Info Risk Today Podcast

The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks struck the U.S., but the impact and lessons affected the world and the entire information security profession, says Rolf von Roessing, past international vice president of ISACA.

Although the 9/11 attacks 10 years ago were a strong catalyst for ramped up disaster recovery and business continuity planning, there's still plenty of work to do, says security specialist Mac McMillan.

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, federal IT leader Mark Forman was briefing government chief human resources directors on the president's e-government initiative at a forum at the University of Maryland, a 10-mile drive from his White House office, when word came of the first jet crashing into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York.

As we approach the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the U.S., Kevin Sullivan, a former investigator with the New York State Police, reflects on lessons learned and steps industries still need to take to ensure a tragedy like 9/11 is never repeated.

Frequent face-to-face training on social media policies is a vital component of any risk management effort, says consultant Erika Del Giudice.

Out with the old; in with the new. It's time for security-minded organizations to invest in the power and protection of the next generation firewall, says Matt Keil of Palo Alto Networks.

Doug Johnson of the ABA and FS-ISAC says banks and commercial customers are improving efforts to catch and thwart incidents of corporate account takeover, a sign that the industry is moving in a positive payments direction.

Careers in IT security remain hot, says David Foote, noted researcher and analyst of IT workforce trends. But there's a disconnect between current job opportunities and the talent pool looking to fill them.

The future worth of payments will not rely so much on tangible currency, but more on digital value and data. And that means a stronger need for security and data management.

Facial recognition technology could prove to be an effective way to authenticate individuals seeking entry to secured buildings or databases storing sensitive information. But the biometric technology already is being abused, and IT security managers employing facial recognition should be careful to encrypt the biometric data, cautions a privacy rights leader.

In many states, the top information security officer champions IT security rather than dictates it, as the decisions of specific steps to take to safeguard digital assets are left to departments, agencies and commissions.

Fraud is a global concern, and an area regulators and financial institutions the world-over are watching closely, says Bill Isaac. Whether a cyberthreat or mortgage fraud, investments in fraud prevention will continue, despite the state of the international economy.

ICBA's Chris Lorence says all financial institutions, especially community banks, should appreciate the positive and negative effects posts on social-networking sites can have on their reputations.

Having complete documentation of every aspect of your privacy and security strategy is the best way to prepare for a HIPAA audit, says consultant Cliff Baker.

Former FDIC head Bill Isaac says U.S. banks have strengthened their financial footing since the market collapse of 2008, but the U.S. economy remains on the verge of a "double-dip" recession. The reason: poorly planned regulatory reforms.

Give a man a fish, you feed him for today, the proverb says. Teach a man to fish; and you feed him for a lifetime. That adage can be applied to information security, as well.

As banks and credit unions assess online risk, in light of the updated guidance from the FFIEC, financial fraud analyst Tom Wills says they should consider mobile as a viable layer for out-of-band authentication.

Regulation and legislation are working in banking institutions' favor, helping them enhance fraud prevention and detection investments for debit and online banking.

Healthcare organizations entering cloud computing contracts should carefully consider whether they need additional liability insurance coverage to address the risks involved, says IT consultant Gerard Nussbaum.

Eduardo Perez says, simply, the "time was right" for Visa's introduction of chip-based payments incentives for U.S. merchants. Visa's new mobile-to-EMV program offers PCI-audit-compliance waivers to qualified merchants who implement dual-interface contact and contactless acceptance.