Cybersecurity News in Review — January 2018
Cybersecurity stories and insights for the first week of January 2018
China Is Putting Facial Recognition Tech On Millions Of Public Cameras
Comment: Security enhancing or privacy invasive, you decide. 170 million cameras with facial recognition capabilities. …and that is just the beginning, with 400m more by 2020. I bet passion runs high with opinions. In reality, this is a tool. The determination of good/evil is really in how the capability is used or abused. This will be an interesting test case of public sentiment and could set a new definition of socially accepted norms.
The FBI Is Disrupting 10X Fewer Cyber Crime Rings Than In 2015
News Link: http://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2018/01/fbi-disrupting-10x-fewer-cyber-crime-rings-2015/145082/
Comment: So often we talk about the cyber attacks that occur, but rarely do we consider those attacks where were avoided. Ironically, this aspect of preventing loss, is the greatest value cybersecurity programs can deliver. I am a big fan of bug bounties, penetration testing, and threat-agent behavior modeling as I believe leveraging the best resources to predict and prevent attacks returns the optimal value for security investments.
Startups Helping the FBI Catch Bitcoin Criminals
Comment: Tech is a tool. It is easy to vilify or praise, but it comes down to how it is used. Cryptocurrency, like Bitcoin, introduced the world to blockchain. Among legitimate uses, criminals also flocked to using the new tech, for its anonymity. Not really knowing that came with transaction tractability, because all transactions on a public blockchain are visible to everyone, forever. Now we see techniques employed to use that very tool to track down and prosecute criminals. Tech is always double-edged. I foresee these services to gain in demand, from law enforcement, government regulators to track taxes, and financial services to verify funds aren’t ‘dirty’.
THE DATA BREACHES THAT DID NOT HAPPEN IN 2017
News Link: https://www.hackerone.com/blog/Data-Breaches-Did-Not-Happen-2017
Comment: So often we talk about the cyber attacks that occur, but rarely do we consider those attacks where were avoided. Ironically, this aspect of preventing loss, is the greatest value cybersecurity programs can deliver. I am a big fan of bug bounties, penetration testing, and threat-agent behavior modeling as I believe leveraging the best resources to predict and prevent attacks returns the optimal value for security investments.
Toymaker VTech Settles FTC Privacy Lawsuit For $650,000
News Link: https://www.databreachtoday.com/toymaker-vtech-settles-ftc-privacy-lawsuit-for-650000-a-10565
Comment: So often we talk about the cyber attacks that occur, but rarely do we consider those attacks where were avoided. Ironically, this aspect of preventing loss, is the greatest value cybersecurity programs can deliver. I am a big fan of bug bounties, penetration testing, and threat-agent behavior modeling as I believe leveraging the best resources to predict and prevent attacks returns the optimal value for security investments.
Cybersecurity Hiring Crisis Fueled by Lackluster Salaries
News Link: https://huntscanlon.com/cybersecurity-hiring-crisis-fueled-lackluster-salaries/
Comment: Great insights regarding noncompetitive salaries being offered for high-demand cybersecurity positions. Simply put, if organizations aren’t willing to pay competitive wages, they will continue to struggle in hiring pivotal talent to mitigate cybersecurity risks.
Image Sources:
https://huntscanlon.com/cybersecurity-hiring-crisis-fueled-lackluster-salaries/ https://www.hackerone.com/blog/Data-Breaches-Did-Not-Happen-2017 https://www.databreachtoday.com/toymaker-vtech-settles-ftc-privacy-lawsuit-for-650000-a-10565https://www.abc2news.com/newsy/china-is-putting-facial-recognition-tech-on-millions-of-public-camerashttp://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2018/01/fbi-disrupting-10x-fewer-cyber-crime-rings-2015/145082/https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fbianalyst.jpghttps://www.inc.com/will-yakowicz/startups-law-enforcement-agencies-catch-criminals-who-use-cryptocurrency.html
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