyberbullying under the North Carolina Cyberbullying statute, which states that it is “unlawful for any person to use a computer or computer...more

International Maritime Bureau warns of cyber attacks

Following the issuance of Plymouth University Maritime Cyber Threats Research Group study on the risk of cyber threats, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) recently issued a warning to shipping and maritime companies to...more

World Energy Council warns utility industry of advanced malware

The World Energy Council recently warned the utility industry that one of the top threats to the energy sector is advanced malware attacks. The warning noted that the utility sector is vulnerable because of the size of the...more

Illinois data breach law amended and includes new twists

Governor Bruce Rauner signed several new provisions into law amending Illinois’ Personal Information Privacy Act, including health insurance and medical information into the definition of personal information that triggers...more

Privacy Tip #40 – Dashcam apps and driving habits

Huh? What is a dashcam app? A dashcam app uses a smartphones on the dashboard of a car to record traffic accidents, cars running red lights and bad drivers causing accidents. Dashcams can detect hard braking and can...more

First home cyber protection insurance offered by Hartford Steam Boiler

The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company has announced that it is offering “the first personal lines cyber insurance program for consumers, protecting against computer attacks, cyber extortion, online fraud...more

Connecticut governor signs student privacy act into law

On June 9, 2016, Governor Dannel Malloy, who continues to show his commitment to data privacy, signed An Act Concerning Student Data Privacy into law, effective October 1, 2016. The law requires any local or regional...more

Raytheon/Ponemon survey confirms companies wait until an event to hire a data security vendor

The results of a Raytheon commissioned Ponemon study released on June 7, 2016 shows that at least two-thirds of businesses wait until they have experienced a cyber-attack or data breach to hire and retain security vendors to...more

Recreational model aircraft hobbyist files appeal against FAA for drone registration

We previously reported that model aircraft hobbyist John Taylor filed suit against the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) challenging the requirement to register with the FAA in order to fly his model aircraft near his...more

Privacy Tip #39 – Be Wary of IRS Phone Scams

Although the IRS has warned taxpayers on multiple occasions about IRS phone scams, consumers continue to be victims. A lucrative scam for years, which according to the IRS, has cost victims more than $26 million since 2013,...more

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