Tag Archives: disclosure

Spectre & Meltdown Response

1/24/2018 Update: Intel has validated our “wait & see” strategy with their updated response to this issue. They are now recommending that users refrain from installing the previously released updates due to reported issues that need to be investigated. Here is their statement: We have now identified the root cause of the reboot issue impacting […]

Should you be worried about the latest Yahoo security breach?

Yahoo email has experienced yet another security breach by hackers. Should you be worried about this? Even if you do not currently have a Yahoo email address, it is my opinion that you still need to be concerned. Email account hacking has been a recurring theme for Yahoo in recent years and the timing couldn’t be worse. Yahoo has […]

Beware of recycling old computers

I recently had a chat with a colleague who recounted his recent experience with a computer he recovered from a local electronics recycling center. His story was a bit shocking and I thought it really deserved a write-up. Electronics waste is a huge burden to local governments around the world. The pace of advancement in […]

Lessons learned from the Target PCI Breach

More information has been trickling out regarding the massive Target PCI breach that took place during the 2013 Christmas shopping season. Forensic researchers first learned that hackers penetrated Target’s network by means of a business transaction portal. It appears that Fazio Mechanical Services was the source. Fazio is a Pittsburgh-area nationwide mechanical contractor that services […]

Defend Against the CryptoLocker Virus

The “CryptoLocker” virus has been making a great deal of noise lately. Though we at Thom Infotech have not personally encountered it, we know others who have. We’ve written this post to help you to understand and defend against the CryptoLocker virus. What is it? CryptoLocker is an insidious twist on the all-too-familiar virus or […]

WordPress now offers automatic updates

There is welcome news for web developers this week as WordPress now offers automatic updates to the uber-popular web development platform. Starting out as a blogging tool, WordPress has morphed into a full website development ecosystem. Like many, this author has embraced WordPress due to its simplicity, flexibility, and easy search engine optimization. The importance […]

Advocate Healthcare HIPAA Breach Results in Class Action Lawsuit

Reports of HIPAA breach incidents are nothing new. HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) stipulates that healthcare providers, insurance companies, and those who serve them (also known as “Business Associates”) take extensive measures to protect the Protected Health Information (PHI) of their patients. Even the dearly departed are protected from such disclosures. For this […]

August 2013 Microsoft Patch Tuesday is Here

It’s the second Tuesday of the month, so that means it’s Patch Tuesday. Microsoft will begin rolling out patches as the day progresses. This means your computer will likely reboot overnight. Here’s a rundown of the patches you can expect. Three updates classified as “Critical”: Internet Explorer – all versions from 6 to 10 Microsoft […]

Six people fired from Cedars-Sinai over patient privacy breach

According to the LA Times, five workers and a student research assistant were fired in the wake of a patient privacy breach affecting the patient medical records of 14 patients. According to a statement released by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the 14 patient records were “inappropriately accessed” between June 18 and June 24. Four of those […]

WellPoint Fined $1.7M For ePHI Disclosure

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced last week that the managed care company WellPoint, Inc. had agreed to pay a fine of $1.7 million to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) privacy and security rules. Like nearly all HHS fines, this case sends […]