Stories by Joan Goodchild

Travel security in the Middle East and North Africa

Many of us watch the events in the Middle East and North Africa unfold from afar. But for businesses with operations in these global regions of political unrest, protests, rebel uprising and deteriorating security often force difficult and immediate decisions for the sake of keeping <employees out of harm's way.

Written by Joan Goodchild11 March 11 12:17

4 reasons why Facebook and vanity don't mix

My colleague, Bill Brenner, has a t-shirt he likes to wear that basically says social networking feeds the darker sides of human nature. The shirt is a parody of a Venn Diagram and shows the relationship between sites like Facebook and Twitter to what some might called undesirable character traits, such as ADHD, stalking and narcissism.

Written by Joan Goodchild15 March 11 10:51

Reasons trustworthy sites can no longer be trusted

Last year, malware became increasingly more common on popular and trusted domains, according to research released this week by security firm Blue Coat Systems. Migration to popular hacked sites with trusted reputations and acceptable-use category ratings was the primary theme for hosting malware delivery infrastructure, researchers claim.

Written by Joan Goodchild25 Feb. 11 08:03

Security firm: Facebook is biggest mobile malware threat

The biggest mobile infection threat isn't malware that specifically targets mobile devices, according to new research from security firm BitDefender. Malware that targets Facebook is a far bigger problem for mobile security, the firm claims.

Written by Joan Goodchild12 Jan. 11 03:48

E-voting: How secure is it?

Election fraud and vote tampering is as old as government. Before the American Revolution, most voting was done by voice. Voters would call out their pick for all to hear, which lead to intimidation and other nefarious tactics by those hoping to impact election results. The creation of the secret ballot was an improvement, but brought with it another host of possible modes of manipulation. In a quote that is now famous in American history, corrupt politician and Tammany Hall leader Boss Tweed often told constituents to 'vote early, and often.'

Written by Joan Goodchild29 Oct. 10 04:29

6 Facebook, Twitter mistakes that can get you fired

Travis Megale is happily employed. A regular Facebook user, he knows how to use the site appropriately and what NOT to say or post. Unfortunately, many Facebook members do not. Job termination due to behavior on Facebook seems to increasingly be in the headlines. A recent survey from email security firm Proofpoint finds seven per cent of organizations have fired an employee because of activity on social media sites. Another 20 per cent said employees have been disciplined over social media activity. It's statistics like this that inspired Megale to launch his Facebook group "Fired because of Facebook."

Written by Joan Goodchild28 Sept. 10 05:12

Intel CISO:Biggest security threat is not understanding risk

What is the most significant vulnerability that information security faces today and in the future? According to Malcolm Harkins, CISO of Intel, the biggest threat facing infosec is the misperception of risk.

Written by Joan Goodchild17 Sept. 10 06:33

What security can learn from the $15M Sprint employee breach

Federal prosecutors in the US this week charged nine former Sprint employees with fraud and aggravated identity theft after learning they had cloned customer cell phone numbers to make $15 million worth of calls.

Written by Joan Goodchild04 Sept. 10 00:42

Free tool from Team Cymru aims to help fight malware

The non-profit, Chicago-based internet security research firm Team Cymru (pronounced 'kum-ree') will release a new tool next month that it hopes will be a game changer in the fight against world-wide cyber crime.

Written by Joan Goodchild26 Aug. 10 03:43

Facebook 'dislike' button scam spreads virally

The latest viral scam making its way around Facebook is a lure that asks users if they want to install a "dislike" button, according to security firm Sophos.

Written by Joan Goodchild17 Aug. 10 02:11

Workarounds: 5 ways employees try to access restricted sites

There may have been a time when blocking certain sites was acceptable in most office environments. But what was once considered off-limits is now essential in many organizations. Social media sites like Facebook are a major part of many companies' marketing strategy. Sites like YouTube present opportunities to share information about products or services visually. And IM and chat services like G-chat are free and efficient ways for employees to communicate.

Written by Joan Goodchild12 Aug. 10 00:29

Keeping your company image safe on social media

The umbrella of security responsibilities now includes brand protection at many companies and it seems like a constantly moving target. When the internet took off, organizations had to contend with scammers registering web site domains using company names for fraudulent purposes. Now similar activity is happening on the hottest forum for brand abuse social networks.

Written by Joan Goodchild03 Aug. 10 03:35

Enterprise risk management: all systems go

Understanding that security is mission-critical has led the Georgetown University Safety and Information Services departments to work together in unprecedented ways.

Written by Joan Goodchild30 June 10 22:08

Survey: Social networking policies still scarce

Most organizations do not have a social networking policy, despite giving employees unfettered access to the popular web sites, according to a survey conducted by Symantec earlier this month.

Written by Joan Goodchild24 June 10 03:29

Why security needs to catch up to Web 2.0

Security managers can keep blocking Facebook, refusing to support mobile devices and vetoing cloud-based services, but they aren't going away.

Written by Joan Goodchild23 June 10 00:56
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