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Identity is Security: Hackers Don’t Take Summer Vacation

Ah, summertime. While many of us are starting to daydream about putting our toes in the sand at the beach, hackers are making sure we pay attention to reality.

This week’s news starts with yet another fine hitting Yahoo for its 2014 breach (not the one where hackers compromised at least 3 Billion accounts, the other one, where at least 500 million user accounts were affected). Yahoo continues to suffer the fallout financially, most recently with a penalty by a UK data watchdog to the tune of $334 thousand for violations of the Data Protection Act 1998. While GDPR won’t apply retroactively, this gives us a peek at what’s coming when fines start hitting for GDPR violations.

Governments around the world continue to pay closer attention to cybersecurity. This week, we saw the US government take action on a favorite scam for late night comedians: the elusive Nigerian Prince. The feds launched Operation Wire Wire, which busted more than 70 scammers, who often introduce malicious software and use social engineering to get money transferred to their accounts. This operation is like putting a band-aid on a severed limb, but it’s a step in the right direction. (Also, for all the jokes we make about that Prince, he continues to run a successful scam).

With summer in full swing, so is the annual hodgepodge of summer camps. In the lineup are many cybersecurity camps under the U.S. Army’s cyberpatriot program geared toward educating kids on things like online security, viruses and malware (a giant leap for mankind). Girlstart, a STEM organization for girls in Austin, is also in full swing with their annual summer programs.

Election security also continues to be a topic of greater interest. If you’re among the concerned, you’ll be happy to know that a cybersecurity program is in the works that would allow federally funded laboratories to investigate security flaws in U.S. election technology.

And finally, bots are getting more attention in the cyber headlines. It’s just another step in this ever-evolving tech landscape we live in, and identity continues to remain at the center of it all.

Until next week, stay secure!

Editor’s note: At SailPoint, we know that identity is security, so we keep a pulse on what’s happening in cybersecurity every day. This weekly post features some of the biggest stories of the week and ones that may have flown under the radar. Check in each week for a news roundup and share what you’re reading with us by tweeting us at @SailPoint.


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