The week in security: With breaches soaring, is cybersecurity just minutes to midnight?

Credit: ID 131225312 © John Albert | Dreamstime.com

Over 59,000 GDPR breaches have been recorded since the legislation became active in May, but there have only been 91 fines handed down – leading some to wonder whether regulators simply can’t keep up.

Australia’s record of breaches was also continuing, with the last quarter of 2018 delivering more breaches than ever.

The numbers around cybersecurity compromise are only getting bigger and the risks more severe – leading to suggestions the cybersecurity climate should be factored into decisions about where to set the cold war-era Doomsday Clock.

Scammers were taking a novel approach to email fraud by capitalising on peculiarities of Google’s email-addressing scheme.

A strategic partnership between the security industry peak body the Australian Information Security Association (AISA) and the government’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) was looking set to bulk up Australia’s regional reputation for security excellence.

Also looking at the image of cybersecurity was one ethical hacker who worried that mental health is an unrecognised issue in the industry.

Apple patched the high-profile FaceTime bug that allowed users to hear the conversations of people even after rejecting an invitation to chat.

The latest generation of tools is getting more proactive about security notifications. Google’s Password Checkup plugin for Chrome, for one, will let you know whether your login credentials have been compromised in a data breach, and offers tips for better security.

Microsoft, for its part, updated its Authenticator app so that it now lets you know when your password has been changed.

And CrowdStrike unveiled its CrowdStrike Store, providing new access to endpoint security data to give customers more options in developing and refining their security perimeters.

It’s all about securing credentials better – a recurring theme that has taken on new urgency in the rush to speed up the pace of business change using DevOps strategies.

Tags GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)

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