The Weekly Cypher is specially curated to keep you up-to-date on the latest in cybersecurity, biometrics, and related news and innovations. This week’s topics are:
Ukraine Power Supplier Hit By Wannacry Lookalike | DataBreach Today
The Ukraine has been hit with four recent malware attacks, with one Wannacry lookalike targeting a power supplier for the nation. So far the Ukraine has been the target of over 75 percent of NotPetya attacks. Ukrainian officials and some cybersecurity researchers are blaming these attacks on Russia. In the United States, however, the future of these attacks is still unclear, with malware attacks hitting hospitals, ports, and other businesses. The Department of Homeland Security claims to be working on these cyber attacks and advises businesses report any attacks to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. [Read More]
How Fingerprints are Unlocking the Future | The Boston Globe
Despite being one of the oldest forms of collected biometric data, fingerprint identification will carry into the future. Evolving from using ink to collect fingerprint blobs, Vivo recently launched the world’s first under-the-display fingerprint scanner. While facial and iris scanners are also growing in popularity, many consumers seem to prefer and trust the fingerprint due to its familiar history. Businesses are taking advantage of this trust, with companies such as Mastercard and Delta beginning to use fingerprint recognition as a form of ID. [Read More]
What is Identity Management and How Does it Help Security Strategy? | IT Pro
Identity management is critical for cybersecurity strategy. Creating a system of authentication in order to access sensitive data helps to ensure only those who have permission to access that data can view it. Being one of the best ways of securing data, it’s also one of the most financially efficient- often implemented at little to no cost. Identity management is becoming even more critical as businesses move data from internal storage onto the cloud. [Read More]
Sixty-Five Percent of US Banks Fail Basic Web Security | IBS Intelligence
According to the Online Trust Alliance, 65 percent of US banks failed security testing. Only 27 percent of US banks achieved a spot on the OTA’s honor roll, achieving a combined score of 80 percent or higher in consumer protection, security, and privacy. What’s more alarming is considering that the percentage of financial institutions that achieved the honor roll has dropped by 28 percent since last year due to increase data breaches. The OTA also reports that almost a quarter of banks experienced a data breach in 2016, however the American Bankers Association denies this claim. [Read More]
Four Things You Need to Know about Cybersecurity | InformationWeek
A recent survey conducted by the Ponemon Institute has revealed an unsettling disconnect between IT professionals and consumers. For example, 43 percent of IT consumers surveyed said their organization experienced a breach in the last two years. While that statistic is alarming, what’s worse is only 48 percent of IT professionals agreed that organizations should be obligated to protect consumer data, compared to 80 percent of consumers who hold the same belief. Further questions revealed a staggering difference in opinion between consumer and IT professionals. [Read More]
