FTC Warns Of Widespread Data Breaches -- InformationWeek. Almost 100 organizations have been notified by the agency that sensitive personal data about their employees and customers has been shared from their networks over peer-to-peer file sharing services. The Federal Trade Commission on Monday said that it had notified almost 100 organizations in both the public and private sector that they need to review their security practices. In letters to these organizations, the FTC says that "at least one computer file containing sensitive personal information from or about your customers and/or employees has been shared from your computer network, or the network of one of your service providers, to a peer-to-peer file sharing (P2P) network.
" Failure to prevent this information from being shared may represent a violation of one or more laws that the FTC enforces, such as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and the Federal Trade Commission Act. The FTC however has not filed any lawsuits related to these breaches. More Insights. Help wanted: Agencies expect to hire more info security pros in. Help wanted: Agencies expect to hire more info security pros in 2010 ISC(2) survey finds agencies expect stable or increased IT security budgets By William JacksonMar 12, 2010 Federal government is a good place for information security professions during the current economic downturn, with relatively stable budgets, rising wages and growing employment opportunities, according to a recent survey by ISC(2) (the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium). Nearly 75 percent of government respondents received salary increases in 2009, more than half expect no change in information technology budgets this year and nearly 20 percent expect budgets to increase, and about 60 percent expect to hire new security employees this year.
“The results from our latest career impact survey show that in a very difficult economic environment, organizations are placing an even higher value on the work that information security professionals do," said W. About the Author. Iran hacks opposition Web sites, arrests cyber activists. IDG News Service - Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps hacked into 29 Web sites affiliated with U.S. espionage networks, Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency reported on Sunday. "The hacked websites acted against Iran's national security under the cover of human rights activities," Fars reported.
It did not disclose details of the attacks. Governments under cyberattack The 29 Web sites were identified in a statement (in Farsi) released on a Web site operated by the Revolutionary Guards. The Internet has been used by Iranian opposition groups who contested the results of last year's elections there to organize demonstrations and share information about protests and arrests. The Revolutionary Guards is a military group that was founded after Iran's 1979 revolution. Some of the hacked domain names listed by Fars pointed to a single Web site, hra-iran.org, which displayed a short statement on its main page: "This website is temporarily unavailable, please try again later. " FBI: Cyberfraud losses doubled in 2009. News By Robert McMillan March 12, 2010 08:19 PM ET IDG News Service - Last year was a tough one for most businesses, but for cybercriminals it was one of the best yet.
According to data released Friday by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), victims reported total losses of US$559.7 million in 2009, more than double the tally for 2008. The most frequently reported scam was one that used the FBI's own name to try and trick victims into handing over cash or sensitive information. One such scam involved an e-mail claiming to be from FBI Deputy Director John Pistole. FBI -themed scams accounted for 16.6 percent of the 336,655 complaints that the IC3 received last year. Total complaints for 2009 were up 22.3 percent from the previous year, when victims posted 257,284 complaints and registered $265 million in losses. Its report also talks about a few bizarre scams. Reprinted with permission from IDG.net. Cyber ShockWave exposed missing links in U.S. security -- Govern. Cyber ShockWave exposed missing links in U.S. security Former DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff, who took part in the event, offers steps government and industry should take By Michael ChertoffMar 10, 2010 In mid-February the Bipartisan Policy Center hosted Cyber ShockWave, a simulation of how our nation might respond to a catastrophic cyber event.
The simulation was conducted through the lens of a notional National Security Council (NSC) meeting convened to advise the president on how the federal government should respond to the crisis and what the president should communicate to the American people to reassure them. Related story: Cyberattack simulation highlights vulnerabilities The presentation of Cyber ShockWave was well timed.
My view is that cybersecurity issues transcend the protection of personal data or networks from hackers or even organized crime. It was my privilege to play the role of the national security adviser during the Cyber ShockWave NSC meeting. Hacker hits Iowa Homeland Security site, 2 others | desmoinesreg.