Sunday, October 16, 2016

Know thy enemy.
Meet Fancy Bear
   “Fancy Bear is Russia, or at least a branch of the Russian government, taking the gloves off,” said one official in the Department of Defense. “It’s unlike anything else we’ve seen, and so we are struggling with writing a new playbook to respond.”


When card readers in stores started to be secured, ATMs became the lowest hanging fruit. 
Cashing Out: ATMs Try to Stop Wave of Cyberattacks
The ATM is the newest front in the war against cyberthieves.
A year after millions of U.S. merchants began installing equipment at the check-out line to accept credit and debit cards with security chips, the automated teller machine is getting similar technology.
The move comes as thieves increasingly target ATMs.  While chip-enabled credit cards are expected to slow growth in fraud at the checkout counter, the number of ATMs compromised by criminals jumped more than sixfold from 2014, according to a recent report from FICO, a credit-score provider and analytics firm.  FICO says the number of 2015 compromises was the highest it ever recorded, though it declined to disclose specific numbers.


Something for my Governance students to debate.
Is Data Governance the CDO's Responsibility?
Data governance was a hot topic at the recent MIT Chief Data Officer and Information Quality (CDOIQ) Symposium.
   Many observers insist the chief data officer's involvement in data governance is essential.
   Yet data governance isn't the chief data officer's only or, debatably, even most important job.


Something to share with all my students.  
Big Data and Analytics: Creating New Value
The massive amount of data available from connected devices creates an unprecedented opportunity for increased optimization of products and services -- and, consequently, revenue.  The deep investment in big data gathering and analytics is fueled by an ability to create added value for companies based on actionable business insights, and to create added value for consumers by providing lifestyle benefits.
While gathering and analyzing data comes at a substantial cost, the return can be great for businesses and impacts almost every facet of business operations.  


I’m surprised someone hasn’t figured how to make money by selling Pacer data cheaper. 
Judge to determine whether Pacer fees are too high for public access
by Sabrina I. Pacifici on Oct 15, 2016
Via NextGov – Cost of Electronic Access to US Court Filings Faces Major Legal Test of Its Own: “…the paywall that surrounds Pacer is facing what may be its most serious test since the service emerged 28 years ago.  Judge Ellen Huvelle of the U.S. district court in Washington, D.C., is expected to decide in the coming days whether a lawsuit accusing the government of setting Pacer fees at unlawfully high rates can proceed.  The case, which is seeking class-action certification, is being led by three nonprofits: the National Veterans Legal Service Program, the National Consumer Law Center, and the Alliance for Justice.  Each group says it has downloaded documents from Pacer and incurred charges alleged to exceed the cost of providing the records.  All say the setup violates the E-Government Act of 2002, which authorizes the judiciary to “prescribe reasonable fees”—and which the plaintiffs argue should limit the government to charge users “only to the extent necessary” to make the information available…”


My niece (15) plays a mean rock guitar.  I think I’ll send her this article just to give my brother a heart attack.  (Tattly is more to my taste.) 

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