UMass recruits in Springfield for MassMutual-inspired cyber security program

SPRINGFIELD — When the University of Massachusetts was developing its cyber security program at the UMass Center at Springfield, it surveyed area employers about the need for trained computer security professionals.

Yes, please, they said. We want more … and fast.

“This program is for Springfield,” said Tracy Mitrano, who is the academic dean and an instructor for UMass Amherst cyber security programs. “We are in a global information economy. You cannot navigate a global information economy if all your information is just getting sucked out.”

That goes if you are Baystate Health with its database of patient information or MassMutual Financial Group, which holds sensitive financial and customer data. For the full article click here 

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Cyber security company to bring 50 high-paying jobs to Pocatello

POCATELLO — Cyber security and data company Buchanan & Edwards is opening offices in Pocatello this October, bringing with it 50 new jobs.

The Arlington, Virginia-based company provides technology services to federal contractors, including the FBI in Pocatello. The new information technology and data specialists will go to work at the FBI’s new expansion off Pole Line Road. According to Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad, the new jobs are both high-skilled and high-paying. Salaries begin in the range of $60,000 per year. According to Bannock Development Corporation Executive Director John Regetz, the company has not hired for these positions yet. Officials from Buchanan & Edwards did not respond to calls for comment Thursday.

The company maintains several offices in Virginia as well as Washington, D.C., and Charleston, South Carolina, and supports clients in more than 100 countries. For the full article click here 

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Cyber Security Month phishes for solutions

October is Cyber Security Month and NC State plans to engage students, helping them learn about the threats they face online.

The month’s highlight event is on Oct. 22, where the FBI Cybersquad will come in to talk to students in Stewart Theatre.

“We are working with the FBI cybercrime division here in Raleigh, who are coming to talk to students who may want to work with them or are interested in cybersecurity,” said Leo Howell, the assistant director of security and compliance at NC State.

Howell says that the main security threat facing students today is phishing, which is using technology to pretend to be a legitimate company in order to gain information such as credit card numbers or account login information. For the full article click here 

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New Cyber Security Alliance aims to protect the city, county from hackers

LAS VEGAS (KSNV News3LV) — Southern Nevada’s cyber-space is about to get a lot more secure. On Thursday, the Southern Nevada Cybersecurity Alliance or SNCA will be launched during an inaugural meeting at the Innevation Center in Southwest Las Vegas.

The subject of cyber security has been in the news a lot lately, from the 500-million stolen Yahoo accounts, to Wells Fargo, to Hilary Clinton emails, even the Federal Government. That’s why Jonathan Davies, a former British Intelligence Officer and current cyber security expert for a major Las Vegas-based corporation, decided to form SNCA.

“In the event of a perceived or imminent threat to the critical infrastructure of any one of the cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas or Henderson the Mayor or Chief Information Officer can pick up a phone and say, Jonathon, I think we need some help with this, can you help us out?” said Davies. For the full article click here 

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Keshav Tadimeti: UCLA must implement preemptive stringent cybersecurity measures

You would have to be a yahoo to still be using Yahoo. And this time, that’s not just because Gmail is superior.

If you haven’t heard, Yahoo announced last week there was a massive security breach of its servers, resulting in hackers stealing email account information for over 500 million users. In other words, there’s over a 50 percent chance that your Yahoo account has been compromised. It’s sad to say, but Yahoo has goofed so badly that you probably have a better chance of your account information being leaked than you do of flipping tails on a coin.

While Yahoo’s hackers were only able to get their hands on encrypted versions of users’ passwords, that’s barely comforting, considering users continue to have passwords like ‘1234’, ‘password’ and ‘iloveyou’ for their accounts – passwords that can be easily brute-forced and guessed by auto-generated ‘rainbow lists,’ lists consisting of thousands of simple passwords.

While word of state-sponsored hacking hovers uncertainly in the Yahoo breach tale, it is becoming increasingly clear that no one can wash their hands of cybersecurity – and that includes UCLA’s administrators and students. For the full article click here 

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Consumer Watch: Cybersecurity is a must even for smaller firms

In our digital age there is extraordinary technology that improves our lives, increases our productivity and makes it easy to access information on just about anything. But there’s also a serious risk for cybercriminals to leverage our dependence on technology for financial gain.

Earlier this year, I read a frightening article in Forbes in which IBM President Ginni Rometty said, “Cybercrime may be the greatest threat to every company in the world.”

She’d get no argument from Yahoo, which, as most of you now know, has revealed that it’s been victimized by hackers and that hundreds of millions of customer accounts have been compromised. Other companies that have been through

this, such as Target, Home Depot and too many other firms to mention, probably would agree as well. For the full article click here 

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Cybersecurity Short Sellers Get More Selective

Cybersecurity has become an increasingly important issue that companies have to address as they continue to develop new platforms and mobile apps. Hackers have been able to steal credit card and personal information from major retailers like Home Depot and Target. As a result, cybersecurity has become more necessary, and instead of developing a dedicated department within a company, most opt to hire a third-party cybersecurity firm.

The September 15 short interest data have been compared with the previous figures, and short interest moves for the selected cybersecurity stocks were mixed. What is interesting here is that many investors think cybersecurity is the next area that needs real consolidation in technology. For the full article click here 

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