12:41 pm | November 15, 2008
Paperless transactions are becoming more popular and an American airline is getting on board with that trend. American Airlines is the third U.S. carrier to begin using mobile phones instead of paper boarding passes. It sounds like a good move if they have the security precautions in place to keep hackers at bay. The move is supposed to help airlines cut costs. Allheadlinenews has the full story.
“Travelers with confirmed flights on board American Airlines will receive their bar codes on their mobile phones, which they will show to security checkpoints at the Chicago gateway. In addition to having a cellphone, passengers who will use this feature must have an active email address and an Internet-enabled mobile device where their boarding pass and 2-D barcode will be sent. The system also works on Blackberries.”
9:02 pm | November 14, 2008
The University of Florida admits they suffered a data breach relating to patient information. According to Network World, the unknown hacker gained access a server where thousands of patient records were stored.
“UF, one of the nation’s largest universities, said the data breach involved records of about 330,000 current or former dental patients who have all been notified about the incident. Personal information on the compromised server included names, addresses, birth dates, Social Security numbers, and in some cases, dental procedure care information for patients dating to 1990.”
8:55 pm | November 14, 2008
A huge pharmacy benefits manager in the United States is using a little green incentive to entice the public for help. The Tech Chronicles says $1 million is up for grabs for information about a recent prescription security breach.
“Express Scripts a pharmacy benefits manager that does business in all 50 states, is offering $1 million reward for information leading to a data breach last month that compromised personal and in some cases medical information on at least 75 people, the company said Tuesday.”
8:48 pm | November 14, 2008
Nothing is safe anymore. According to Geek.com, Nigerian fraudsters (you know those guys who write you emails saying they’re a rich prince needing your help and will pay you millions for your aid) have been targeting the popular Facebook website. Only, they’re pretending to be your friends saying they lost their cell phone of something like that. So, don’t get lured in!
“Your best friend contacts you on Facebook to tell you they have lost their mobile phone and all of their money on an implausible spur-of-the-moment trip to Lagos. Can you help by advancing them a few hundred bucks until they get home?”
8:41 pm | November 14, 2008
According to MarketWatch, more than 50 percent of internet users still utilize risky behaviour online. The information is based on a corporate study. Perhaps people need to be a bit more aware of internet security needs.
”Palo Alto Networks today announced the results of a study by the Ponemon Institute examining behavioral aspects around corporate policy compliance with regards to Internet tools and applications.”
8:29 pm | November 14, 2008
According to a story by USA Today, internet thieves are targeting corporate information. One source in the story calls it a kind of high-tech dumpster diving. It’s amazing what thieves will do for a quick buck.
”The virus swiftly located — and infected — some 300 other workstation PCs, silently copying the contents of each computer’s MyDocuments folder. It transmitted the data across the Internet to a gang of thieves operating out of Turkey.”
8:14 pm | November 14, 2008
Since protecting your email is so important, I’d like to draw your attention to an article I found by Techrepublic. They have another check list of things you can do to keep your information safe. The more tips you have, the better.
“In February this year, I listed five basic email security tips that everyone should employ. The following is a list of five more good pieces of email security advice.”
7:58 pm | November 14, 2008
The Australian police are investigating a possible data breach of diplomatic documents. And, it’s possible the breach involved a USB stick at a hotel. Boston.com has the full story.
“Australian police said on Saturday they were investigating a reported security breach involving diplomatic documents at a hotel in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu.”
7:00 pm | November 13, 2008
Well, I wonder if one of the first acts by American President Elect Barack Obama will be to overhaul his internet when he gets into the White House. According to Security IT Portal Pro, the White House computer network has been hacked a few times. Chinese managed to hackers see emails between government officials.
“Shortly after it was revealed the computer networks of both US presidential candidates had been hacked by foreign entities, an even more damaging hacking event has emerged.”
6:20 pm | November 13, 2008
Apparently, researchers have found that Wi-Fi networks are vulnerable to attacks. In a story written by The Register, researchers say that communications could be compromised in less than 15 minutes. It’s something to think about.
“Martin Beck and Erik Tews - two graduate students at technical universities in Germany - found a combination of techniques that allow an attacker to decrypt limited communications protected with the lesser of two WPA security protocols, known as the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol or TKIP.”
