Security
There’s not much research on getting a new program in place, but police chiefs who have been there have a lot of ideas about what to do — and what not to do.
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Government leaders discuss managing risks and vulnerabilities of remote work.
The world of government cybersecurity remains volatile as cybercriminals practice digital graffiti and public officials struggle to overcome disinformation about the purpose of contact tracing.
The Birmingham-based company has partnered with Google to develop a contact tracing app that doesn’t collect personal data, track the device location or even share case information with local health agencies.
An unemployment benefits website run by the Arkansas state government suffered a large data breach that left the personal information of thousands of applicants exposed, state officials confirmed.
As governments struggle to adapt to the election challenges surrounding COVID-19, a number of states have launched Internet voting pilots. But many experts argue that these programs could easily be co-opted by malicious actors.
Women are underrepresented in technology fields, but especially so in cybersecurity. It's not just a matter of fairness. Women are better than men at key aspects of keeping the internet safe.
The pandemic has generated another round of work by states to craft some kind of tracking app that doesn’t violate privacy rules. Meanwhile, policymakers have turned their attention to cybercrimes and surveillance.
Even though numerous consumer and civil rights organizations opposed it, a California bill about facial recognition technology use only had a single organization support it: Microsoft. The bill passed in an 8-3 vote.
Boston city council members introduced an ordinance that would ban the city government from using the technology. The ACLU hopes to pass the ordinance before the existing surveillance network is renewed on May 14.
Businesses must comply with the new data security law by July 1, but many employers’ priority is simply to keep financially afloat until then. California’s AG is undeterred and committed to keeping to the deadline.
Disinformation of all different stripes is still a persistent problem when it comes to the COVID-19 crisis. Increased reliance on social media and spiking Internet use have helped fuel these campaigns.
Hackers have sought to exploit the novel coronavirus to spread chaos, make money and build political advantage. The trends show a variety of ways bad actors are using this particular global moment to their advantage.
The National Governors Association has selected seven states to participate in its annual statewide cybersecurity readiness program. Participants will look at a number of different areas for planning development.
This week’s security newsletter follows the growing importance of contact tracing as it expands both manually and digitally. The tech field loves the app, but does the public?
This week’s newsletter looks at how the crisis has brought new challenges to cybersecurity leaders and what they are doing about it. And, will contact tracing — a key to helping us return to normal — jeopardize our privacy?
Scammers prey on consumers in a time when many people are desperately seeking health and fiscal assistance. The Federal Trade Commission has received nearly 17,000 coronavirus-related fraud complaints so far.
In California, a Berkeley man “nude bombed” a Zoom session, exposing himself to students, and an Oakland school district inadvertently released access codes, passwords and student info online. “A lot of schools are struggling.”
Masks are commonplace due to COVID-19 so companies are expanding their facial recognition capacity to recognize the masked faces. Privacy concerns are more pressing than ever as the pandemic could increase society surveillance.
Only 10 of Pennsylvania’s counties or municipalities are allowed to have detailed data about infectious diseases in the area. An antiquated law is frustrating officials and threatening to further spread the coronavirus.
This week’s security newsletter covers the growing concerns about hacker opportunities while states and localities struggle to manage operations during the COVID-19 outbreak. Meanwhile, what to do about election security?
The addresses of confirmed coronavirus cases are being shared with emergency personnel to protect responders from the infection. That despite concerns that patient privacy is being breached.
Anonymized cellphone data are being used to track social distancing effects, but the public shouldn’t be complacent with the method. This pandemic will set the precedent for how these crises are managed in the future.
Auditors had been reporting major problems with the state’s unemployment website since 2015 but only now, when thousands are suddenly unemployed due to the coronavirus, are officials paying attention.
The city has launched a number of data-enabled digital applications over the past few weeks as a way of keeping residents updated about the public health crisis rippling across the state.
The Department of Public Health is asking cities to stop the release of coronavirus case numbers in their communities. But the request doesn’t prohibit communities from releasing the data and some have no plans to stop.
Not only do officials have to mitigate the real concerns brought on by COVID-19, they also have to manage the infodemic that’s spreading misinformation. “Part of what I spend my day doing is just dispelling that.”
Once heralded as the solution to most election woes, our affinity for paperless voting technology has dimmed. Today, experts consider it one of the biggest liabilities, and favor a return to paper ballots.
In the past, health officials have released information about infected patients for public safety. Some people believe this should happen again to prevent the spread of COVID-19, others believe it’s a violation of privacy.
Mayor Lightfoot deemed Freedom of Information Act requests a non-essential city operation and banned them until further notice in response to COVID-19. Many disapprove, complaining “People need to have trust in their government.”
The attack on the federal agency comes as government officials scramble to respond to the rapidly spreading virus as fears grow that the U.S. is vulnerable to cyber adversaries. Mobile voting security takes a hit.
