October 23, 2009
Update covering October 16 - October 22, 2009
Welcome to Tech Talk! In this edition, Tech Talk Editors Andy Zavoina and John Burnett write about data breaches, hijacked sites, project control and much more.
Our selections from this week's tech news:
- ChoicePoint zapped again
- When low tech works
- Another look at employee data leaks
- How aware are you?
- When bad guys use good sites
- A Microsoft – Mozilla spat
- Helping Sidekicks recover
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- Managing telecommuting
- Controlling IT projects
- Getting arms around social networks
- Making a better software deal
- Is it time for a new Office?
- How about new Windows?
- and on the lighter side...
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On the lighter side ...
With Halloween coming and the Transformers movie just released in stores, this costume was inevitable. Check out this YouTube video, and let's see if we can make one of these that is a PC workstation or server rack. Then you'd be talking!
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ChoicePoint fined for breach
ChoicePoint, a data broker, turned off an electronic security tool in error last year and exposed 13,750 confidential records. It is now being fined $275K, or $20 per record, by the FTC. This is not ChoicePoint's first time being penalized for being breached. The company was in hot water after a 2005 breach resulted in over 800 ID fraud cases. Read more about it at CNet News.
A tech step back
We used to joke that if you wanted to secure data today, store it on a floppy disk. Who reads floppies any more? One company is now practicing this step back in technology to provide a more secure data environment. When payment records were stolen from a Colorado liquor store, its management beefed up security by pulling its old dial-up card processors out of storage. More details are available at StorefrontBacktalk.
Are employees your weakest link?
This doesn't have the same impact as a huge data breach, but it does force us to examine what is often the weakest link in a bank's security chain. A Philadelphia man charmed bank tellers and used information from them to commit identity theft. Dozens of banks were abused and he stole $1 million. Read about it in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Did you know it was National Cybersecurity Month? Are you ready for your test? Do you know which industry suffers the most data breaches, or how many credit card numbers were stolen in the largest cyber theft? You can find more questions, plus the answers, at CIO.
The danger of being used
Brian Dye, a senior director of product management at Symantec, describes an increasing threat that you should be concerned about. In this case a respected, branded site becomes hijacked. The attack's purpose is to infect site visitors but do no harm to the site itself. No harm until that site — it could be your bank's site — is identified as the messenger that gets blamed for malware delivery. Read about this threat in Computerworld.
MS exposes Firefox, Mozilla reacts
Microsoft snuck in the .NET Framework Assistant as a "fix" for Mozilla's Firefox browser. Mozilla disabled the add-on last week, citing a security problem, after users said it was difficult to remove. Users with the add-on activated were more susceptible to drive-by malware. You can read about the problem in ZDNet and CNet News.
Sidekick data recovery
If you or others at your bank lost data off their Sidekick Smartphones, Microsoft has announced that it has begun the restoration process. Users will need a special tool available on the T-Mobile website. Find out more about recovering lost Sidekick data at CNet News.
Time to address telecommuting
Chances are your employees telecommute either from home, a hotel, or just checking email on a Smartphone. Some banks embrace the idea, some use it as part of their disaster recovery plans, and still others don't like it at all. Whichever group your bank is in, you should have it addressed in your policies. You'll find ten steps to help you define a cost effective policy and have more productive staff in a NetworkWorld article.
The snowballing IT project
When IT has a project, everyone chimes in with wish lists. That can make a project snowball and die of a severe case of "bloat." Although you serve the needs of IT's clients, sometimes the right answer is "No." As you read this article dealing with franchises, substitute "branch" or "line of business" and you'll likely see you have the same issues in your bank. StorefrontBacktalk has more.
Embracing social networking
At the Gartner Symposium in Orlando, FL, the message to those in IT was to loosen up on social networking constraints. Gartner analysts argued that you can't completely stop social networking, so it's time to embrace it and use it as a positive force with employees and the public. You can read more on their reasoning at CNet News.
"Embracing and allowing" doesn't suggest "uncontrolled access." Just like the rest of the web, there are good and bad sides to social networking. In "Scams & shams: The trouble with social networks," Computerworld columnist Robert Mitchell offers suggestions on ways businesses can control the risks presented by social networking. There's also a short article you shouldn't miss describing some ways social networking is used by hackers to find vulnerabilities.
Negotiating your software purchases
In today's economy banks are looking for deals on software and vendors are trying to maximize profitability. Recognizing that software licenses need to be negotiated, there are some tips from the Gartner IT Symposium in Orlando to help you work for a better deal. ZDNet has the details.
Office 2010 next month
The public beta version of Microsoft Office 2010 is scheduled for release next month. That may be your earliest opportunity to begin testing the new suite on existing machines and new Windows 7 operating systems. You can read more on the beta release in Computerworld.
Windows 7 arrives
We would be remiss if we didn't mention the Windows 7 release this week. Here are some key links of interest for those looking to upgrade.
- Windows 7: An impressive upgrade - from ZDNet.
- User Account Control (UAC) security, is it your concern? CNet News has more.
- Not sure about Windows 7? Check out this survival guide from PCWorld.
- Check the compatibility status of your software and devices with this Microsoft tool.
- Find out if your PC can run Windows 7 with this Microsoft program.
- Once you have Windows 7, it is time to tweak it? Read more about your options at Computerworld.
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