Any collection of thoughts on security is worth reviewing. (My Ethical Hackers look for areas that are not addressed.)

AU: OAIC updates information security guide

Computerworld reports:

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has released an updated information security guide with tips on stopping rogue employees and advice on using cloud storage offerings.

The Guide to securing personal information replaces the older Guide to information security and is designed to help government agencies and private sector companies meet their obligations under the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

Read more on Computerworld (AU).

Does this surprise anyone?

http://www.securityweek.com/cisos-dark-state-security-readiness-cisco

CISOs in the Dark on State of Security Readiness: Cisco

The gulf between reality and perception is widening, according to Cisco’s annual survey of CISOs and security executives.

Nearly 75 percent of CISOs in the survey said the security tools they have in place were very, or extremely, effective, according to Cisco’s 2015 Annual Security Report, released Tuesday.

There is nothing to celebrate, however, as it’s not clear the CISOs have an idea of what they should have. It turned out less than 50 percent of respondents had standard security tools such as patch and configuration management, the survey found.

The full Cisco 2015 Annual Security Report can be downloaded online in PDF format.

(Related) This might be helpful.

http://www.securityweek.com/new-framework-calculating-cyber-risk-proposed-world-economic-forum

World Economic Forum Proposes New Cyber Risk Framework

With the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Switzerland just days away, the organization and its partners have released a new framework designed to help businesses calculate the impact of cyber-threats.

The framework, called "cyber value-at-risk", was proposed in a new report entitled 'Partnering for Cyber Resilience: Towards the Quantification of Cyber Threats' and was created in collaboration with Deloitte. The idea behind the framework is to help organizations answer questions about their susceptibility to cyber attacks, how valuable their key assets are and who might be after them.

… The challenge cybersecurity poses is also mentioned in the World Economic Forum's 10th annual Global Risks report, which notes that the Internet of Things will bring not only its share of innovations to the business world, but new risks as well.

(Related) Another report for Davros. Leave it to Microsoft to publish their report in PowerPoint.

http://www.bespacific.com/second-annual-report-personal-technology-changing-lives/

Second Annual Report on How Personal Technology is Changing our Lives

“Microsoft’s second annual survey of Internet users around the world, released here in advance of the World Economic Forum that is taking place this week in Davos, Switzerland, shows that fifteen years into the 21^st century, Internet users still think overwhelmingly that personal technology is making the world better and more vital. Large majorities of the online populations in all five developed countries we surveyed (France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and the United States) and all seven developing countries we surveyed (Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, South Africa and Turkey) say that technology has vastly improved how they shop, work, learn, and generally get stuff done.

… If there is one persistent concern about personal technology that nearly everybody expresses, it is privacy. In eleven of the twelve countries surveyed, with India the only exception, respondents say that technology’s effect on privacy was mostly negative.”

This argument isn't new. Yes, this is a “search.” I can see the police using it to locate hostages or “bad guys” before entry. (Warrant or exigent circumstances) My concern is using it everywhere, on a fishing expedition for crimes.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/01/19/police-radar-see-through-walls/22007615/

New police radars can 'see' inside homes

At least 50 U.S. law enforcement agencies have secretly [Does that mean they didn't send out a press release? Bob] equipped their officers with radar devices that allow them to effectively peer through the walls of houses to see whether anyone is inside, a practice raising new concerns about the extent of government surveillance.

Those agencies, including the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service, began deploying the radar systems more than two years ago with little notice to the courts and no public disclosure of when or how they would be used. The technology raises legal and privacy issues because the U.S. Supreme Court has said officers generally cannot use high-tech sensors to tell them about the inside of a person's house without first obtaining a search warrant.

… Agents' use of the radars was largely unknown until December, when a federal appeals court in Denver said officers had used one before they entered a house to arrest a man wanted for violating his parole. The judges expressed alarm that agents had used the new technology without a search warrant, warning that "the government's warrantless use of such a powerful tool to search inside homes poses grave Fourth Amendment questions."

… Other radar devices have far more advanced capabilities, including three-dimensional displays of where people are located inside a building, according to marketing materials from their manufacturers. One is capable of being mounted on a drone. And the Justice Department has funded research to develop systems that can map the interiors of buildings and locate the people within them.

Has anyone looked for evidence of misuse?

New privacy concerns over HealthCare.gov website

AP reports:

A little-known side to the government’s health insurance website is prompting renewed concerns about privacy, just as the White House is calling for stronger cybersecurity protections for consumers.

It works like this: When you apply for coverage on HealthCare.gov, dozens of data companies may be able to tell that you are on the site. Some can even glean details such as your age, income, ZIP code, whether you smoke or if you are pregnant.

Read more on ItemLive.com.

Although there’s no evidence of misuse of data included in the report, the potential for misuse is the concern.

How low will oil go? How much does shipping add?

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/19/us-iran-oil-idUSKBN0KS1A120150119

Iran sees no OPEC shift toward a cut, says oil industry could withstand $25 crude

(Reuters) - Iran sees no sign of a shift within OPEC toward action to support oil prices, its oil minister said, adding its oil industry could ride out a further price slump to $25 a barrel.

… "Iran has no plan (to hold an emergency OPEC meeting) and is currently in consultations with other OPEC member states in a bid to prevent the sharp fall in the oil price, but these consultations have yet to bear fruit," he said.

(Related) Fighting here could shut off natural gas pipelines to Europe.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30891241

Ukraine conflict: Security in east deteriorating, say observers

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) told the BBC that fighting around Donetsk airport was spreading further into the city.

… Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian rebels both say they control the airport.

… Russia said Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had not responded to a letter from President Vladimir Putin with a proposal for both sides to pull back their heavy weapons.

"It's the biggest, even strategic mistake of the Ukrainian authorities to bank on a military solution to the crisis," Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying.

What is social media worth?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11356829/Facebook-worth-227bn-to-global-economy-in-2014.html

Facebook 'worth $227bn to global economy in 2014'

Facebook was worth $227bn (£150bn) to the global economy in 2014, and supported 4.5m jobs worldwide, according to a new report by professional services firm Deloitte, commissioned by Facebook.

… The report, entitled Facebook’s Global Economic Impact, reveals that the social network, which has 1.35bn users and an $8bn cost base, stimulates economic impact by providing tools for marketers, a platform for app developers and demand for connectivity.

For my Data Management and Business Intelligence students. (The true believers anyway)

http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/tech/2015/01/17/air-force-ufo-files/21812539/

Air Force UFO files hit the web

The fabled Project Blue Book, the Air Force's files on UFO sightings and investigations, have tantalized and frustrated extraterrestrial enthusiasts for decades. But this week, nearly 130,000 pages [Not really “Big” Big Data, but it could be amusing. Bob] of declassified UFO records — a trove that would make Agent Fox Mulder's mouth water — hit the web.

UFO enthusiast John Greenewald has spent nearly two decades filing Freedom of Information Act requests for the government's files on UFOs and other phenomena. On Jan. 12, Greenewald posted the Blue Book files — as well as files on Blue Book's 1940s-era predecessors, Project Sign and Project Grudge — on his online database, The Black Vault.

(Related)

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ufos/

Newly released UFO files from the UK government

For our introductory classes.

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/internet-minute-look-like-2014-compared-2013/

What Does An Internet Minute Look Like in 2014 Compared To 2013?

So what happens in one minute on the Internet? How has that changed from 2013 to 2014? The infographic below breaks it down.

Via TechSpartan OR http://cdn.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/tech-spartan-60-seconds.png?79af87

In case of emergency?

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-sites-apps-listen-police-scanners/

5 Sites & Apps To Listen To Police Scanners