Stories by Michael Cooney

Michael Cooney's image

FTC goes after Wyndham for data beaches at its hotels

A little over a month after the FBI warned travelers of an uptick in data being stolen via hotel Internet connections, the Federal Trade Commission has filed a complaint against Wyndham Worldwide Corporation and three of its subsidiaries for alleged data security failures that led to three data breaches at Wyndham hotels in less than two years.

Michael Cooney | 27 Jun | Read more

US warns users of new Citadel ransomware hit

The nasty Trojan known as Citadel malware, which is based on Zeus, has typically been used to extort money from online banking users, but a new variant is making the rounds that tries to get your money by saying you looked at child porn sites and must pay a violation fee to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Michael Cooney | 31 May | Read more

Exactly what is Homeland Security watching for on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube?

The idea that <a href="http://www.aclu.org/blog/technology-and-liberty/facebook-twitter-and-dhs-which-one-these-things-not-others">any number of federal institutions are watching</a> your every move on social networks like Facebook, Twitter is unnerving at best. T<a href="http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/dhs-looking-bolster-drone-security-surveillance-system">he Department of Homeland Security</a> is one of those agencies and today it testified before a House subcommittee to define and defend its role in social media monitoring.

Michael Cooney | 17 Feb | Read more

U.S. needs to be on-guard for a big cyber-attack

A destructive attack from cyberspace "is coming, in my opinion. It is a question of time. What we don't know is how far out it is," and whether it will target commercial infrastructure, government networks or mobile platforms Army Gen. <a href="http://www.nsa.gov/about/leadership/bio_alexander.shtml">Keith Alexander</a> told attendees of the "<a href="http://www.crows.org/details/144-maneuvering-in-cyberspace-and-io.html">Maneuvering in Cyberspace</a>" symposium this week.

Michael Cooney | 15 Sep | Read more

US needs to kick network security intelligence up a notch

There is an urgent need for businesses and our government to develop high-level cyber-intelligence as a way to combat the unacceptable levels of <a href="https://images.magnetmail.net/images/clients/INSA/attach/INSA_CYBER_INTELLIGENCE_2011.pdf">online security threats</a> because the current "patch and pray" system won't cut it in the future.

Michael Cooney | 14 Sep | Read more

IRS: Top 10 things every taxpayer should know about identity theft

As part of a look at the impact of identity theft and the Internal Revenue Service, watchdogs at the Government Accountability Office issued the IRS' top 10 list of identity theft information everyone should be aware of. Some of the information is obvious, perhaps, but overall even the basics of security were followed in many cases the impact of identity theft could be reduced.

Michael Cooney | 03 Jun | Read more