Today is International Data Privacy Day
January 28th marks the annual Data Privacy Day, a day to highlight and educate people and organisations on how individual’s privacy should be protected. To mark the day there will be numerous events held worldwide to raise awareness about privacy and data protection. This video from Belgium is one of the more powerful demonstrations of […]
What is Your Password?
Weak passwords employed by users continue to be a major vulnerability for many organisations. We depend on people to select and use secure passwords. This clip from the Jimmy Kimmel show demonstrates how people often select weak passwords that can easily be obtained by social engineering or simply checking some information about the individuals on […]
Privacy – by Design?
This is our first blog of 2015 and we’d like to wish all the readers of SecurityWatch a very Happy New Year! So what are the predictions for cybersecurity issues this year?! More open source software bugs, vulnerabilities in mobile payment systems, IoT attacks…etc. Apart from these issues, there is one global concern which is ongoing and undoubtedly growing […]
Is It Worth Sacrificing Privacy For A Bit Of Geeky Self-Quackery?
Wearable tech. It’s all the rage don’t you know. From glassholes (not you Neira, you’re cool) to joggers with glorified digital watches, people everywhere are getting excited about the next big thing in what I would describe as self-eroding privacy. Whilst Google Glass owners may be in short supply, possibly put off by the cost, the […]
Home Depot Investigates Breach. Slow Adoption Of Chip-And-Pin To Blame?
Another day, another breach. This time it looks like US DIY chain Home Depot may have been compromised along with the possibility that customer credit and debit card data may have been snatched. The possible breach was first reported by Brian Krebs who later updated his original post to suggest that the breach may extend back […]
Racing Post Ticked Off But Not Fined By ICO
Last year hackers breached the website of UK newspaper the Racing Post and made off with a whole heap of personal information belonging to over 677,000 customers. The October attack saw names, addresses, dates of birth, telephone numbers and passwords exposed but the Racing post will not be fined says the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). […]
The Data Breach – It's More When Rather Than If
So, you put on the radio (anyone still have one of those old-fashioned things?), switch on the tv, or visit your favourite news website and you see it: another data breach has snaffled all the headlines. Reported data breaches are becoming ever more common. I say reported because I’m not convinced that they necessarily occur […]
Trading Privacy For Security In the Job Market
Personal data from Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites will be monitored more by employers over the next decade, according to a new report from PwC, which says that one third of young people would happily trade in their privacy in return for a little job security. The future of work: A journey to […]
Information Commissioner's Office Reports On Big Data And Privacy
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has today released a new report that considers how big data will operate within existing data protection laws which ensure that personal information is: Fairly and lawfully processed Processed for limited purposes Adequate, relevant and not excessive Accurate and up to date Not kept for longer than is necessary Processed […]
Irish Data Protection Commissioner Shuts Down Government Genealogy Website Over Data Fears
The Irish government closed its genealogy website on Friday after Billy Hawkes, the Data Protection Commissioner, said that the availability of citizens’ data on the site presented “obvious risks”, including the potential for identity theft. The site – IrishGenealogy.ie – created by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, gave people who had been either […]