IP theft tackled with new hub

February 23, 2011 under all posts

IP theft tackled with new hubFollowing the recent government-backed study by the Office of Cyber Security (OCS) which estimated that the UK loses 27bn each year due to cybercrime, the Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) has backed the recommendation that a central hub for UK firms be developed for the reporting of cyber fraud. In particular, it will address the issue of IP fraud.

Even though the OCS figures last week were in many ways based off assumptions rather than solid research, the large number still raises alarm bells and justifies further research. The new initiative would achieve better insight into the hows, whys and costs of UK cybercrime while acting as a central, unbiased hub where companies can report their losses and readily deal with the issue.

The importance of knowing more about cyber perils and how to prevent and responsibly deal with them is quickly becoming more apparent. This new measure could mark the beginning of a country-wide effort to truly address these costly crimes.

See the full story on Fstech.co.uk

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Cyber crime costs Britain £1,000 a second

February 18, 2011 under all posts

Cyber crime costs Britain £1,000 a secondAs businesses of all types move almost exclusively online and individuals rarely separate from their web devices, cyber crime is quickly becoming a widespread problem, costing the UK an estimated £27bn last year alone. This includes £3.1bn affecting ordinary citizens through identity theft and online scams and £21bn affecting businesses of all types. Sectors hit hardest include pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, electronics, IT and chemical companies.

Cyber crime has remained a somewhat unexamined phenomenon. Low regulations for online security as well as the intangibility of the threat has made theft seem unlikely to many people. The new figures prove, however, that cyber crime is rampant and some estimate the figures could be even higher as businesses and individuals might not know that they’re victims.

The insurance industry hasn’t been particularly quick to respond to this, but policies which cover a business’s cyber risk are available and some build the coverage right into normal policies. As crime surges and the government’s regulatory powers to fine companies for weaknesses in their security infrastructure increase, having a robust security system in place and an insurance policy that covers this type of risk is essential.

See the full story on Metro.co.uk
Cyber liability cover comes as standard in many of our policies. Click here to learn more.

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File-sharing portal loses landmark case

February 15, 2011 under all posts

File-sharing portal loses landmark caseFTD, The Netherlands’ largest Usenet community, has recently lost a court case against Dutch anti-piracy outfit BREIN resulting in a landmark decision. FTD, who were hoping that their operations would be deemed legal, were found to be in breach of copyright laws and not because they actually hosted or linked to any illegal content. They contributed to the illegal activity simply by providing a promotional venue for uploaders of infringing material.

FTD’s system works a little differently than some other Usenet portals by allowing users to “spot” the location of the material they find, which could theoretically include the locations of copyrighted materials. Although the numbers were small with just 13 cases out of 500,000 infringing, the court said that was enough and thus deemed the whole system to be illegal.

The case is a perfect example of how internet law is constantly evolving and in directions not previously predicted. Although the court confirmed that FTD itself wasn’t breaking any laws, it has assigned responsibility for illegal content to the portal itself which could determine the future of all file-sharing portals. It also mirrors what’s happening with other social media companies and the fact that many are now responsible for their user generated content.

See the full story on TorrentFreak.com
For details on our policy for social media companies click here

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PCC ruling will have you thinking twice about what you tweet

February 15, 2011 under all posts

PCC ruling will have you thinking twice about what you tweetIn November 2010, UK newspaper the “Daily Mail” published an article which detailed the then publically available Twitter comments of civil servant Sarah Baskerville. Baskerville had made remarks alluding to working while hungover as well as several political in nature that showed her disagreement with the current UK government. Baskerville complained to the Press Complaints Commission that the article intruded her privacy and just a few days ago, the PCC rejected her claim.

A key consideration in the case was the wide availability of the tweets. Baskerville had not limited her privacy settings in any way and although she said she had “reasonable expectation” that her messages would be published only to her 700 followers, anyone could find them if they wanted to.

The reaction has been mixed. Many believe that the PCC’s finding was exactly right; Baskerville should’ve restricted her access if she only wanted her followers to be able to read her posts. As it turns out, however, it’s not quite so straightforward. The PCC has its own guidance on the matter (updated in January 2011) which seems to contradict the recent ruling and the case raises interesting questions about the newsworthiness and respect for individual privacy of these kinds of articles. Just because information is available, does that mean it’s all up for grabs?

See the full story on Inforrm.com
See the original article on DailyMail.co.uk
See the follow-up article on Independent.co.uk

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American security firm hacked by political group Anonymous

February 14, 2011 under all posts

American security firm hacked by political group AnonymousHBGary Federal, an American security firm, has recently had its website hacked by the online activist group Anonymous. The group has been involved in a number of high profile online attacks recently, including strikes on Visa, PayPal and others after the companies withdrew their support from WikiLeaks.

It gets worse. Anonymous not only replaced the HBGary website with a logo and a statement, but they also gained control of the company’s email, took down their phone system, placed many of their sensitive documents online and erased many of the others. They also personally attacked the head of the company, Aaron Barr, by hacking into his Twitter account and posting a series of racial and sexual slurs as well as many personal details.

Security breaches are becoming more and more common for all types of organisations, from banks to eTailers. But while most mean a financial gain for the culprit, this case takes on an eerily different tone. System hacking has become a weapon for the politically motivated and it looks like it’s only going to get worse.

See the full story on BBC.co.uk

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Settlement reached in Facebook user’s dismissal case

February 14, 2011 under all posts

Settlement reached in Facebook user's dismissal caseAs the usage of social media grows exponentially and the opinions of one can be read by all in just an instant, companies are left in a quandary. The knee jerk reaction is to just turn it all off and ban employees from saying anything whatsoever about the company online. And if they do, well, then it’s a fireable offense.

But a recent settlement reached in Connecticut will make employers think twice before stopping workers from talking about their jobs on sites like Facebook and Twitter. The US government sued the Connecticut ambulance company last year after an employee was fired when she criticised her boss on Facebook, arguing that the worker’s speech was protected under labour laws.

If banning social media is out then there’s only one solution left to businesses and that is to embrace and manage it. Instigate an employee social media policy and make sure it’s widely communicated. Proactively manage your brand by following what’s said, accepting that it might not always be positive and thinking of ways to turn potentially negative situations into opportunities. And lastly, make sure that your insurance policy covers user generated content and the legal liability that comes along with it.

See the full story on Jems.com
For more information on our cyber liability policy click here

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Claims of fraud brought against online dating company

February 14, 2011 under all posts

Claims of fraud brought against Canadian online dating companyWe all know that people embellish or neglect certain facts about themselves in the online dating arena. But completely fictional people with completely made-up profiles? That might be crossing the line. A group of plaintiffs who brought claims for fraud, amongst others, against a Canadian online dating website think so.

The group argued that even though the site acknowledged in its disclaimer that "some" of the profiles were fictional, in fact almost none of the profiles on the site were genuine and that the company deliberately created a false impression that the site was a legitimate dating service.

While arguably the disclaimer on the site would lead many people to realise that this wasn’t your typical dating site, it does raise questions as to what exactly the role of "the fine print" is. Is it valid if it isn’t as prominent as a wealth of more visable, contradictory messages? This judge thinks not…

See the full story on Eric Goldman’s blog
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Lush hit as website is repeatedly hacked

February 9, 2011 under all posts

Lush hit as website is repeatedly hackedIf you’re a fan of fragrant bath soaps and face creams, you may have noticed that Lush.co.uk is currently out of order, the victim of repeat hacking that has compromised customers’ credit card details.

In numerous cases, the credit card fraud has changed from a potential danger to a reality. Some customers are reporting losses of over £1,000 and others are having to cancel cards, leaving them without access to accounts for days at a time.

Lush has handled the security breach well by clever social media marketing aimed at customers and hackers alike and all in their fun, casual style. But many customers aren’t laughing and Lush probably won’t be either. They face the possibility of paying PCI fines, which most traditional insurance policies won’t cover.

See the full story on Guardian.co.uk
For details on our cyber liability policy click here

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Vodafone Australia dealer shut down after data breach

February 9, 2011 under all posts

Vodafone Australia dealer shut down after data breachVodafone Australia has recently come under scrutiny after billing details and call history of millions of its customers were found to be available through a publicly accessible website.

Upon further investigation, Vodafone Australia’s largest premium partner, Communications Direct, was found to be at the source of the data breach. Not only were Comms Direct staff found to be manipulating the system to earn double commission, but there were separate claims of breach of privacy as employees were also forwarding customer records outside the company. Staff members were accessing these records by using shared login details with passwords such as “password1”.

The embarrassing lack of safeguarding by Vodafone Australia means they now face the possibility of paying out compensation to up to 4 million users. It should be noted, however, that the company was using approved government security methods which raises the question of whether more stringent guidelines should be in place.

See the full story on Infosecurity-magazine.com
See the story follow-up on Infosecurity-magazine.com

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