Brief: U.S. gov’t mandates laptop security
Brief: U.S. gov’t mandates laptop security
U.S. gov’t mandates laptop security
Wachovia Exposes Latest Card Fraud, But More Banks Likely Ensnared
Wachovia Corp., some of whose debit card holders have been victimized by a data breach that happened several months ago, began sending notices and replacement cards to those customers recently because it began to see signs of fraud after months of monitoring the accounts, the bank says. Although Wachovia?s action made the breach public knowledge, observers say the bank is not likely to be the only financial institution whose debit cards have been compromised in this latest incident of leaked card data. As has been the case with previous incidents, it?s unclear exactly when this breach occurred. It?s known that it happened months ago because Visa USA quietly issued a member alert about it in February. A Wachovia spokesperson tells Digital Transactions News the bank began monitoring transactions as soon as the Visa alert came out, but apparently nothing happened at first.
Another Government Security Breach
This is starting to cost a lot of money.
Why home firewall software is a leaky dike
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. That’s doubly true when it comes to protecting computers that are connected to the internet. Anyone who thinks that a virtual firewall is enough to protect a PC from the dangers of the internet — such as hacker attacks and unwanted contact with damaging programs — is making a mistake. That level of safety requires a combination of several protective measures. Firewall software for home use is not much more than a leaky dike. “It’s dangerous to view a firewall as some sort of PC airbag,” warns Professor Stefan Wolf, who teaches applied computer sciences at the Polytechnic University of Lippe and Hoexter, Germany.