PRIVACY + SECURITY BLOG

News, Developments, and Insights

high-tech technology background with eyes on computer display

Cybersecurity in the Boardroom

Daniel Solove     @daniel-solove.bsky.social
Founder of TeachPrivacy
June 17, 2015

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by Daniel J. Solove

A few days ago, I posted about how boards of directors must grapple with privacy and cybersecurity.   Today, I came across a survey by NYSE Governance Services and Vericode of 200 directors in various industries.

According to the survey, about two-thirds of directors are less than confident about their company’s cybersecurity.  This finding is not surprising given the frequency of data breaches these days.  There is a growing sense of exasperation, as if we are living in an age of a great plague, with bodies piling up in the streets.

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Boards of Directors Must Grapple with Privacy and Cybersecurity

Daniel Solove     @daniel-solove.bsky.social
Founder of TeachPrivacy
June 15, 2015

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By Daniel J. Solove

Privacy and cybersecurity have become issues that should be addressed at the board level. No longer minor risks, privacy and cybersecurity have become existential issues. The costs and reputational harm of privacy and security incidents can be devastating.

Yet not enough boards are adequately engaged with these issues. According to a survey last year, 58% of members of boards of directors believed that they should be actively involved in cyber security. But only 14% of them stated that they were actively involved.

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New Resource Page: Privacy and Security Training Requirements

Daniel Solove     @daniel-solove.bsky.social
Founder of TeachPrivacy
June 13, 2015

Privacy and Security Training Requirements 02

by Daniel J. Solove

I have created a new resource page for the TeachPrivacy website:  Privacy and Security Training Requirements.

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Green Eggs and Ham: How Not to Market and Invade Privacy

Daniel Solove     @daniel-solove.bsky.social
Founder of TeachPrivacy
June 11, 2015

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By Daniel J. Solove

Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham is a timeless classic that is read to millions of children. At first the simple rhymes and cute drawings are alluring. But parents will soon discover the book’s terrifying equation: The tiresome repetition of the book multiplied by the number of times a child will want the book read. The result is mind-numbing and will make parents curse the day they decided to make the book part of their child’s library.

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Myths About Privacy Law and the First Amendment

Daniel Solove     @daniel-solove.bsky.social
Founder of TeachPrivacy
June 11, 2015

Privacy and First Amendment 01

by Daniel J. Solove

In Sorrell vs. IMS Health, 131 S. Ct. 2653 (2011), the Supreme Court struck down Vermont’s Prescription Confidentiality Law as a violation of the First Amendment right to free speech. The Vermont law restricted the sale and marketing use of information that would identify prescribers without their consent. The Supreme Court reasoned that the Vermont law “enacts content- and speaker-based restrictions on the sale, disclosure, and use of prescriber-identifying information.” According to the Court, the statute made content-based restrictions because it singled out marketing, and the statute made speaker-based restrictions because it focused on pharmaceutical manufacturers. The Court stated: “The law on its face burdens disfavored speech by disfavored speakers.”

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The Terrifying Math of Phishing

Daniel Solove     @daniel-solove.bsky.social
Founder of TeachPrivacy
June 11, 2015

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by Daniel J. Solove

Although we are seeing increasingly more sophisticated attempts at phishing, it appears as though many phishers still haven’t been able to get their hands on a program with spell check.  Why are we still seeing the $10 million lottery winning emails?  Or the long lost relative of yours living in Fiji who is leaving you $4 million?

A recent article explains that for the phishers, it is all a numbers game:

“So, if 97 per cent of phishing attempts are unsuccessful, why is it such a large issue? Because there are 156 million phishing emails sent worldwide daily. . . . Of the 156 million phishing emails sent daily, 16 million get through filters. Another eight million are opened by recipients. 800,000 click on the link provided, and 80,000 provide the information requested.”

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Chart of the Largest Data Breaches in the World

Daniel Solove     @daniel-solove.bsky.social
Founder of TeachPrivacy
June 9, 2015

by Daniel J. Solove

Over at the website, Information Is Beautiful, is this amazing chart of the biggest data breaches in the world. 

Who knew data breaches could be so beautiful?  For those who have suffered from their data being lost in a data breach to those who have suffered because they had to clean up after a data breach, there is a larger meaning to all your pain — it was for art!

This chart is so cool that it would almost be worth all the pain.

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Troublesome Password Practices and the Need for Data Security Training

Daniel Solove     @daniel-solove.bsky.social
Founder of TeachPrivacy
June 8, 2015

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By Daniel J. Solove

A recent study by TeleSign revealed that many people engage in some troublesome password practices. Some of the most alarming findings from the report include:

— 73% of accounts use duplicate passwords.

— Nearly half of consumers have a password they haven’t changed in 5+ years

— “Consumers have an average of 24 online accounts, but use only 6 unique passwords.”

— “Only 30 percent of consumers are confident that their passwords will protect the security of their online accounts.”

These findings demonstrate why better authentication is needed. Enforcing good password practices is tremendously difficult. People have so many passwords that they must memorize, and if they must be long and complex, this compounds the challenge.  Alternative means of authentication — such as two-factor authentication — should be explored, as they can be affordable and efficient.

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