Info Risk Today Podcast

Pennsylvania Chief Information Security Officer Erik Avakian explains how the commonwealth is using a $1.1 million federal grant to pilot a program to furnish single identities to residents who transact state business over the Internet.

For years, researchers have studied malicious insider threats. But how can organizations protect themselves from insiders who make a mistake or are taken advantage of in a way that puts the organization at risk?

The good news is: U.S. banks have learned valuable security lessons from defending against recent distributed-denial-of-service attacks. The bad news? DDoS has evolved into new and improved assaults.

Using "synthetic identities" to commit fraud is becoming easier, but it's increasingly difficult for organizations to detect this type of deception, says Claudel Chery of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Rather than waiting until they're a breach victim, organizations should reach out to law enforcement officials to develop a good working relationship in battling cybercrimes, federal prosecutor Erez Liebermann says.

Organizations must develop a "defensible response" to data breaches and fraud incidents because of the likelihood of a regulatory investigation or legal action, says attorney Kim Peretti, a former Department of Justice cybercrime prosecutor.

What are some of the unique challenges organizations face when they move into continuous monitoring and risk mitigation? Scott Gordon of ForeScout and Ken Pfeil of Pioneer Investments offer insight.

IT security leaders need to develop a strong, holistic security and risk management strategy as they implement advanced, strategic technical capabilities, IBM's David Jarvis says in analyzing new survey results.

What is hostile profile takeover, and why does this emerging threat pose such a risk to smart phone users? Dave Jevans, CTO of Marble Security, describes this and other new mobile threats.

The average insider scheme lasts 32 months before it's detected, says threat researcher Jason Clark, who suggests using a combination of the right technologies and the right processes is the key to improving detection.

Mary Galligan, the just-retired head of the FBI's New York cyber unit, says the federal government can do more to help businesses take all the right steps to protect sensitive information and prevent breaches.

Banking institutions and merchants are fighting back against cyber-attacks by sharing information and assisting law enforcement investigations, says Julie Conroy of Aite, which has issued a report about account takeover and cyberfraud trends.

Nations' policies for mitigating cyberthreats can conflict with efforts to promote cyber-enabled global trade, cautions Allan Friedman, research director of the Brookings Institution's Center for Technology Innovation.

Face-to-face and over-the-phone social-engineering schemes are increasingly used to perpetrate fraud, highlighting the need for more education and real-time transaction monitoring, says Gartner's Avivah Litan.

To mark his induction into the National Cyber Security Hall of Fame, Purdue University Computer Science Professor Eugene Spafford offers insights on key challenges, including overcoming senior executives' misperceptions about key issues.

Knowledge-based authentication is no longer reliable, says fraud expert Avivah Litan, an analyst at Gartner. She explains why so-called behavioral authentication is the only reliable way to verify users.

Attacks waged for cyber-espionage, fraud, DDoS and other nefarious deeds are increasingly being hired out to sophisticated hackers for specific purposes, says Symantec researcher Kevin Haley.

What are the distinct phases of the fraud lifecycle, and how can banking institutions intervene at each stage to prevent losses? Daniel Ingevaldson of Easy Solutions offers fraud-fighting tips.

Mitigating card risks associated with retail malware attacks and POS vulnerabilities is a focus of updates to the PCI Data Security Standard, say Bob Russo and Troy Leach of the PCI Security Standards Council.

Top executives at healthcare organizations must take the lead in overcoming a culture that portrays privacy and security as barriers, says Joy Pritts, chief privacy officer at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT.