Ex-St. Louis Cardinals Scouting Director To Plead Guilty To Hacking

Accessing the digital accounts of others without their authorization may destroy your career and lead to prison.  Last year, the FBI began investigating the St. Louis Cardinals because it was alleged that one or more of their employees may have hacked into the Houston Astros internal computer network. 

According to The Wall Street Journal, Chris Correa, the former director of scouting at the St. Louis Cardinals plans to plead guilty to 5 of 12 hacking charges.  Soon after the investigation became public, Correa's employment with the Cardinals was terminated.  Why did Crorrea illegally access the Houston Astros internal network?  It appears that it was done for competitive reasons (i.e. money-winning the World Series can be very lucrative for an organization and its employees). 

Computer crimes is a growing industry and it will only increase as companies put their intellectual "crown jewels" in the cloud.  Therefore, it is imperative for companies to train their employees about cbyersecurity, cybercrime, and privacy to ensure their employees understand what they can and cannot do online.  Ignorance may lead to personal criminal penalties and corporate legal and financial liability. 

Copyright 2016 by The Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC All rights reserved.

Cybersecurity Alert: Porn App Blackmails Users

As a former New Yorker, I loved the Broadway musical "Avenue Q".  There are some Broadway shows that have widespread appeal because they are a microcosm of our society.  The production had many memorable musical numbers; however, one that is timeless is "The Internet is for Porn."

In 2013, more people visited porn websites than Twitter, Amazon, and Netflix combined.  In other words, Avenue Q's "The Internet is For Porn" still resonates with audiences more than 12 years after it was introduced.  Not only have Broadway writers taken note of society's love affair with porn so have hackers and criminals.  

According to CNN, a porn app called, "Adult Player", "secretly takes your photo and locks you out of your digital device and demands $500 to unlock it.  This activity is known as ransomware and it is becoming a growing challenge.  Criminals have even successfully targeted police departments and law firms with these schemes.

To avoid becoming a victim of this type of crime, it is imperative to be careful what you download.  Even if something appears to be legitimate it may be a phishing expedition by a criminal enterprise. Therefore, if an email attachment or link looks suspicious delete it.  If someone really wants to get in touch with you they will figure out a way to do so.    

Copyright 2015 by The Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC All rights reserved.  

FTC Announces PrivacyCon Symposium

Earlier today, I received notification from the FTC announcing that on January 14, 2016 it will hold an event called PrivacyCon. According the FTC's website, the conference is designed "to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders, including whitehat researchers, academics, industry representatives, consumer advocates, academics, and a range of government regulators, to discuss the latest research and trends related to consumer privacy and data security."

The FTC has done some great work in privacy and cybersecurity and just like previous events, this event will bring together some of the world's most knowledgeable experts in the field.  FTC Chairwoman Ramirez published an excellent op-ed earlier today about the need for this symposium. In her piece, she stated, "[p]olicymakers need to ensure that privacy is respected while innovation flourishes, and technology academics and researchers are crucial to hitting that sweet spot."  

Previous FTC symposiums I have attended were well worth my time so if you are interested in learning about some of the most cutting edge regulatory issues in privacy and cybersecurity this event is a must.  

Copyright 2015 by the Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC. All rights reserved.