fraud

Online Trust Alliance to merge with Internet Society

In-brief: The Online Trust Alliance, which has focused on issues related to privacy and security on the Internet of Things, is merging with The Internet Society, home of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the groups said in an announcement Wednesday.

Tax Day 1920

Podcast: Fraud Linked to Stolen W-2s a growing Problem for Uncle Sam

In-brief: Experian Vice President of Data Breach Resolution tells The Security Ledger that tax ID fraud linked to stolen W-2 forms is up 25% this year, just the latest trend in a long running problem securing tax returns from scammers. But what’s the solution? 

Vizio smart TV

TV Maker Vizio Settles with FTC Over Selling Viewer Data

In-brief: Smart TV maker VIZIO agreed to pay $2.2 million to the FTC and the State of New Jersey to settle charges that it collected the viewing history of some 11 million smart televisions without users’ consent. The settlement stems from a 2014 case and requires the company to “prominently disclose and obtain affirmative express consent” for data collection and sharing.

connected vehicles

Justice Dept. studying national security threats of Internet of Things devices

Reuters is reporting that the U.S. Justice Department has formed a threat analysis team to study potential national security challenges posed by self-driving cars, medical devices and other Internet-connected tools. The new group’s goal is to secure the so-called “internet of things” from exploitation by “terrorist threats” and by others who might try to hack devices to cause loss of life or achieve political or economic gain, according to Assistant Attorney General John Carlin, head of the Justice Department’s national security division. The impetus for the team, which has been informally active for about six months, was an understanding that the internet is vulnerable to cyber attacks partly because it was not designed with security in mind, Carlin told Reuters, after announcing the group on Thursday at the Intelligence and National Security Alliance conference in Washington. Source: Justice Dept. group studying national security threats of internet-linked devices

Privacy Forum Pushes Guidance for Wearables, Health Apps

In-brief: new guidance from the Future of Privacy Forum urges connected health device makers to address security and privacy issues to prevent sensitive data from falling into the wrong hands.