Friday, December 05, 2014

Whoever these hackers were, they clearly owned Sony. This may be the very best “Bad Example” I've ever had for my Computer Security class!
Oi veh.
Kevin Roose reports:
Along with the files smuggled out of Sony Pictures this week, we also discovered a cache of documents apparently relating to internal personnel matters at Deloitte. This appears to be an accident of circumstance. The files appear to come from a single target’s computer. While this person appears to be currently employed in human resources at Sony Pictures, the employee had previously worked at Deloitte, and had saved some files. These were exfiltrated with the other documents by the alleged hackers, who call themselves Guardians of Peace.
Included among the Deloitte files is a spreadsheet that appears to contain the 2005 salary information for 31,124 U.S. Deloitte employees. The same spreadsheet also contains race and gender data for each worker, although unlike the Sony Pictures files, names are not attached to the salary information. If the spreadsheet is accurate, the data provides a rare look inside a high-profile firm’s salary structure.
Read more on Fusion. Deloitte has not confirmed the veracity of the data.


I wonder if Sony is insured?
Study Shows Costs of Cyber Incidents From Insurer's Perspective
Cyber risk assessment and data breach services company NetDiligence published a new study on Monday focusing on the costs incurred by insurance underwriters due to cyber incidents.
The average claim payout was $733,109.
The financial services and the healthcare industries were the most affected, accounting for a total of 44% of the claims. However, these sectors accounted for only 4% of the total number of records exposed. The report puts the entertainment sector (52% of exposed records) and the technology sector (39% of exposed records) at the top of the chart.
The average claim payout in the healthcare sector was $1.3 million. In the case of the entertainment ($1.4 million), media ($1.1 million), retail ($1.1 million) and technology ($700,000) sectors, high payouts were the result of major cyberattacks, NetDiligence said.
The complete Cyber Claims Study (PDF) from NetDiligence is available online.


If this is how “policy makers” see the Internet of Things, I think we need to chat. It reads like some of their “Principles” were developed by Al Gore. (Did he invent the Internet of Things too?)
10 Policy Principles for Unlocking the Potential of the Internet of Things
“The Internet of Things” encapsulates the idea that ordinary objects will be embedded with sensors and connected to the Internet. To date, most discussion of the Internet of Things has highlighted the technology; to the extent it has addressed policy, the focus has been largely negative (i.e. how to limit the supposed risks from deployment). In contrast, this report highlights principles that policymakers in all nations need to apply in order to maximize the considerable promise of the Internet of Things for economic growth and social well-being. Of two conflicting approaches to the Internet of Things, neither: the “impose precautionary regulations” nor the counter “leave it completely up to the market” will allow societies to gain the full benefits from the Internet of Things revolution. This report presents ten principles to help policymakers establish policies and programs to support and accelerate the deployment and adoption of the Internet of Things.”


A useful summary?
Seen It All Before: 10 Predictions About Police Body Cameras


Worth reading! For all my students. For most, what we know is what we learned first. Most software, especially Microsoft software, has many ways to accomplish the same thing. It's worth looking at lists like this to discover new and easier ways to do what you already know how to do.
10 Simple Windows Tricks You’re Missing Out On


Too cool for school! I'm gonna grab a few of these!
Autodesk's Design Software is Now Free for Students and Teachers
Autodesk has offered a number of their mobile apps for free for a while. This week they made all of their software available for free to students and teachers. All of Autodesk's free design software can be found here.
If you're wondering what you can do with Autodesk's software in your classroom, check out Autodesk's Digital Steam Workshop. Autodesk's Digital STEAM Workshop is your one-stop shop for design projects ideas. Explore the projects section of the Autodesk Digital STEAM Workshop to explore the possibilities for using Autodesk's design programs in your classroom. You can explore the possibilities by selecting a design tool, a subject, a skill level, and the length of time you have to dedicate to a classroom project. When you select a project you will be taken to a page containing the steps you and your students need to take in order to complete your chosen project.
Autodesk offers a self-guided ecourse to help teachers get a better sense of how Autodesk's software can be used in math, science, and engineering lessons. The course is divided into three sections; Getting creative with Digital STEAM, Defining your student design challenge, and Enhancing teacher software skills.


For a list of the best blogs about education and teaching tools, check out the nominees for awards. I read a few of these every day. (See the article above.)

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