Susan Morrow
As seen in:
CSO,
Los Angeles Review of Books,
Information Age,
CyberNews,
Security Boulevard,
CoolTechZone,
IoT For All,
CIO East Africa
Covers:
cybersecurity
digital identity
privacy
IoT
AI
machine learning
deep learning
smart cities
Articles by Susan Morrow
What to do when deep fakes break our trust
The intersection of deep fakes and other verification abuses is breaking internet trust, possibly leading to a cascade of unstoppable fraud. But can identity decentralization save us? Trust is so deeply embedded into the human psyche that we’d struggle to live without it. When you go to catch a train, you trust that the train will turn up. If you buy your weekly food shop online, you trust the supermarket will deliver it on the specified day.
“Think before you click”: the power of these pithy statements
How companies can use language to engage staff and change risky security behaviors. The Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report consistently points out that human beings are at the center of data breaches. To reduce the impact of the human element in cyberattacks, companies attempt to improve the security behavior of employees. Security awareness training is the method behind attempts to reduce attacks through behavior modification.
Will being intimate with AI make you insecure?
Digital intimacy or ‘artificial intimacy’ will open a can of digital worms if we let our guard down. Can we feel safe under the watchful eye of AI? In the film “Her,” the protagonist, Theodore, falls in love with an AI-enhanced operating system called Samantha. Theodore develops a complex, affectionate, and intimate relationship with Samantha, the OS. The circumstances for the development of this relationship were ideal: Theodore was lonely, vulnerable, and needed intimacy.
Digital wallets and the rise of the identity trojan
The “wallet wars” have been heating up lately as vendors galore enter the identity wallet space. This notion of identity wallets has been bubbling up for a few years, brought about by the self-sovereign (or decentralized) identity movement. The concept of a digital wallet that contains one or more identity elements is compelling.
The privacy pitfalls of EU's eIDAS framework
The EU Commission has formally agreed on the use of a digital identity wallet, but the tech industry believes it may break internet security. The EU, which gave us the Euro currency, the infamous GDPR, and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, believes in the power of individual digital rights and interoperability.
Book review – Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon | Cybernews
Sam Bankman-Fried is on trial for the biggest crypto fraud of all time, accused of stealing an astonishing $10 billion. Michael Lewis followed the Crypto King for eight months to give us an insight into a strange world where effective altruism went spectacularly wrong. There’s a strange feeling in the tech industry of late – perhaps, during the fall of the Roman Empire, similar feelings permeated the societies under Roman rule.
The neo-Luddites: how much tech is too much?
The neo-luddites are coming for your technology – but do they have a point? I am a Luddite and a technologist. I've felt this way for a while now. It is a strange position to be in, as I love technology but also see the damage it does. Technology can be incredible and enabling for humans, and after all, we have always created technology; since our earliest stone tool-wielding ancestors to modern-day AI systems, human beings have excelled at creating technology. However, there's a new movement afoot.
Selling second-hand apparel online is a scammer's paradise
The global market for second-hand clothes is booming. According to GlobalData, the apparel resale market increased by 109% from 2016 to 2021, with an expected growth of another 85% by 2026. Reasons for this growth include the cost of living crisis and an awareness of the connection between throwaway fashion and climate change.
Is AI biased or just holding a mirror up to ourselves?
AI is permeating the foundation stones of society, from criminal justice to medicine to art. In doing so, it has opened a debate that’s currently raging. Rather than being a dispassionate, existential algorithm hailed as removing bias from decisions, AI has been described as dystopian and a danger to humanity. But is this hyperbole in action, or are AI algorithms as biased as made out? The biased human Bias isn't just an AI issue.
Survival of the fittest: who will win the war of wallets?
Many believe that identity wallets will save digital identity, but is this really the case? And if so, who will come out on top in the wallet wars? Material culture is a discipline that looks at the relationship between people and things. These 'things' are typically physical, such as stone tools, but as we all settle into the Anthropocene – regarded as the most recent epoch in human history – these 'things' are becoming digital too.
Here is what will happen to your data after your passing
Why digital death is about compassionate design but is vital to cybersecurity A few years ago, I lost a beloved friend. He was a software developer and way too young to die. A few months after he died, I received a Skype message from his account; this ghostly Skype message stopped me in my tracks. Working in cybersecurity, of course, I knew it meant his account had been hacked; nonetheless, it upset me. A few years earlier, my niece had lost her husband; again, far too early.
Matt Wallace upsets crypto community: what will he pump and dump next?
I often have my bag of popcorn out these days as the world of tech eats itself while Rome burns. A great example of watching as a tech giant tries to implode has been the takeover of Twitter by Elon Musk. But it is not just Musk that is upsetting the world. Musk super-adorer entrepreneur and social media personality Matt Wallace is stirring things up in the Dogecoin community using his influential Twitter account to make wild claims.
Quantum computer threatens the existence of Bitcoin
Fujitsu has announced a 1000-qubit quantum computer is on the horizon. Should we now start to worry about the real possibility that quantum will be a crypto-killer? If you stick around long enough in the tech sector, you'll notice that things come and go. The Y2K problem, the 'dotcom' crash of the late 1990s and early 2000s, the internet (just joking with that last one, but you never know). Bitcoin, and the blockchain in general, maybe another to add to that list if quantum computing gets its way.
The Ethereum Big Merge: panacea for climate change or goldmine for scammers?
The Ethereum Big Merge is coming soon, but will it help with climate change, and is there anything to worry about? Unless you have been living on Mars for the last year, you will have noticed that the planet is heating up: climate change has overwhelming evidence that humans are the baddies - check out NASA for the data. Cryptocurrency has come under the climate change spotlight because crypto-mining is an energy-intensive process. This fact is not lost on the crypto community.
Regulations are coming to your favorite crypto platform
If the cryptocurrency were to be regulated to the same extent as fiat currencies, would it fall into line or remain a fraudster stalwart? Fraud is big business: in 2021, financial fraud cost the world megabucks. Reports vary on the full extent of financial crime, but a study from analyst firm Juniper Research estimates that online payment fraud will top $343 billion by 2027. Fraud is hard to contain, and any chink in a system’s armor will open vulnerabilities that cybercriminals will find.
Third-party authentication (OAuth): Good or bad for security?
Industry insights There is a reasonable probability that anyone reading this will have set up an online account that uses Google, Facebook or other social media login for authentication. Social media-authenticated login options are convenient for users and web developers alike. Furthermore, social media logins are used not only to access online accounts but also to provide access to IoT devices, smart TVs, and other devices. But does this convenience cost us security?
Four examples of human error in cybersecurity — and how to fix them - Infosec Resources
Industry insights To err is human, as the saying goes, and cybercriminals take advantage of this most human trait. Human error is a contributing factor in a staggering 95% of cyberattacks, according to an IBM Threat Intelligence survey. And some industries, such as the financial sector, have a severe issue with human error: The Verizon 2021 Data Breach Investigation Report (DBIR) found that 55% of financial sector errors were due to the misdelivery of emails.
Experts call blockchain “technological fraud”
If you purchase via links on our site, we may receive . Home Crypto Is this the end for blockchain as 1500 experts send US Congress an appeal to be vigilant about the technology? Every so often in the world of tech, something comes along that makes investors salivate and technologists swoon. Blockchain is one such innovation that has taken the technology world by storm.
The 5 biggest cryptocurrency heists of all time
Nothing has captured the public imagination quite like cryptocurrency. The 2017 explosion of bitcoin into the public domain demonstrated the potential worth of this somewhat elusive digital currency. Anything that has value will at some point enter the sights of the cybercriminal community. As cryptocurrency has increased in value, the interest in stealing it has also increased. Here is a round-up of the top five cryptocurrency heists of all time. What is cryptocurrency theft?
Pay GDPR? No thanks, we’d rather pay cybercriminals
Once upon a time, ransomware was a simple cybercrime. You knew where you stood; the data was encrypted, and you either paid the ransom or not. Yes, life was simple back then. I am being facetious, of course, but as with many cyberattack tactics, ransomware has become more complex and multi-faceted. Encrypting corporate files is no longer enough for ransomware thieves. No, ransomware criminals now steal data first to put even more pressure on an organization to pay the ransom.
Consent phishing: How attackers abuse OAuth 2.0 permissions to dupe users
When cybercrime historians look back on the first half of the 21st century, they will undoubtedly point to phishing as the most successful, and therefore, the most prevalent technique used to circumvent security. One of the reasons for this success is the ability of the cybercriminals behind phishing to work out novel ways of using the technique. The latest line of phishing tactics is ‘consent phishing.’ What is consent phishing?
Women in cybersecurity — a mini Who’s Who - Infosec Resources
I started my career in science. When I left the pharmaceutical industry in the mid-‘90s, I was one of seven women in a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant with over 200 men. So when I came into the tech industry, I had some experience of being a lone female in a sea of male faces. However, when I first became involved in cybersecurity back in the ‘90s, I was shocked at the lack of females anywhere.
The state of BEC in 2021 (and beyond)
Ransomware has made major cybersecurity story headlines in the past 12 months. Therefore, a lot of focus and corporate resources are spent on mitigating the risk of ransomware. And rightly so. But another threat that has been around for a long time is just as damaging to a business: this is the specter of Business Email Compromise or BEC. The impact of BEC Ransomware makes headlines because of the acute impact on an infected business and the often massive ransom demands.
Cybersecurity is a public health crisis, so why don’t we treat it that way?
The past year of dealing with the Coronavirus has made one thing clear: Institutions have a variety of processes and tools that use data to measure and inform public health across the globe. Cybersecurity, like public health, has a similar worldwide scope, so why is our cyber public health so lacking in guidance? That’s a question posed by Adam Shostack in a recent public lecture. “We have [health] guidance for the public,” Shostack wrote in his lecture abstract.
Can We Have or Do We Even Need, Ethical Technology?
Many of us have woken up to a new year, after a dreadful 2020, wondering about our lives, who we are, and how we impact the planet. This feeling of doing harm is not just because of Covid-19 running rampage across the human species. This climate of harmful behavior has been percolating in tech circles for many years. In life, it often takes a major event to make you sit up and take notice.
The user experience of security
Introduction Back in the 1990s, when you mentioned cybersecurity to anyone, a glazed look would come over their face. And fair enough. Security, as a discipline of IT, was a bit dry and boring. Then the internet hit, and we all become co-opted into cybercrime in one form or another. Scams are now so ubiquitous that many countries have their own government services attempting to educate citizens.
Open Banking - The Answer to Reducing Fraud and Streamlining Access to Government Services. | THINK Digital Partners
Government services have been on a roller coaster ride for years now as technologies come and go. This situation is not unique to the UK. Government bodies across the world are actively trying to tackle the issues of customer engagement using identity tools. In the UK, even with the efforts of Verify, we still have a mosaic of capability when it comes to that engagement. Giving the public the ability to interact and transact with government at local or national level is no mean feat.
The Importance of a Robust Cyber Security Awareness Programme for Government Employees | THINK Digital Partners
Lisa Ventura, CEO UK Cyber Security Association Human error plays a big part in many security breaches – more than 90% according to a recent study. It is therefore little wonder that organisations are looking at cyber security awareness training programmes, and these are especially important for government departments.
4 key problems with digital identity and why we need a new approach
Digital identity is now much more than a way to authenticate someone to access a resource. Identity and access management (IAM) has matured into a more holistic and consumer-led model, driven by privacy, cybersecurity pressures and greater functional needs. The services a consumer IAM system now must deliver require a new way of thinking about what a digital identity is and what functionality it has to perform.Organizations and the identity industry need to break out of the point solution mindset.
I’ve nothing to hide, so why should I care about privacy?
Illustration: © IoT For All “[The law] makes assumptions that folks have the time to understand what they are told; folks have the capability to analyze the consequences both short term and long term; folks have the strength (including economic independence) to negotiate the terms of the exchange; folks have alternatives etc.” – Malcolm Crompton, ex-privacy Commissioner, Australia Sometimes, when you get into a discussion on the topic of privacy you’re presented with “I have nothing to hide,...
Smart Technology and the Threat to Privacy: Who is Watching Whom?
Illustration: © IoT For All In my previous post, I talked about the factors behind a city, such as artificial intelligence and cyber-physical systems. Data within the smart city is analogous to blood that courses through the veins of the city, giving life to the structures within. A smart city is smart because it works to better our human environment needs, such as more efficient energy systems and building, and transport.
The Blood, Heart and Brain of the Smart City
Illustration: © IoT For All In the last few posts, I used analogies with smart city processes and technologies using our physical being. In the “Brain of the Smart City,” I looked at how artificial intelligence can be used to put smart into the heart of the city. This next post looks at the driving forces behind the smart city and how personal data dovetails with these to generate a fuller picture of what it means to live in a smart city.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: The Brain of the Smart City
Illustration: © IoT For All Another post in my series on smart cities and privacy. This continues from the previous post Smart City Data: A Convoluted Web. The data collected by sensors and IoT devices in the smart city have to, somehow, be used. Information can provide insights to spot patterns and trends. If you have enough of it, aka big data, you can get a pretty accurate picture of whatever it is you’re exploring.
Smart City Data: A Convoluted Web
Illustration: © IoT For All Continuing on from my previous post about the “blood” of our smart cities in “Data and Identity in the Smart City,” I want to look further into the way data is used in these smarter living spaces. IoT and Cyber-Physical Systems: The Beating Heart of the Smart City The Internet of Things (IoT) is a manufacturing success story of the modern era. These devices are used for both consumer and commercial reasons.
The Identity of Smart City Factors
Illustration: © IoT For All Strong driving factors are behind the push to smarten up our cities. In the 21st century, we’re faced with the vital need to manage the lifecycle of human day-to-day activities. We’re talking here about our basic human needs: food, hygiene, waste disposal, clean air, medicine, transport and work. To create optimal conditions for many people on a small Earth, we have no choice but to be clever about it. So, what do we have to help us in this endeavor?
The Identity of Smart City Factors
Illustration: © IoT For All Strong driving factors are behind the push to smarten up our cities. In the 21st century, we’re faced with the vital need to manage the lifecycle of human day-to-day activities. We’re talking here about our basic human needs: food, hygiene, waste disposal, clean air, medicine, transport and work. To create optimal conditions for many people on a small Earth, we have no choice but to be clever about it. So, what do we have to help us in this endeavor?
The Arrival of Smart City Living
Illustration: © IoT For All A hundred years ago, the world was in the midst of the influenza pandemic. By 1920, the effects of the epidemic were being shaken off. Back then, the residents of cities in the U.S. and many parts of the developed world were witness to the wider adoption of technological developments. This included electricity, indoor plumbing, and telecommunications. These prototypes of the smart cities to come offered improvements in living. Nonetheless, they were far from perfect.
The Arrival of Smart City Living
Illustration: © IoT For All A hundred years ago, the world was in the midst of the influenza pandemic. By 1920, the effects of the epidemic were being shaken off. Back then, the residents of cities in the U.S. and many parts of the developed world were witness to the wider adoption of technological developments. This included electricity, indoor plumbing, and telecommunications. These prototypes of the smart cities to come offered improvements in living. Nonetheless, they were far from perfect.
Anatomy of a Smart City (Part II)
Illustration: © IoT For All This post continues where the last left off: Anatomy of a Smart City (Part I). Work, Transportation and Buildings Working and doing business in a smart city should be about creating opportunities for business and better working conditions. However, in concurrence with the shift to smarter cities, the whole area of work is changing. Robotics and automation are going to cause a shift in the type of work we do. Jobs across the skill spectrum will be disrupted.
Anatomy of a Smart City (Part I)
Illustration: © IoT For All The time has come to write down a definition of what a smart city is. Like its forebears, the smart city now has the drivers in place to become a reality. The cities that grew out of the Neolithic agricultural revolution and then later the industrial revolution, were driven by similar forces : increased population and technological advances that facilitated and drove a change in living conditions. The modern city has these same drivers but on a much larger scale.
The Modern Smart City Comes of Age
Illustration: © IoT For All This post picks up where my last left off:From Neolithic Privacy to Smart City Privacy. The industrial revolution began in 18th century Britain. It caused a massive change in society that quickly moved outside of the British Isles. The revolution saw changes that touched across technology, society and the economy. If data is to be the food of the smart city, energy was the food of the post-industrial revolution city.
The Modern Smart City Comes of Age
Illustration: © IoT For All This post picks up where my last left off:From Neolithic Privacy to Smart City Privacy. The industrial revolution began in 18th century Britain. It caused a massive change in society that quickly moved outside of the British Isles. The revolution saw changes that touched across technology, society and the economy. If data is to be the food of the smart city, energy was the food of the post-industrial revolution city.
When identity data eclipses digital identity
Using data stores to do the real job of identity online. By Susan Morrow Contributor, CSO | When I first became involved in the identity space, which was about 10 years now, the definition of ‘digital identity’ was being hotly debated. This debate raged on over the years, but out of it, a stoic pragmatism has emerged. Digital identity is many things, but what it has in common across all definitions, is data.
Security Boulevard
The operating system: the fundamental part of our computing environment. It is the mothership that controls the software and hardware applications that provide the tools of computing. But the… Go on to the site to read the full article *** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Infosec Resources authored by Susan Morrow. Read the original post at: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/infosecResources/~3/lNZDh-pGzAE/ March 26, 2019March 26, 2019 Susan Morrow General Security
Peeling the Onion — Security Onion OS - Security Boulevard
Introduction In a world where security threats feel out of control, the security professional needs some help to do their job. Security tools are an important part of the armory for those professionals. But there is quite a bit of choice, including open-source enterprise toolkits. The question being asked is do you build your own setup, or do you look to other solutions to give you what you need to tackle cyberthreats?
The First Smart City | IoT For All
Illustration: © IoT For All The first article in this series on smart city privacy and its origins was published on March 1st, 2019. Agriculture began its popular uptake in three main areas, the Near East, North China, New Guinea, and Mesoamerica. The “Fertile Crescent,” an area that includes Jordan, Israel, Lebanon and Syria, is commonly thought to be the motherland of the agricultural revolution of around 12,000 years ago. City dwelling didn’t happen overnight, of course.
Security Boulevard
The Ponemon Institute’s “State of Endpoint Security Risk 2018” report has a number of interesting findings. Two of these findings stand out. First, 52% of respondents say that cyberattacks “cannot be… Go on to the site to read the full article *** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from InfoSec Resources authored by Susan Morrow. Read the original post at: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/infosecResources/~3/m6HslNbGk8A/ March 11, 2019March 11, 2019 Susan Morrow General Security
Smart City Privacy : Our Past, Who We Are and Why We Live This Way
Illustration: © IoT For All In a series of posts, I will talk about the concept of a “smart city” and the privacy implications of living in such an environment. To build up a picture of what the privacy implications of smart living are, I will look back at how human beings came to live in cities in the first place. As we move into a near-future where data and the Internet of Things (IoT) will run our cities, looking back to look forward may help us design better places to live.
Smart City Privacy : Our Past, Who We Are and Why We Live This Way
Illustration: © IoT For All In a series of posts, I will talk about the concept of a “smart city” and the privacy implications of living in such an environment. To build up a picture of what the privacy implications of smart living are, I will look back at how human beings came to live in cities in the first place. As we move into a near-future where data and the Internet of Things (IoT) will run our cities, looking back to look forward may help us design better places to live.
Security Boulevard
Careers Security Awareness Security Bloggers Network We hear a lot about malware, and fair enough — malware is behind some of the world’s largest data breaches. However, malware has a cousin. This cousin is known as grayware. Grayware, as the name suggests, sits somewhere in the middle between purposely malicious and not. At best, this software is annoying; at worst, it can act as an open doorway to actual malicious programs.
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