Content by Tracy Kitten

Breach Avoidance: 4 Tips

Tracy Kitten  •  June 15, 2011

Recent hacks have uncovered security vulnerabilities that should have been addressed years ago. "These attacks are going to escalate," says Josh Corman of The 451 Group. But organizations can implement basic steps to make the hackers' job harder.

PCI: New Guidance Addresses Risks

Tracy Kitten  •  June 14, 2011

New guidance from the PCI Security Standards Council about the risks associated with virtualized systems aims to help merchants proactively evaluate security before they leap into new deployments.

PCI Council Addresses Virtualization

Tracy Kitten  •  June 14, 2011

The PCI Security Standards Council's new guidance on virtualization in the payments space aims to provide best practices for securing the payments chain's virtual platforms and appliances.

IMF Attack: 1 of Dozens of Breaches?

Tracy Kitten  •  June 13, 2011

Details surrounding the reported breach of the International Monetary Fund remain sketchy, but alarming. And Gartner analyst Avivah Litan believes there may be "dozens" of similar incidents that have not been disclosed.

Second Suit Filed Against Michaels

Tracy Kitten  •  June 8, 2011

A new federal suit against Michaels claims the crafts retailer, hit by a POS skimming scheme in May, took too long to notify customers after it learned of the breach that affected stores in 20 U.S. states.

ACH Legal Ruling Favors Bank

Tracy Kitten  •  June 6, 2011

David Navetta, an attorney who specializes in IT security and privacy, says the magistrate's recommendation, if accepted by the judge, could set an interesting legal precedent about the security banks are expected to provide for commercial customers.

'Breach Fatigue' and Notification

Tracy Kitten  •  June 3, 2011

From Epsilon and Sony to RSA and Lockheed, existing security is no match for today's hackers.

The Burden of Breach Notification

Tracy Kitten  •  June 3, 2011

Revelations that Google's Gmail and Sony Pictures were both targeted by hackers highlights growing concerns about cybersecurity and the sophistication - and frequency - of attacks, as well as how to keep the public informed about such incidents.

Sony, Epsilon Testify Before Congress

Tracy Kitten  •  June 2, 2011

The House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade heard from Sony and Epsilon about breaches that adversely affected consumer information. Both companies support a national data security and breach notification law.

Lockheed Attack Linked to RSA?

Tracy Kitten  •  May 31, 2011

Lockheed Martin, the country's largest military contractor, is investigating the root of a "significant and tenacious" attack against its information network. Could this attack be linked to the RSA SecurID hack earlier this year?

Pay-at-the-Pump Skimming on Trial

Tracy Kitten  •  May 24, 2011

A July trial date has been set for a pay-at-the-pump skimming scheme that allegedly led to the theft of more than $150,000 from six Hawaii financial institutions, highlighting the growing fraud vulnerability of self-service card payments.

Michaels Breach: Who's Liable?

Tracy Kitten  •  May 22, 2011

A Chicago consumer's federal lawsuit against Michaels raises questions about card-fraud liability, highlighting the blurring line between merchants and card issuers in the wake of a payments breach.

Breach Notification Proposal Lacks Teeth

Tracy Kitten  •  May 17, 2011

The Obama administration's plan for a federal data breach notification policy is too vague to be effective, and it lacks teeth to penalize violators, according to experts who raise open questions about the proposal.

Device ID & Log Analysis: Complementary Forces

Tracy Kitten  •  May 13, 2011

ThreatMetrix's Taussig says strong authentication should be part of every financial institution's layered security approach. And according to expected changes to the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council's 2005 online authentication guidance, that means proven measures to enhance device identification.

Breach Notification and Cyber Risks

Tracy Kitten  •  May 12, 2011

Lacking technology is not the problem, says attorney Lucy Thomson. It's that today's technology is not being adequately used to fight modern cybersecurity threats.