Cybersecurity News in Review – January 2018

in #security7 years ago

Cybersecurity stories and insights for the first week of January 2018

China Is Putting Facial Recognition Tech On Millions Of Public Cameras  

News Link: https://www.abc2news.com/newsy/china-is-putting-facial-recognition-tech-on-millions-of-public-cameras   

Comment: Security enhancing or privacy invasive, you decide. 170 million cameras with facial recognition capabilities. ...and that is just the beginning, with 400m more by 2020. I bet passion runs high with opinions.    In reality, this is a tool. The determination of good/evil is really in how the capability is used or abused. This will be an interesting test case of public sentiment and could set a new definition of socially accepted norms.   


The FBI Is Disrupting 10X Fewer Cyber Crime Rings Than In 2015 

News Link: http://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2018/01/fbi-disrupting-10x-fewer-cyber-crime-rings-2015/145082/   

Comment: So often we talk about the cyber attacks that occur, but rarely do we consider those attacks where were avoided. Ironically, this aspect of preventing loss, is the greatest value cybersecurity programs can deliver. I am a big fan of bug bounties, penetration testing, and threat-agent behavior modeling as I believe leveraging the best resources to predict and prevent attacks returns the optimal value for security investments.   


Startups Helping the FBI Catch Bitcoin Criminals 

News Link: https://www.inc.com/will-yakowicz/startups-law-enforcement-agencies-catch-criminals-who-use-cryptocurrency.html   

Comment: Tech is a tool. It is easy to vilify or praise, but it comes down to how it is used. Cryptocurrency, like Bitcoin, introduced the world to blockchain. Among legitimate uses, criminals also flocked to using the new tech, for its anonymity. Not really knowing that came with transaction tractability, because all transactions on a public blockchain are visible to everyone, forever. Now we see techniques employed to use that very tool to track down and prosecute criminals. Tech is always double-edged. I foresee these services to gain in demand, from law enforcement, government regulators to track taxes, and financial services to verify funds aren't 'dirty'.    


THE DATA BREACHES THAT DID NOT HAPPEN IN 2017  

News Link: https://www.hackerone.com/blog/Data-Breaches-Did-Not-Happen-2017    

Comment: So often we talk about the cyber attacks that occur, but rarely do we consider those attacks where were avoided. Ironically, this aspect of preventing loss, is the greatest value cybersecurity programs can deliver. I am a big fan of bug bounties, penetration testing, and threat-agent behavior modeling as I believe leveraging the best resources to predict and prevent attacks returns the optimal value for security investments.   


Toymaker VTech Settles FTC Privacy Lawsuit For $650,000 

News Link: https://www.databreachtoday.com/toymaker-vtech-settles-ftc-privacy-lawsuit-for-650000-a-10565    

Comment: So often we talk about the cyber attacks that occur, but rarely do we consider those attacks where were avoided. Ironically, this aspect of preventing loss, is the greatest value cybersecurity programs can deliver. I am a big fan of bug bounties, penetration testing, and threat-agent behavior modeling as I believe leveraging the best resources to predict and prevent attacks returns the optimal value for security investments.   


Cybersecurity Hiring Crisis Fueled by Lackluster Salaries

News Link: https://huntscanlon.com/cybersecurity-hiring-crisis-fueled-lackluster-salaries/   

Comment: Great insights regarding noncompetitive salaries being offered for high-demand cybersecurity positions. Simply put, if organizations aren't willing to pay competitive wages, they will continue to struggle in hiring pivotal talent to mitigate cybersecurity risks.       


Image Sources: 

https://huntscanlon.com/cybersecurity-hiring-crisis-fueled-lackluster-salaries/ https://www.hackerone.com/blog/Data-Breaches-Did-Not-Happen-2017  https://www.databreachtoday.com/toymaker-vtech-settles-ftc-privacy-lawsuit-for-650000-a-10565 https://www.abc2news.com/newsy/china-is-putting-facial-recognition-tech-on-millions-of-public-cameras http://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2018/01/fbi-disrupting-10x-fewer-cyber-crime-rings-2015/145082/ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fbianalyst.jpg https://www.inc.com/will-yakowicz/startups-law-enforcement-agencies-catch-criminals-who-use-cryptocurrency.html     


Interested in more? Follow me on your favorite social sites for insights and what is going on in cybersecurity: LinkedIn, Twitter (@Matt_Rosenquist), YouTube, Information Security Strategy blog, Medium, and Steemit  

Sort:  

the facial recognition in the cameras seem like a privacy invasion but could also prove useful in the future....btw love the format!!

I think its great that starups are helping the FBI, Homeland security, DEA..etc to catch these criminals.

Very informative. One question on the cameras in China. Do you think they will be used for good or evil? Isn’t that the basis for everything? Not the intention but how the data and information is used

Cameras are just a function for getting the data. How that data is used will generally determine people's perspective on good/evil.

Companies must think things through better before they sell tech that violates the privacy and potentially safety of children!

My comment is about the security cameras in China. I think it's a welcome development. It all depends on the people that'll have access to the data collected at the end of the day. If the authorities can keep them safe and confidential, and only to be accessed when urgent needs arise, then it'll be for the good of all.

so interessing, we have to anticipate threats and protect sensitive information systems
resteemed

Coin Marketplace

STEEM 0.19
TRX 0.15
JST 0.029
BTC 63834.78
ETH 2627.38
USDT 1.00
SBD 2.78