In the 2015 Anthem data breach, the compromise of an adminstrator’s credentials was the initial entry point that caused the breach and exposure of 13.5 million patient records. High-profile, high-impact breaches like this are spurring healthcare enterprises to institute more cybersecurity defenses and to monitor the insider threat.
The 2015 RSA Conference provides security professionals access to myriad keynotes, educational sessions and solutions for today’s cybersecurity risks. Whether you’re headed to San Francisco for the conference April 20-24 or you’re observing cybersecurity trends from your office, here is a sampling of some of the trends, products and services showcased at this year’s event.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is starting a new research effort to help CISOs better manage cybersecurity within critical infrastructure companies. Exxon Mobil Corp. and Schneider Electric SE are early members of the consortium, according to MIT.
We have been following the same cybersecurity approach, more or less, for over a decade. Yet, most everyone agrees that the problem continues to grow worse. Perhaps we are not on the right course. Maybe we are operating on false assumptions. The following list (to be continued in next month’s column) is meant to promote a dialogue about what, in my view, are widely held cybersecurity myths.
According to frequent headlines in the press, cybersecurity is an issue that has seized the attention of corporate boards and the executives who report to them. The reality is probably more nuanced. Although the largest companies in some sectors are engaged in extensive risk management efforts, the broader business community in the middle market remains at best uneven in its response, says Matthew F. Prewitt, partner with law firm Schiff Hardin in Chicago, chair of Schiff Hardin’s data security and privacy team and co-chair of the trade secrets and employee mobility team.
In 2009, Heartland Payment Systems announced that it had suffered a devastating breach: 134 million credit cards were exposed through SQL Injection attacks used to install spyware on Heartland’s data systems. The company processes payments for debit, prepaid and credit cards, in addition to online payments and checks and payroll services.
Ask most corporate executives to define cybersecurity and their initial thoughts turn to data privacy. That’s for good reason. Companies are bleeding corporate trade secrets and personally identifiable information at such an alarming rate that confidentiality issues and related compliance concerns can’t help but dominate the cybersecurity agenda. Yet, ask cybersecurity professionals what keeps them up at night, and the topic invariably turns to data deletion, tampering with control systems, and the potential to cause physical harm over the Internet. These concerns fall into categories that are distinct from protecting data confidentiality. Instead, they demonstrate the importance of maintaining an enterprise focus on the integrity and availability of your company’s most essential data, systems and services.
After a massive data breach in 2008, Heartland Payment Systems has been an outspoken advocate of going "back to basics" with cybersecurity strategies. How could this help your enterprise as well?
