Protecting Individual Data

Privacy policies for websites, smartphone apps and, especially, components of the emerging Internet of Things are usually ineffective or ignored by users, but Carnegie Mellon University researchers say properly designed privacy notices could help remedy that problem.

Those designing coming augmented reality systems should make them adaptable to change, resistant to hacking and responsive to the needs of diverse users, according to a white paper by an interdisciplinary group of researchers at the University of Washington’s Tech Policy Lab.

In an era when it seems every week brings a new story of large-scale hacking and identity theft, you might wonder if we’re all just sitting ducks for bad guys with computers. The answer, say UC Santa Barbara researchers, is a firm maybe.

The European Court of Justice has struck down the so-called Safe Harbor agreement, which allowed U.S. companies to skirt many European data privacy laws. Computer scientist Anna Lysyanskaya says now is a good time for companies to start using cryptographic methods that enable them to do business without collecting customers’ private information.

One illustrious career in computer sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Madison can be traced to an anxious mother, a cocktail party conversation, and a “dead boring” job — plus a fascination with low-level machine code, a subject that many computer scientists disdain.

In a new research report for the National Institute of Justice, Thomas Holt found many hackers and data thieves are operating in Russia or on websites where users communicate in Russian, making it easier to hide from U.S. and European authorities.

Spear phishing emails incorporate personal elements tailored to specific individuals in attempts to get victims to volunteer personal financial information or click on a link and download malicious software. A Cisco study showed that spear phishing email can generate $150,000 in profits per million emails.

The project goal is to provide insights into millennial cybersecurity behaviors that can inform better awareness training practices, improve millennial adherence to cybersecurity policies, and reduce risky behaviors in cyberspace.