Peter A Clarke

Thursday 28 January 2021 is Data Privacy Day. It is also the 40th anniversary of Convention 108 and the 15th edition of the Data Protection Day.

The National CyberSecurity Alliance aptly describes what the day is about where it states:

Data Privacy Day is a global effort — taking place annually on January 28th — that generates awareness about the importance of privacy, highlights easy ways to protect personal information and reminds organizations that privacy is good for business. Data Privacy Day began in the United States and Canada in January 2008 as an extension of the Data Protection Day celebration in Europe. Data Protection Day commemorates the Jan. 28, 1981, signing of Convention 108, the first legally binding international treaty dealing with privacy and data protection. Data Privacy Day is observed annually on Jan. 28.

Data Privacy Day is the signature event in a greater privacy awareness and education effort. Year-round, NCSA educates consumers on how they can own their online presence and shows organizations how privacy is good for business.

In 2021, NCSA is encouraging individuals to “Own Your Privacy” by learning more about how to protect your valuable data online, and encouraging businesses to “Respect Privacy”, which advocates for holding organizations responsible for keeping individuals’ personal information safe from unauthorized access and ensuring fair, relevant and legitimate data collection and processing. These themes are encouraged through the below messaging and calls to action:

The Victorian Information Commissioner marked the day by Read the rest of this entry »

Ambulance Tasmania has suffered a massive data breach. According to the ABC’s Tasmania Police called in after ambulance patient details published online personal information of every Tasmanian who called the Tasmanian Ambulance Service since November 2020 has been accessed and posted on line by a third party.  The specific nature of the breach is unknown but it was to the paging system.  What makes this breach so damaging is that the data accessed is sensitive information, relating to a person’s health status as well as that person/s age, gender and address.

What is both surprising and disturbing is that the data hacked from Ambulance Tasmania has been publicly visible since November last year.

What is less surprising is that it appears that previously deficiencies had been identified in the communications system and processes.  That is quite a common situation.  The problems are apparent but there is no incentive to attend to those problems because time and money can be spent elsewhere which provides more immediate benefit and the legal consequences of a data breach are small because the legislation is weak and the regulators are timid.

The Government response follows the dreary, obsolete path adopted by many Australian Government agencies of the responsible minister being concerned, referring Read the rest of this entry »

The Internet of Things, with gadgets and devices previously stand alone now connected to the internet, has always been blighted by vulnerabilities to cyber attack.  The stories of baby monitors being hacked and taken over by criminals or just garden variety creeps are legion and have passed into cyber security folk lore.  Invariably the cause of the hack of a baby monitor is down to the usual problems with any form of security involving a device connected to the internet with some specific issues involving videos; poor security of wireless routers, no or a lousy password for the monitor (often factory settings are left in place), reusing stolen credentials, default log ins and easy to access settings and not updating or patching software as and when required. 

The BBC reports that the hackers have, disturbingly, gone further than standard interference with a device.  Hackers goes beyond accessing home cameras of a residence and now engage in swatting, where they contact or otherwise get police Read the rest of this entry »