Press Releases

SEPTEMBER 20, 2008

Data Security Expert Says Insider Threat is Top Challenge for 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hopkinton, MA - Protecting the perimeter is no longer enough; Minuteman Governance outlines four critical steps organizations must take now:
1. Implement ongoing systems monitoring.
2. Develop comprehensive policies governing employee access of sensitive data.
3. Establish an employee awareness program.
4. Enforce consistent disciplinary standards for those who willfully violate the prohibitions against unauthorized access.
DOWNLOAD PDF (136 KB)

Articles

October 12, 2009

Data Breach Bulwark - All companies need to be in compliance with new state law by March 1

By Bradford L. Miner, TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF - Massachusetts has the strictest law in the nation governing protection of personal information, but relatively few businesses have complied with new regulations designed to be more business friendly that become effective March 1.
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MAY 4, 2009

A New Law That Protects Consumer Data

“Data breach” has become a commonly used term in recent years. Although this phrase may be interpreted in a variety of different ways, it evokes a common reaction: Fear. Individuals whose personal information is compromised by these events often fall victim to identity theft and spend years attempting to reclaim their reputations. Companies compromised by a breach are forever associated with these incidents and suffer incalculable damage.
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JANUARY 5, 2009

Data Breach Law Confronts Grim Reality of ID Theft

Although the term “data breach” has become well known throughout society, many remain unaware that an increasing number of these assaults on our privacy are originating from within organizations to which we entrust our most personal information. READ MORE

OCTOBER, 2007

Confronting The Emerging Threat

Data breach has become the catch-all phrase used to describe the endless drumbeat of information security incidents in recent years. Although this term may be interpreted in many ways and used in a variety of contexts, it causes a universal reaction: FEAR. While it is difficult to measure the damage that data breaches cause, organizations exposed to a publicized database intrusion, laptop theft, or similar incident experience diminished customer confidence and the accompanying consequences. READ ENTIRE ARTICLE (PDF 3.2 MB)

JULY, 2008

Managing The Insider Threat

How secure is your database? Before you answer this question by discussing the sophisticated firewall technology that has been installed to prevent external attacks, the comprehensive authentication protocols that have been devised or the physical security measures in place at the data center, consider the following hypothetical scenarios. A
bank employee accesses her neighbor’s accounts and discloses this information to another person living in the neighborhood.

An employee of a mutual fund company accesses his father-inlaw’s accounts without a legitimate reason or permission from the unsuspecting relative. Out of curiosity, an employee at a local hospital accesses admission records of a high-profile athlete whom he recognized in the emergency room.

These scenarios are not the work of an anonymous intruder lurking in cyberspace or the identity thief who has compromised a data center. Rather, this type of “database browsing” is perpetrated by trusted insiders - employees whose duties require them to have access to vast databases housing financial, medical and educational information. READ ENTIRE ARTICLE (PDF 52 KB)