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July 2009 |  BY James F. Leon |  Article

All of your business systems’ users have confidential passwords. Does that mean your system and its contents are safe? Definitely not. As this article explains, organizations that don’t ensure the ongoing security of their passwords are exposing themselves to fraud and potential liability by failing to protect confidential information.

July 2009 |  BY JAMES F. LEON |  Article

Editor's note This is a Webexclusive exhibit for Password Management Strategies for Safer Systems. Advise users to never put their password on a Postit Note or in another unsafe location. Prohibit users from including a cleartext password in an email message. Require users to consult a manager when an unfamiliar person asks for a password via email or over the phone.

July 2009 |  BY JAMES F. LEON |  Article

Editor's note This is a Webexclusive exhibit for Password Management Strategies for Safer Systems. Primary Security Risks Effective Countermeasures Failing to enhance password security in order to focus on searching for a “perfect” security system and obtaining more funding. Immediately improve password security procedures.

July 2009 |  BY James F. Leon |  Article

Editor's note This is a Webexclusive exhibit for Password Management Strategies for Safer Systems. Term Definition Clear Text Unencrypted characters in, for example, a password. Crack To decode an encrypted password. Social Engineering A hacker’s use of a plausible pretext to intimidate or trick an employee into divulging a password without proper authorization.

June 2009 |  BY SIMON PETRAVICK, STEPHEN G. KERR |  Article

Editor's note This is a sidebar for Protect Your Portable Data Always and Everywhere. CPAs should understand their ethical, legal and regulatory responsibilities to safeguard data. The following listings direct you to primary sources LAWS, REGULATIONS Federal laws Federal Trade Commission, GrammLeachBliley Act, Disclosure of Nonpublic Personal Information, tinyurl.com8k3e6 Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS), csrc.nist.govpublicationsPubsFIPS.html Department of Education, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), tinyurl.com3ydvw Department of Health and Human Services, Office for

April 2009 |  BY Jeff Lenning |  Article

Talk about pressure—and not just in tax season. Keeping office computer systems up and running in small and medium CPA firms is an enormous and unending responsibility. Without reliable computing and communication capabilities, your staff, your clients and your business are dead in the water. To mitigate the risk of downtime for individual employee workstations, consider a configuration that simplifies hardware and software maintenance and administration, and improves disaster recovery.

March 2009 |  Article

“Protect Your Wireless Network—And Your Business” (Nov. 08, page 88) suggested a number of steps to protect wireless networks from outside monitoring and other unauthorized access. As an international consultant and a contributing editor for Wiley’s Computer Security Handbook, 5th Edition, I differ with some of the recommended measures.

January 2009 |  BY Marilyn Prosch |  Article

The Federal Trade Commission estimates that as many as 9 million people have their identities stolen every year. According to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, more than 200 million instances of data breaches have occurred since the beginning of 2005, and they show no signs of letting up. In the first quarter of 2008 alone, more than 85 million incidents were reported.

January 2009 |  Article

The message of the AICPA’s 20th Annual Top Technology Initiatives Survey is clear—CPAs are placing great importance on information security. Securityrelated matters dominated the top three spots in the ranking of initiatives affecting IT strategy, investment and implementation.

December 2008 |  BY Cynthia Bolt-Lee, Janette Moody |  Article

This article is the fourth in a series reviewing research relevant to practicing accountants. Previous articles covered auditing, management accounting and tax. Recent, topranked journals that cover accounting and information technology systems were examined to determine results containing practical implications. HOW IT OUTSOURCING IMPACTS STOCK PRICESWhen a firm publicly announces the use of outsourcing in the area of information technology (IT), the firm’s shortterm stock price is affected.