Brian Bowman - On the Cutting Edge » Security Breach

Redactions gone terribly wrong

Brian Bowman — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:56:20 +0000

CTV News is reporting that the U.S. federal government improperly posted an internal guide to its airport passenger screening procedures on the Internet in a way that could offer valuable tools to terrorists. The guide was posted on the U.S. Federal Business Opportunity website, but the sensitive information (which was electronically redacted, or blacked out) was not properly protected. Some websites, using widely available software, were able to uncover the original text of sections that had been redacted.

This situation is an example of redactions gone terribly wrong! And it should serve as a reminder to public and private sector organizations to take extra care when making redactions in documents that will be released to third parties. Different redaction strategies can be implemented depending on the circumstances. One strategy that I implement when records will be posted online is to make my redactions and then physically scan the document and save it as a PDF. It’s a basic way to protect sensitive portions of records. Please feel free to post a Comment below with other suggested strategies for making secure redactions.

Posted in Airport Security, Data Protection, Personal Information, Privacy, Redactions, Safeguarding, Security, Security Breach Tagged: Airport Security, Data Protection, Personal Information, Privacy, Redactions, Safeguarding, Security Breach

Smartphones in the workplace: what’s your business doing to manage the risk?

Brian Bowman — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:10:35 +0000

Recently, an interesting article in the Globe and Mail dealt with the issue of smartphone etiquette. Business professionals fidgeting with their BlackBerrys and iPhones in meetings, walking through airports with eyes glued to their small glowing screens and operating their devices in restrooms may seem unrealistic at first blush, but is it really? The reality is that smartphones have permeated the business world. They are everywhere, they are powerful and have the potential to be extremely damaging.

Breaches of confidential corporate data and personal information are nothing new to the business world, but smartphones have brought a new dimension to the problem. Smartphones are starting to make appearances in Canadian court cases in a supporting role, but it won’t be long before they are squarely in the spotlight. The latest iPhone model has up to 32GB of memory while BlackBerrys can store vast amounts of data on memory cards. The equivalent of entire filing cabinets can now be carried around conveniently in your shirt pocket. This reality has increased the risk for massive privacy breaches in the blink of an eye.

The big question is how involved should employers be in regulating and monitoring their employees use of smartphones? All encompassing monitoring of employee smartphone use is a touchy area, but the permeation of smartphones in today’s corporate world and the corresponding risks to businesses necessitates (at the very least) that relevant guidelines concerning their use in the workplace should be implemented by employers. All it takes to damage a business is for one employee to misplace their smartphone without having first activated their security settings.

Posted in Employee Monitoring, Privacy, Privacy Breach, Security, Security Breach, Smartphones Tagged: BlackBerrys, Businesses, Employee Monitoring, iPhones, Privacy, Privacy Breach, Security, Security Breach, Smartphones

Information requires safekeeping

Brian Bowman — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:16:48 +0000

Information requires safekeeping

In today’s economy, information is the most valuable corporate asset. And for this reason, businesses of all sizes should take steps to protect corporate information regardless of whether it is stored online or off-line. Whether it’s customer or supplier lists, intellectual property or employees’ personal information, it’s information that needs safekeeping. My September 6, 2006 column for the Winnipeg Free Press discusses the importance of protecting corporate information.

Posted in Access to Information, Privacy, Safekeeping, Security, Security Breach Tagged: Access to Information, Corporate Information, Online Reputation Management, Personal Information, Privacy, Safeguarding, Security, Security Breach