The KnowledgeFlow Newsletter – Edition 4
Hand-picked headlines from KnowledgeFlow’s dedicated cybersafety curators. Vol. 4
Claudiu’s Top Story
CBC NEWS: Private Proof-of-Vaccine App Portpass Continues to Expose Personal Data Even After Relaunch and Updates
Personal information belonging to more than 17,000 users of the private proof-of-vaccination app Portpass is still unsecured and visible online — including, in some cases, photos of drivers’ licences and passports — despite assurances from the company that its data-security problems have been fixed.
In the News
CBC NEWS: N.L. Healthcare Cyber Attack is Worst in Canadian History, Says Cybersecurity Expert
Newfoundland suffered a possible ransomware attack this past week that resulted in IT outages and disrupted the province’s healthcare system, causing thousands of cancelled medical procedures. Experts believe this may be the biggest and most severe cyberattack in Canadian history. Details are still scarce, as to avoid interfering with the investigation, but the government is working on remedying the situation.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month
FORBES: Cybersecurity Awareness Must Extend Beyond the “Month”
Each October, Cybersecurity Awareness Month provides an opportunity to discuss the various facets of security and privacy awareness. But it’s important to continue to take stock of all the advice given and received during the month and apply it to everyday practices, as cybersecurity is a never-ending mission, not a one-time event.
Opinion
LA TIMES: Op-Ed: What a House Cat Can Teach Us About Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity research scholar Herbert Lin reflects on the difficulty of protecting our computers and systems, comparing the abundance of resources at everyone’s disposal to humans’ available resources in containing a cat. Why is catching a cat so hard? And by extent, why is maintaining good cybersecurity so difficult?
Security
HELPNET SECURITY: Younger Generations Care Little About Cybersecurity
SailPoint recently released a survey which analyzed activities which blur the line between work and personal lives, leading to security pitfalls. According to the survey, there is a surprising gap between security postures from different generations: for example, 46% of Gen Z respondents said they would open the link or attachment in a suspicious looking email, versus 29% of Millenials, 4% of Gen X, and only 1% of Boomers.
Technology
FORBES: iOS 15.2: Brilliant New Feature Will Transform iPhone Privacy
The launch of Apple’s iOS 15.2 will include a new privacy feature, App Privacy Report, which will give Apple users deeper insights by listing the permissions apps request and detailing the tracking they do on the phone. While the feature is already here, it’s not useable yet.
Phone Scams
PROOFPOINT: Caught Beneath the Landline: A 411 on Telephone Oriented Attack Delivery
New research suggests that tens of thousands of telephone oriented cyberattacks occur on a daily basis, with some individual victims losing up to $50,000 per attack. Different forms of scams include pushing fake computer security services, selling fake concert tickets, and getting victims to download malware under a number of different pretexts. Overall, Proofpoint has observed a marked increase in the volume of this kind of cyberattack.
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