On June 26, 2015, Meritus Health reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights a potential privacy breach associated with protected health information (PHI). The incident was found in May during a routine compliance and self-audit. During the investigation it was found that an employee of one of their business associates had inappropriately accessed patient records. While business associates may have access to the protected health information held by … [Read more...]
Verizon’s Data Breach Investigations Report
The Verizon’s annual Data Breach Investigations Report was recently released for 2015. The report has become an information security industry standard report since its inception in 2008. The report analyzes thousands of confirmed data breaches and security incidents from around the world and offers trends and guidance regarding security practices. Some of the highlights from this year’s Data Breach Investigations Report include the following: Top three industries affected are public, … [Read more...]
Data Security & Breach Notification Act of 2015
The Data Security & Breach Notification Act of 2015 is a legislative bill introduced by Republican Representative Marsha Blackburn and Democratic Representative Peter Welch. If passed, the act would establish a national standard for the way companies protect consumers’ personal information and respond to data breaches. In a commentary published on www.CNBC.com on March 25, 2015, Blackburn and Welch stress the need for Congress to pass The Data Security & Breach Notification Act of … [Read more...]
Keeping Trade Secrets a Secret
Maybe you think your business isn’t big enough to have trade secrets – but if you have a list of customers, you have trade secrets. And trade secrets are worth protecting. A trade secret is defined as any valuable commercial information that provides a business with an advantage over competitors who do not have that information. Trade secrets tend to fall into two categories – either technical information or business information. Examples of technical trade secrets include: Plans, … [Read more...]
Corporate Espionage in India
Threats to data security are a global problem as businesses in India are finding out. In particular, Indian companies are increasingly at risk of corporate espionage and are racing to IT security firms for help. According to an article in The Economic Times/India Times, some studies indicate that as much as 35% of Indian companies engage in some form of corporate espionage. Corporate espionage is defined as companies that indulge in illegal and unethical activities to gain information from … [Read more...]
Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center
Due to the increase in cyber threats over the past several years, the Obama administration has decided to form a new agency dedicated to bringing different government agencies together to share information in the hopes of addressing cyber threats more quickly. The new agency will be called the Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center and the center will be modeled after National Terrorism Center. Lisa Monaco, the assistant to the president for homeland security and counter-terrorism, told … [Read more...]
United Nations and E-Waste
According to a study conducted by a United Nations partner, Solving the e-waste Problem (StEP), the amount of e-waste generated worldwide is expected to increase from 48.9 million metric tons in 2012 to 65.4 million metric tons by 2017. Unfortunately, solutions to the e-waste disposal issue are not keeping up with the waste being generated. E-waste, or old, unwanted electronics, includes: Cellphones Laptops Computers Plugs, cables, cords Monitors Tablets Televisions It is … [Read more...]
Are Your Servers Secure?
What do: Ernst & Young Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Pricewaterhouse Coopers KPMG all have in common? They are the big four accounting firms in the United States and each one of them has a presence here in Orange County, CA. Like most big organizations, they work with smaller companies who provide services for them. What many business owners and managers may not realize is that the companies they work with: affiliates vendors satellite offices could pose a threat to the … [Read more...]
HIPAA Penalties for Breaches
An IT friend recently told us about a doctor who had his computer stolen from out of his office. The doctor, the victim of a robbery, ended up having to pay a $50,000 fine for his stolen computer– ouch! First your computer gets stolen and then YOU get fined? What’s up with that? HIPAA, that’s what. The HIPAA penalties for breaches are costly, painful, and…mostly avoidable. HIPAA penalties for breaches occur whenever a data containing device that has consumers’ personal health or other … [Read more...]