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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: When nearly 270 gigabytes of US police data were dumped onto the internet several weeks ago (over a million individual files), the incident garnered much attention, along with the name BlueLeaks. The data came from over 200 different police departments and contingent organizations, spanning a time period of 24 years. Earlier this week, […]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Is it really from the IRS? This year’s extended tax deadline means that cyber scammers have had plenty of time to devise means of stealing your credentials and possibly, your refund. Cyber security researchers recently identified a tax scam where a cyber criminal sends out a fake 1040 tax form to a victim, […]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The 90-day security marathon: Earlier this year, Zoom endured legal scrutiny and heavy public criticism due to a rash of “Zoombombings,” exposing the platform’s cyber security weaknesses. In a bid to regain public trust, Zoom launched a 90-day security marathon, beginning on April 1st 2020, and ending on July 1st, 2020. How did […]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The TikTok app is extremely popular: In 2019, the TikTok app was made available in 39 different languages, and emerged as the second most popular app in the world, eclipsing Facebook Messenger, Gmail and Netflix apps in number of downloads. It’s attracted over 1 billion users, worldwide, and 65-80 million users in the […]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Pros, cons and progress on a U.S. digital dollar: Last week, during a virtual hearing before the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, senators spoke with expert witnesses about the pros and cons of developing a digital dollar. Says Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark), “The U.S. needs a digital dollar. The U.S. has to keep earning […]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: What are we seeing? Organizations are aggressively pursuing the implementation and expansion of identity and access management (IAM) technologies. Nearly 60% percent of business decision-makers rank this objective as a priority. Identity verification enables security leaders to quickly detect malicious users on the networks. This is of increasing importance in the era of […]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Earlier this year, facial recognition systems mistakenly identified Robert Julian-Borchak Williams as the perpetrator of a crime. As a result, Mr. Williams was arrested in front of his wife and children, and detained in a jail cell for 30 hours. This case highlights the flaws in facial recognition technologies. To identify Mr. Williams, […]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Developers are incentivized to move fast. Nearly 60% of organizations report deploying code as frequently as multiple times a day, with some deploying once a day or every few days. While this level of speed drives business results, it also means that mistakes will be made. Unlike errors in code, which can be […]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: According to global intelligence analysts, countries and regions that typically keep cyber espionage activities to a minimum are ramping up their cyber espionage efforts. Given that spies can no longer physically cross borders in many areas of the world due to coronavirus-related lockdown regulations, cyber spies are working hard to close intelligence gaps. […]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: As part of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s multi-pronged approach to fighting the spread of the coronavirus, public health officials are scrambling to hire contact tracers. The job of a contact tracer is to reach out to individuals who have tested positive for the coronavirus, or who may have been in […]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: In 1918, when the Spanish flu pandemic swept the globe, computing resources didn’t exist. If we fast forward 100 years, not only are we fighting a pathogen-based pandemic, we’re also battling an imminent cyber pandemic. Cyber attacks have been rising by nearly 20% every 30 days, and this whirlwind of attacks is only […]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Zoom communications platform is committed to improving its security systems and privacy features. “We want to make sure every user is happy,” says CEO Eric Yuan. To that effect, the encryption conversation has continued. Initially, Zoom announced a plan to provide end-to-end encryption for paid users only. A combination of factors prompted […]