What would happen if patients with implanted, wireless-controlled, medical devices suddenly learned the technology had been hacked?
And who’s really watching out for consumer privacy as location information from their mobile devices is getting swept by up a growing number of companies? Keep reading →
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) data mining systems need additional oversight, review and evaluation to protect privacy rights, ensure transparency to the public and enable effective counterterrorism efforts, stated the General Accountability Office (GAO) in a report released last week.
Of six component agency data mining systems evaluated, “none performed all of the key activities associated with an effective evaluation framework…Only one program office performed most of the activities related to obtaining executive review and approval,” said the report. “Until such reforms are in place, DHS and its component agencies may not be able to ensure that critical data mining systems used in support of counterterrorism are both effective and that they protect personal privacy.” Keep reading →
As I write this article, there are currently more than 10 different bills being evaluated in various Congressional committees, all of which address some aspect of cybersecurity.
Many of these bills are large, over-arching concepts – FISMA 2.0 and the like. But many others are being developed to address the specific risks and threats of certain types of systems, from “critical infrastructure” (generally regarded as assets that associated with energy production and distribution, the food supply, and national defense), to financial systems, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, and other industries. Many of these bills – if passed and signed into law – will mandate industry-specific security controls, risk calculations, and other requirements for private organizations. Keep reading →
The effort to modernize America’s electric grid is well underway, with nearly $8 billion in federal funding since 2009 and states across the country hastening to deploy everything from electronic smart meters for homes to regional sensors capable of detecting and responding to power outages.
But major privacy and security problems for the smart grid effort could be on the horizon and present a host of challenges to federal agencies, according to multiple smart grid technology and policy experts. Keep reading →