Monday, July 07, 2014

Something to cheer my Computer Security students. (Think JOBS!)
Hackers Are Costing Companies Millions — And It's Going To Get Worse
The world’s leading insurance market has reported a sharp increase in companies seeking insurance cover from hackers stealing customer data and cyber terrorists shutting down websites to demand a ransom.
Geoff White, underwriting manager for cyber, technology and media at Lloyd’s syndicate Barbican, said the market for cyber insurance had “increased dramatically”, with gross written premiums rising sharply every year since 2009.
In 2012, gross written premiums totalled an estimated $850m (£500m), increasing to $1.3bn last year, and are expected to be well above $2bn in 2014, he added.
... Despite the rise in insurance cover, however, many UK companies are still exposed, with nine out of 10 UK small companies suffering from a data breach, according to the Government’s 2013 Information Security Breaches Survey Report.
“A lot of companies don’t feel the cyber threat is relevant to them, they still think this is a problem for big business. However, if you use email or have a smartphone or a computer then there is a risk,” Mr White added.
Perversely, it is improved technology that is the biggest risk to business, according to Prof Peter Sommer, a cyber security expert.
“Most of the people in an organisation feel they don’t want to get left behind, but all too often they don’t think through the security implications. If you look in particular at cloud computing, some of the contracts that people are signing seem to leave businesses extremely exposed.”
… Prof Sommer is concerned the insurance market may be unable to cope with claims. “When it comes to cyber there are lots of risks and they keep changing, and you have a general absence of actuarial material. The question for the underwriter is how on earth do I cover this?” he said.


Does the TSA believe that if it turns on, it's no threat?
Electronics to be scrutinized under new TSA security measures
Power it up, or leave it behind.
The Transportation Security Administration said Sunday that officers may ask passengers en route to the United States from overseas to turn on their electronic devices to prove they work and aren't explosive devices.
They won't allow devices without power on board planes. The traveler may then undergo additional screening.


Thought so...How do you protect data you can't find?
The State of Data Centric Security
by Sabrina I. Pacifici on Jul 6, 2014
News release: ‘Informatica Corporation, the world’s number one independent provider of data integration software, today announced the availability of a new research report by the Ponemon Institute LLC, entitled, The State of Data Centric Security. Based on a global survey of more than 1,500 IT and IT security professionals, the study reveals how organizations understand and respond to data security threats in today’s information-everywhere world. According to the study:
  • Not knowing the location of sensitive or private data is the foremost concern of today’s IT security practitioners, topping hacker attacks, malicious employees and concerns around compliance.
  • Organizations are in the dark regarding sensitive data, with only 16 percent knowing where all their sensitive structured data resides, and a miniscule seven percent knowing the location of all sensitive unstructured data, including data in emails and documents.
  • Automated sensitive data-discovery tools would reduce risk and increase security effectiveness. The vast majority of respondents (nearly 75 percent) believe their security activities would benefit from an automated solution for discovering the locations and relationships of sensitive and private data. However, only 40 percent of organizations use an automated solution, and only 22 percent of those use it to discover sensitive data in emails and files.”


For all my students, because “There Will Be Tests!”
New app to let you test stress on your smartphone
Essentially, users will collect their saliva with a small external device, allow the saliva to travel onto an assay strip, and then take a flash photo of the strip with their phones. The app will then measure the amount of cortisol, a stress hormone, in the saliva.


Grab music from videos? Copyright problems?
– listening to music on YouTube is all well and good, but what if you want to listen to that music offline? That’s why you need Peggo. Simply insert the YouTube link into the field provided then click the button to begin downloading. You can see a preview of the video, so it will be easy to record the part you want.

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