Premium Essay

Security Breaches Research Paper

Submitted By
Words 482
Pages 2
Security Breaches
Technology is at everyone's fingertips now in the 21st century. This means not only is it easier for every individual to have access to almost anything, but this also means that in an instance you can be hacked. Birthdates, social security numbers, addresses, and even credit cards can all be taken in an instance. This can not only happen to you, but it can happen to large companies as well.
Summary of Major Hacks in 2015
There were several major hacks in the year 2015 that caught attention in the United States. One of the big ones was in our own government. Numerous breaches at the U.S. government’s Office of Personnel Management led to theft of data on 22 million current and former federal employees that included the fingerprints of about 5 million (Green, 2015). The IRS was also hacked and over 300,000 taxpayers records were compromised. …show more content…
They provide services to customers in Washington and Alaska that include programs on wellness and prevention, disease management, and patient safety. They deliver these programs through health, life, vision, dental, stop-loss, disability, workforce wellness, and more. Through this health plan, they serve millions of people (Premera. 2016).
On January 29th, 2015, Premera leaned about an attack that dated back to May 2014 that resulted in a breach of financial and medical records of more than 11 million customers. This hack is the second biggest health data breach to date (Pepitone, 2015). The hack included the names, phone numbers, addresses, Social Security numbers, bank account information, and medical information. This hack also even included other companies who do work with Premera, and it gave their address, bank account information, and Social Security numbers as well. Even though Premera's data was encrypted, the hackers gained unwarranted access to their systems. (About the Cyberattack.

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Personally Identifiable Information (Pii) and Data Breaches

...and Data Breaches By Stevie D. Diggs University Maryland University College IFSM201 Section 7974 Semester 1309 Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Data Breaches Knowing and training on personally identifiable information (PII) is important in today’s society. There has been research on data breaches and identity theft that links them both together. This is to help personnel have a clear understanding on the impact of what is at steak and an explanation of PII. Many businesses and organizations have different definition for PII because of the classification of data for each, and that is why understanding PII is important. Examples of PII include, but are not limited to the following: full name, maiden name, mother‘s maiden name, or alias; personal identification number, social security number (SSN), passport number, driver‘s license number, taxpayer identification number, or financial account or credit card number; address information, street address or email address; personal characteristics, including photographic image, fingerprints, handwriting, or other biometric data. How do you protect PII? Who has access to PII? Who are affected by data breaches and identity theft? How to prevent data breaches and identity theft? The research introduced in this essay is from Verizon along with multiple articles involving military and organizations. PII is defined definitely by military and organizations. Training along with knowing ways to prevent data breaches and identity...

Words: 1541 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Internet Security

...ABSTRACT The paper discusses the topics regarding, 1) Internet Frauds ;2) to analyze user’s satisfaction on internet security by using Secure Socket Layer (SSL); and 3) to make people aware of internet fraudsters. Six research questions were utilized in this study. This study examines whether secure socket layer and its certificate would protect online users from fraudsters while they browse websites. The six research questions are as follows: • Are there any security breaches occurring with the usage of SSL certified website? • Can we stop internet frauds by making people aware of it? • Is secure socket layer used in all websites? • Is Secure Socket Layer reliable? • Does Secure Socket Layer protect online users from fraudsters? • Are users satisfied with security provided by SSL authentication? TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ii INTRODUCTION 1 Statement of Purpose and Problem 2 Principle Research Questions 3 Assumption of the study 3 Limitation of the Study 3 Definition of Terms 3 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 5 Internet 5 How SSL Works? 8 What is a “certificate” in SSL certificate? 8 What is an SSL certificate? 9 METHODOLOGY 11 Selection of subjects 11 Instrumentation 11 Method 13 ANALYSIS 15 REFERENCE i INTRODUCTION The term internet refers to prevalent network of networks connected on the Earth and the security provided to the networks in order to maintain confidentiality of the data is called Internet security. Network can be defined as a group of...

Words: 3516 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Data Breach Assignment

...Cybersecurity Principles Assignment 3 Due by 2pm, October 29 (Thursday) Data breaches happening in healthcare can cause severe damage. This assignment looks at different sets of data submitted to the Department of Human Services whenever a breach affects 500 or more individuals. (https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/breach/breach_report.jsf) You have each been assigned a “filter” to research and assess. For the filer you are assigned, make a report that includes the following information: 1. Describe the web site and the policy/legislation under which the organization is required to report their breaches Department of health and human services, office of civil rights websites, where as required by section 13402(e)(4) of the HITECH Act, the Secretary must post a list of breaches of unsecured protected health information affecting 500 or more individuals. These breaches are now posted in a new, more accessible format that allows users to search and sort the posted breaches. 2. Describe how the organization must file their report. Includes brief summaries of the breach cases that OCR has investigated and closed, as well as the names of private practice providers who have reported breaches of unsecured protected health information to the Secretary. 3. Name of the filter designated. 2015 4. How many breaches did you identify as a result of the filter There are about 223 breaches for 500 or more. 5. Select one result that catches your interest and describe...

Words: 562 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Cyberespionage and Intellectual Property Theft

...2014 IS 8200 – Legal & Ethical Issues in IS CYBER-ESPIONAGE AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY THEFT Abstract 2 Society and business have become increasingly dependent upon data in the constantly connected world where everything that is said and done online leaves behind a massive ever-growing bread-crumb trail of information. With this ever larger quantity of data being transmitted on a range of devices as well as third party service providers being increasingly relied upon to store it; the threat of loss of confidential and sensitive data continues to expand exponentially (Online Trust Alliance, 2014, p. 3). “Breaches and data loss incidents have become a fact of life for organizations of every size and throughout the public and private sectors” (Online Trust Alliance, 2014, p. 4) making no organization immune. Given the growth of data and, therefore, data breaches the threat to the U.S. economy and individual U.S. businesses from trade secret theft is real and growing, therefore; a multi-pronged approach must be implemented by the public and private sectors alike. “Businesses must do their part to harden their cyber defenses, but the “take-home message here is that protecting IP from ‘them’ is an incomplete and inadequate strategy—understanding that ‘we’ are sometimes our own enemy is important to building good policy and practice for defending the crown jewels” (Verizon DBIR Snapshot, 2012, p. 3). However, to avoid continued, significant and irreversible harm to U.S. companies...

Words: 2645 - Pages: 11

Free Essay

A Case Study of the Trend in Cyber Security Breaches as Reported by Us Federal Agencies

...A Case Study of the Trend in Cyber Security Breaches as Reported by US Federal Agencies Joash Muganda American Public University System ISSC640 – Prof. Belkacem Kraimeche November 12, 2014 Abstract The cases of cybersecurity breaches reported by federal agencies have sharply increased in recent years due to a combination of factors. This study seeks to examine the current trends in cybersecurity breaches documented and reported by federal agencies, analyze the various factors responsible for this trend and their impacts, as well use currently available data to predict a future trend. A Case Study of the Trend in Cyber Security Breaches as Reported by US Federal Agencies The number cybersecurity breaches reported by federal agencies has been on the increase owing to the variety of factors. According to a report by U.S Government Accountability Office, GAO (2014), federal agencies have reported increasing number of cybersecurity breaches that have put sensitive information at risk, with potentially serious impacts on federal and military operations. GAO (2014) further stated that the increase in this number is due to the fact that obtaining hacking tools has become easier, there is dramatic increase in reporting security incidents, and steady advances in the sophistication and effectiveness of attack technologies. The table below shows the number of cybersecurity breaches since 2006 to 2012 as reported by GAO (2014). Number of Incidents | 5503 | 11911 |...

Words: 987 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Wgu Nut 1 Task 2

...NUT1 Task 2 A. Increase in Quality of Care Electronic Medical Records (EMR) can increase quality of care in many ways. Unlike paper records, EMR is available to multiple members of the healthcare team in different locations, all at the same time. EMR makes it easy for caregivers to have all of a new patient’s previous visit information at their fingertips, which can help with obtaining a more accurate history upon admission. An accurate history will help caregivers make better decisions when planning a patient’s care. Because records are stored in a database instead of on paper, they are safe from natural disasters, forgery, loss, or damage. Many, many years of records can be stored in a relatively small space, which will negate the need for rows and rows of filing cabinets, and microfiche. This makes them easier to manage and retrieve. Less paper also means neater workspaces and better organization in the workplace, and because records are available on the database from multiple locations, the need for faxing or mailing records is decreased, increasing security. EMR can also be used to collect data for Quality Improvement processes, and an EMR system can have pop-up alerts built in to notify caregivers of best practices, allergies, and drug interactions. EMR’s that also have a medication bar code scanning system built in will help to reduce med errors by alerting nurses to wrong patient/wrong dose/ wrong time errors. Electronic Medical Records can reduce patient’s wait...

Words: 1796 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

The Importance of Network Security to Safeguard Organizational Proprietary Data

...Running head: Network Security The Importance of Network Security to Safeguard Organizational Proprietary Data Donald Shipman Strayer University Dr. Kwang Lee June 10, 2012 Abstract Cyber-criminal activity is on the rise in a world that thrives on the use of technology in everyday living. The close-minded thought process of simple theft of a credit card number or a social security number are long gone. Crimes in today’s business are much more extreme to include attacks that disable key functions of major operations such as public transportation and utilities, to the major financial records of customer information being exposed and stolen. In this paper I will focus on the latter. It is important that companies make significant investment in network security in order to protect its proprietary data from hackers and other criminals. I will address current attitudes toward network security, the rise in and recent increase in criminal activity, existing counteractive measures along with their effectiveness and the direction of network security for organizations in the future. Ultimately, the paper will show the importance of network security in organizations and the immediate change is needed to restore the consumer confidence about their information being safe. Introduction The Internet has become a staple of the business world today. One might find it impossible to be current on the latest world events without being able to effectively use it, navigate it, and understand...

Words: 2112 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Electronic Health Record Analysis

...Web-Based EHR Software Both patients and private-practice providers are concerned about protecting privileged information. Those concerns are legitimate when you consider that illegally acquired medical data often garners more money on the black market than credit card files. Quoting a Security Week statistic, Wonder Doc reported there were more than 121 million data breaches – both medical and non-medical – between January and August...

Words: 1069 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Research Methodology

...Journal of Enterprise Information Management Analysis of risk dynamics in information technology service delivery Özge Naz#mo#lu Yasemine Özsen Article information: Downloaded by SEGi International Bhd At 09:35 13 July 2015 (PT) To cite this document: Özge Naz#mo#lu Yasemine Özsen, (2010),"Analysis of risk dynamics in information technology service delivery", Journal of Enterprise Information Management, Vol. 23 Iss 3 pp. 350 - 364 Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17410391011036102 Downloaded on: 13 July 2015, At: 09:35 (PT) References: this document contains references to 37 other documents. To copy this document: permissions@emeraldinsight.com The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 1723 times since 2010* Users who downloaded this article also downloaded: Norita Ahmad, Noha Tarek Amer, Faten Qutaifan, Azza Alhilali, (2013),"Technology adoption model and a road map to successful implementation of ITIL", Journal of Enterprise Information Management, Vol. 26 Iss 5 pp. 553-576 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JEIM-07-2013-0041 F. Ponsignon, P.A. Smart, R.S. Maull, (2011),"Service delivery system design: characteristics and contingencies", International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 31 Iss 3 pp. 324-349 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/01443571111111946 Kakoli Bandyopadhyay, Peter P. Mykytyn, Kathleen Mykytyn, (1999),"A framework for integrated risk management in information technology", Management Decision, Vol. 37 Iss 5 pp. 437-445...

Words: 7780 - Pages: 32

Free Essay

Defending Dos Attack

...For years security folks have grumbled about the role compliance has assumed in driving investment and resource allocation in security. It has become all about mandates and regulatory oversight driving a focus on protection, ostensibly to prevent data breaches. We have spent years in the proverbial wilderness, focused entirely on the “C” (Confidentiality) and “I” (Integrity) aspects of the CIA triad, largely neglecting “A” (Availability). Given how many breaches we still see every week, this approach hasn’t worked out too well. Regulators pretty much only care whether data leaks out. They don’t care about the availability of systems – data can’t leak if the system is down, right? Without a clear compliance-driven mandate to address availability (due to security exposure), many customers haven’t done and won’t do anything to address availability. Of course attackers know this, so they have adapted their tactics to fill the vacuum created by compliance spending. They increasingly leverage availability-impacting attacks to both cause downtime (costing site owners money) and mask other kinds of attacks. These availability-impacting attacks are better known as Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. We focus on forward-looking research at Securosis. So we have started poking around, talking to practitioners about their DoS defense plans, and we have discovered a clear knowledge gap around the Denial of Service attacks in use today and the defenses needed to maintain availability. There...

Words: 298 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

The Dangers of the Internet

...inherent disadvantages brought forth with this technology are dangerously overlooked, much to the advantage of the parties who are the source of these issues. With the necessary funding, governments can and have been known to conduct surveillance on their citizens via the Internet (Geer, 92-93). The Internet has also allowed nations to conduct espionage on each other, becoming a serious national security risk as a new platform over which warfare can be carried out has been created (Solis, 1-3). Although businesses can leverage the Internet to achieve an incredibly high degree of globalization, the integration of Internet technology into businesses has opened them up to financially driven cyber attacks, resulting in net losses of millions each year ("Cybercrime Becoming More Professional." 3). The globalization brought with the Internet is not selective; it is inherent. Gritzalis and Gurvirender argue that a massive underground economy has birthed where criminals are achieving new levels of sophistication and organization, optimizing their gains and deepening the losses of society (1-2). This paper will explore the argument proposed by Gritzalis and Gurvirender. Criminals who have adapted to the cybercrime market are becoming increasingly complex in their methods. The rise of virtual marketplaces for illegal goods and services has proved effective in thwarting law enforcement agencies (Tor Project, 2011). The underground economy can be broken down into two primary markets: illegal...

Words: 1217 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Hipa Protection

...Everyone has heard about HIPPA, which is the common acronym for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. This federal regulation has three priorities that focus on are protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA) of patient electronic protected health information (EPHI), guarding against reasonable possible expectable threats to the security or integrity of said EPHI, and protecting EPHI against unauthorized disclosure (National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2008) . The protection of the CIA of EPHI is important because our patients rely on this information’s accuracy and availability in emergency situations for use by medical professionals, while the confidentiality is important to ensure this personal information does not fall into the wrong hands and to ensure the patient’s civil rights are not violated. There have been many recent high level HIPPA violations recently. Some of the most damaging breaches that released the most protected personal information (PII) occurred at the Department of Veterans Affairs. In 2013 one of the largest known EPHI/PII breaches at the VA was discovered through the conduct of a thorough investigation and reported by Steven Marco of HIPAAOne.com that “found there were an astounding 14,215 violations that affected 101,018 veterans and 551 VA employees at 167 facilities since 2010. These violations included using patient information for fraudulent purposes, snooping through patient records and even...

Words: 989 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Case Study Data Breaches and Regulatory Requirements

...qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwer...

Words: 1570 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Administrative Ethics

...Administrative Ethics Jeff Andrews HCS/335 March 18, 2012 Gail Garren, MSN, RN, CPHQ Administrative Ethics In administrative health care today, there are constant occurrences of ethical issues in the everyday behaviors. As health care administrators, we have responsibilities to ourselves, the organization, the patients, and our employees. The increasing information technology, which is the future, can be an ethical concern to administrators of the confidentiality of information on patients. Confidential information is private or privileged information, and should be that luxury. In health care, the confidential information that is stored into an information system, such as a patient health record, will need the ethical awareness, knowledge, and decision making skills of managing confidential information is the administrator’s responsibility. Managing confidential records will require the education of all staff within the facility. This would be the education on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. HIPAA and HITECH laws will be mentioned in this report as well as, an article from a local news station on a breach of patient confidential records, the issue and the impact is had on the population, the facts that are used to support the article and its solution, the ethical and legal issues for the administrative issue, the managerial responsibilities...

Words: 1728 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Locating Topics of Interest

...cover sheet as the first page of the word processor file. The assignment header should include the Learner’s last name, first initial, course code, dash, and assignment number (DoeJXXX0000-1) justified to the left and the page number justified to the right. Keep a Photocopy or Electronic Copy of Your Assignments: You may need to re-submit assignments if your mentor has indicated that you may or must do so. Academic Integrity: All work submitted in each course must be the Learner’s own. This includes all assignments, exams, term papers, and other projects required by the faculty mentor. The known submission of another person’s work represented as that of the Learner’s without properly citing the source of the work will be considered plagiarism and will result in an unsatisfactory grade for the work submitted or for the entire course, and may result in academic dismissal. | | BTM8102-8 | Kris Iyer, PhD | | | Business Research Methodology | GreenTBTM8102-2 | | | <Add Learner comments here> ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- Faculty Use Only ------------------------------------------------- <Faculty comments here> ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- <Faculty Name> <Grade Earned> <Writing...

Words: 2699 - Pages: 11