California Consumer Privacy Act vs. GDPR: What Your Business Needs to Know

by Sarah Harvey / December 22, 2022

Data Privacy and Security in the US According to Pew Research Center, 64% of American adults have experienced data theft. Yahoo, eBay, Equifax, Target, Anthem, Home Depot – it has become habitual to worry about data breaches, identity theft, and other privacy concerns. With every new headline of a data breach, it seems like consumers are losing more control over what personal information is publicly available. At the same time,…

GDPR Readiness: Challenges for Organizations Outside of the EU

by Sarah Harvey / February 20, 2023

Although the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) enforcement deadline has passed, many non-EU organizations are still questioning what they need to do to ensure compliance. Do they need a designated representative? Where does their designated representative need to be located? Is a designated representative the same thing as a Data Protection Officer? Who do they need to notify that they have a designated representative? How do they do this?…

SOC 1 Compliance Checklist: Are You Prepared for a SOC 1 Audit?

by Sarah Harvey / April 12, 2023

What is a SOC 1 Audit? The SOC 1 audit is based on an attestation standard developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) to be used in the auditing of third-party service organizations, whose services are relevant to their clients’ impact over financial reporting. A SOC 1 Type I report is an attestation of controls at a service organization at a specific point in time. It reports on…

Horror Stories – Magecart’s Malicious Skimming Campaign

by Sarah Harvey / June 14, 2023

In September, British Airways announced that 380,000 transactions were compromised during a breach that took place between August 21 and September 5. Fortunately, no travel or passport details were compromised, but payment information was obtained through digital skimming of the airline’s website and app. The UK’s National Crime Agency, National Cybersecurity Centre, and Information Commissioner’s Office are investigating this incident. This breach is being linked to Magecart, a threat group that…

Horror Stories – 5 Cities Victimized By Cyber Threats

by Sarah Harvey / June 14, 2023

Hospitals, airports, police departments, educational systems, court records, water services, payment portals, technology infrastructure – these cornerstones of the public sector are under attack every day from complex cyber threats. ICMA and Microsoft’s cybersecurity report claims that 44% of local governments are under attack daily. The FBI reports that over 4,000 ransomware attacks occur daily. This year, when the City of Atlanta was compromised by a ransomware attack, the nation…