One new article link has been added to our Related News page. WSFA published an article titled Student charged after threatening video posted to social media:
According to Department of Public Safety spokesperson Martha Earnhardt, the female student was taken into custody Wednesday evening after a threatening video was posted to Facebook.
Source: WSFA
Greg Price recently submitted an article to the Troy Messenger, You are what keeps me up at night:
Exploiting the human during a cyberattack is common. In fact, statistically, over seventy percent of the reported attacks in 2017, occurred due to human error. Approximately half of those successful attacks exploited the day-to-day end-user, the remainder were errors by the IT employees.
Attacking the human is successful, in part, because of human nature. Targeting the good nature, curiosity, and, eagerness of a person is simple. We want to help, we want to engage with technology.
Greg Price recently submitted an article to the Troy Messenger, Alabama’s new breach law:
Starting June 1, 2018, private and public entities must establish reasonable data security measures and notify those affected negatively when personal data has been compromised. Despite Alabama being last to the data breach notification parade, our law has been described among the most stringent in the nation. From my personal experiences, I agree, Alabama’s law takes into consideration third-party service providers which many states neglect. Alabama’s inclusion of “third-party agents,” that is to say, entities contracted to maintain, store, process, or otherwise permitted to access sensitive personally identifying information in connection with providing services to a covered entity, is outstanding for Alabama’s citizens – there is no hiding, passing of the proverbial buck: if you collect electronic information from your customers, you are responsible for it.
Greg Price recently submitted an article to the Troy Messenger, Yeah, you’re being watched:
What’s the solution? Regulation? Perhaps. However, I wonder if Facebook were to simply abandon the ad-driven model and go to a paid subscription model, what would happen? The issues with fraudulent accounts would be easier to address, age verification would be simple, and, you could get to what you want: sharing without the debris field of ads and weird news feeds. But, we’ve become accustomed to “free” web content, would the account holder be willing to exchange cash for a cleaner playing field? I don’t know.
Greg Price recently submitted an article to the Troy Messenger, Cyberbullying – an epidemic:
In 2006, I received a request that angered and horrified me. Law enforcement often call with requests to review computer evidence, sometimes, they request assistance in collecting the computer evidence. A state law enforcement agency requested assistance with collection of computer evidence from an active crime scene. I traveled to the site.
I was unaware of the nature of the crime, until my arrival. A child, not quite a teenager, committed suicide. Near the child, a laptop glowed eerily. Law enforcement did not want to interact with the laptop due to its changing contents, for fear of damaging possible evidence.
The laptop displayed active contents from a discussion board. I discovered that the child visited the discussion board seeking help. The digital hangout was popular among teenagers. The presence, while not designed with ill intentions, became a conduit for bullying. Young people visited the site, degraded one another, spoke poorly about themselves and others. The power of perceived anonymity was powerful: remain hidden behind a computer and lash out, act in a fashion that most would never contemplate in the physical world.
Greg Price recently submitted an article to the Troy Messenger, How to keep your online data protected, to share important safety information during National Cyber Security Awareness Month:
Statistically, most cyber security issues originate from end-user activity. In fact, nearly seventy-five percent of all reviewed security breaches began as the result of end-user action.
The statistics do not surprise most security practitioners. After all, currently, end-users are the dominant consumer of electronic resources – people deploy, configure and use the devices. The machines aren’t running everything, yet.
We end-users make mistakes. Those statistics include IT professionals and everyday users. Often IT professionals lack adequate skills and training. Perhaps they exhibited some talent or aptitude and became the “go-to computer person”. Clever use of modern technology is no substitute for proper training. Nearly one-third of all security breaches were the result of poor IT configuration and management, according to an annual IBM cyber security study. Have confidence in your IT resources. If a search engine is your technician’s preferred tool, perhaps looking elsewhere is appropriate.
One new article link has been added to our Related News page. WSFA published an article titled Boy, 13, shoots neighbor after Facebook dispute.
Between three and five juveniles confronted the suspect in a wooded area as a result of a dispute police believe started on Facebook, according to the Taunton Gazette. They allegedly made comments that frightened the 13-year-old.
Police say the suspect then went to his home, unlocked a gun safe and retrieved a rifle. He returned to the scene where he shot the 12-year-old.
Source: WSFA
One new article link has been added to our Related News page. WSFA published an article titled Greenville bus driver arrested over texts to 15-year-old.
A Greenville bus driver has been arrested after police say he had “inappropriate text conversations” with a 15-year-old boy who rode on his bus.
Investigators have identified the driver as 29-year-old Leo Bowen. He was taken into custody on Oct. 3.
Source: WSFA
One new article link has been added to our Related News page. WSFA published an article titled Montgomery Police investigating department’s first human trafficking case.
A human trafficking suspect was arrested and two victims were recovered in Montgomery Monday night, according to the Montgomery Police Department.
Theon Dontray Smith, 27, of South Carolina, was arrested and charged with two counts of first degree human trafficking.
It is the first human trafficking case that the Montgomery Police Department has investigated since the state law was passed in 2010.
MPD Chief of Staff, Bryan Jurkofsky says the department received a call from out-of-state parents, which is what triggered the investigation.
“They received contact from their daughter, who said she was in Montgomery and asked for a welfare check,” Jurkofsky said. “Patrol units responded and identified two minor females and one adult male.”
Source: WSFA
One new article link has been added to our Related News page. AL.com published an article titled Alabama high school teacher charged with sex with 2 students.
An Opp high school teacher is on leave after she was arrested for having sex with two different students, police said.
Ashley Hall, 33, was booked into the Covington County Jail on May 1, according to jail records. She is charged with two counts of a school employee engaging in a sex act or deviant sexual intercourse with a student under the age of 19.
She was released from the jail the same day after posting $700,000 bond, $350,000 for each count. Hall taught English at Opp High School, according to the school’s website.
Source: AL.com
Alabama Computer Forensics Institute 