Data Privacy Blog Series Part 2: Tips for Becoming Your Own Privacy Warrior

Technology is a wonderful thing, but it comes with a price. Much of the data collected about us is done so for advertising purposes. We may not like it, but if we continue to expect services for free it is only logical that providers make money one way or another. What’s important is to know what information about you is collected, who has access and what they do with it. Here are some tips and techniques you can use to minimize the data that is collected and to protect your privacy online.

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Data Privacy Blog Series Part 1: Hello Tech, Good-Bye Privacy

Today’s technology and apps allow stalkers to easily track their victims’ whereabouts. Burglars can easily determine what valuables we possess and when we are not home. Hackers can use your personal information to create very believable email phishing attacks. They send you emails that trick you into clicking on links, responding, and providing more personal information or opening attachments and downloading malware. In order to protect ourselves and our businesses we must be able to recognize what information we are releasing, what is being collected, what is available and who has access to it.

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Be Proactive to Prevent a Healthcare Data Breach

Chances are if you work in the healthcare industry you’ve heard of the Anthem data breach, where hackers illegally accessed millions of patient records and private information. This shows that healthcare organizations aren’t any more immune to data breaches than major retailers like Target or Home Depot — yet they’ve been slow to adjust to the high-tech environment.

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The Art of Deception: Stories of How We All Get Phished

Are you like most people who associate cyber, cyber security, data breaches and other similar terms with computers and technology? When you hear about a data breach in the news, do you immediately wonder which technical vulnerability was exploited? This is probably the reason why so many companies believe that a breach won’t happen to their company. They believe hackers only exploit technical vulnerabilities and somehow their tools and techniques for securing data are better than everyone else’s. Regardless of the reason, most are ignoring the one weak link in the chain that is more easily exploited than most technical vulnerabilities but much more difficult to mitigate — the end-user. The employee with access to the network is by far a much greater threat than just about any technical vulnerability. One click and your network is compromised.

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Pen Test Legal Issues

Pen testers beware. Whether you believe you know and understand all the potential legal issues, read on. First of all, a penetration test or “pen test” is a method that’s used to evaluate the security and/or vulnerabilities in a network. This test is normally conducted externally wherein the tester is attempting to hack a network or computer. Breaking into computers and networks is illegal under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), and depending on your activities and other factors, other federal laws and state laws may be broken.

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