cyber security: [july 2008]
Published: 06/05/2008
- Information at Thieves' Fingertips
From the article of the same title by: Rulison, Larry, Times Union - The New York State Cyber Security Conference recently hosted experts who demonstrated some of today's biggest cyber security threats. University of Albany professor Sanjay Goel and a team of researchers demonstrated how easy it is to steal personal information off of "swipeless" credit cards by using small sensors, a laptop, and special software. "The lesson is that as we advance technology, we're creating new vulnerabilities we're not aware of," Goel says. One of the cards the team demonstrated on was the American Express Blue card, which features a RFID chip to enable quick swipeless payment. American Express spokeswoman Molly Faust says the security measures used in the card and the company's payment system would make any information downloaded from the card useless. Other speakers at the convention discussed threats facing consumers, businesses, and government agencies in the age of wireless Internet and advanced computing technology.
Keynote speaker Patrick Gray, a senior security strategist for Cisco Systems and a 20-year veteran of the FBI, says terrorists and nation states are constantly trying to attack the United States and government agencies through cyberspace. New York's cyber security office director William Pelgrin says the threats range from international terrorists to teens trying to pull pranks, though such "pranks" could cause significant damage. "The amount of malicious activity out there is just getting louder and louder," Pelgrin says.
Read more >
