Monthly Archives: February 2011

Security Awareness and Climate Change – Scaring People is Not the Right Approach

Far too many security awareness training programs start with a series of horror stories about hackers and identity theft, lost money and damaged reputations, privacy breaches and deleted computer files. Before long, the average student starts to tune out – … Continue reading

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Sometimes Hackers Use Hardware

Hackers don’t always try to break into computer systems through the Internet, or by using malicious software (malware) in email attachments. If they can gain physical access to computers, there’s often a simpler way. Several public libraries in the UK … Continue reading

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Stealing Passwords from a Locked iPhone – More Smart Phone Insecurity

Another reminder – as if we needed it – that smart phones and mobile devices are increasingly the targets for hackers. This time, it’s an iPhone issue. German researchers claim to be able to steal passwords stored on a locked … Continue reading

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Medical Identity Theft – Advice from the FTC

The FTC has posted a useful guide to “medical identity theft” for health care providers and insurers. Medical identity theft occurs when someone obtains health care services e.g. treatment, prescription drugs … using the identity of someone else, or when … Continue reading

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HIPAA Happens – A Video from UNLV

Looking for a video to show your staff some of the ways that they might breach the HIPAA Privacy and/or Security rules? Here’s a short (5 minute) YouTube video from UNLV called HIPAA Happens that illustrates some possible scenarios. Send … Continue reading

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Security Benefits of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is filled with buzzwords and, for many people, fear of the unknown. And a lot has been made of the security risks that might result from cloud computing. However, for many organizations (especially small businesses and non-profits), judicious … Continue reading

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Privacy and Security Rules Cover Information – Not Technology

With few exceptions, rules relating to privacy and security such as HIPAA and GLBA (Gramm Leach Bliley) cover the information, and don’t specifically relate to any particular technologies. So, they apply whether you’re using your PC, a fax machine, a … Continue reading

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Even If You Expect An Email Attachment, It’s Not Always Safe

The FBI recently issued a warning about malware included in email attachments responding to online job postings. They quote the case of a US business that lost more than $150,000 after an employee opened an attachment that had been sent … Continue reading

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