Bank of America

For several days, Bank of America’s systems had problems. The problems – primarily denial of service disruptions – hit their web site and reportedly their mobile banking services.

For BofA, the nation’s largest bank based on assets, this was not the first issue or attack they experienced in the past year. Nor in fact, was BofA the only U.S. financial institution that has been experiencing what appears to be a series of directed cyber attacks. JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup also are reported to have been struck by similar related aggressive cyber activities, beginning last year. Keep reading →


Greg Garcia is not one to sit and spin his wheels. He thrives on speed, a little danger and the overall chase. So it’s little surprise that the bicycling enthusiast gravitates toward the intersection of information technology security and government policy.

“It’s speed, it’s endurance, it’s tactics, it’s strategy, and then there’s the adrenaline,” Garcia said of IT security. He was referring to the race to stay ahead of what he called the “bad guys” by anticipating their next move, a race that’s ultimately about safety and protection. Keep reading →

The Internet’s increasing role in empowering ad hoc protest groups took a new turn this week when hackers supportive of the Occupy Wall Street protests released personal information about former U.S. Treasury Secretary and ex-Goldman Sachs co-chairman, Robert Rubin.

Hackers who have aligned themselves with the online activist group known as Anonymous have been targeting chief executives officers at leading banks, including JP Morgan Chase and Citigroup, where Rubin had also serviced as a director and senior counselor, looking for personal information to post to the Internet. Keep reading →