CPAs must properly secure any patient health care data that may come into their possession, to avoid potentially severe civil and criminal penalties.
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TOPICS / TECHNOLOGY
Information security & privacy
Technology
Security incidents cost businesses an average of $2.7 million each year, according to a PwC survey.
How to take a forward-looking approach to cybersecurity
Although many companies are seeing cybersecurity threats rise, many lack the resources to handle these risks, a new global survey shows. Two-thirds (67%) of organizations report facing rising threats in their information security risk environment, according to EY’s Global Information Security Survey, which polled 1,825 organizations in 60 countries. More
Global cyberattacks rose 48% in 2014
It should be no surprise amid the constant barrage of headlines about cybersecurity incidents that the number and cost of breaches is on the rise. Security incidents cost businesses an average of $2.7 million each year, according to a survey by PwC. Despite the burgeoning threat, information security is an
Searching for privacy
Q: I’ve heard that search engines such as Google and Yahoo! keep a record of your searches and the websites you visit and that they often share this personal information with other companies. I don’t do anything illicit on the internet, but I’m still not comfortable with these search engines
Substantiating trust
Q: When introduced to new privacy solutions (such as DuckDuckGo or Disconnect), what assurances do we have that these solutions aren’t themselves stealthily tracking our computing or internet activities? A: Before trusting a lesser-known privacy solution, at a minimum make sure that it meets the following criteria: The company makes
Data security risk: You can take it anywhere
While no security program or security software can guarantee that data will never be lost or stolen, application of a few basic principles can help address mobile security risks and mitigate professional liability exposure.
Harnessing the power of the cloud
Cloud computing and increasingly powerful mobile devices are breaking down communication, data access, and market barriers for CPAs, but the breakthroughs also open the door to potential trouble. A panel of technology experts offers advice on how CPAs can make the most of technology while minimizing the risks.
Six cybersecurity basics
The steady barrage of headlines about cybersecurity underscores a topic viewed with wary eyes by many executives, board members, and investors. Employees may have access to sensitive data through smartphones that they carry everywhere. Globalization has increased the geographic reach of companies – making them visible to ever more hackers.
Auditors have important role in cybersecurity
The steady stream of headlines about data breaches has the business community and regulators on high alert with regard to cybersecurity. An online PwC survey of global executives and IT directors conducted early in 2013 found that detected cybersecurity incidents rose 25% over the previous year. And 31% of executives
Use data privacy to gain a competitive advantage
Data privacy doesn’t have to be an issue that keeps executives awake at night. Instead, companies that approach data privacy the right way can use it to differentiate themselves, said Carolyn Holcomb, CPA, the leader of PwC’s data protection and privacy practice in the United States. “We see companies that
TIGTA report says IRS should do a better job protecting taxpayer data
The IRS does not do a good job of correcting security weaknesses, thereby failing to protect taxpayer data, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) concluded in a report released Thursday. TIGTA’s audit found that the IRS does not always correct known security problems and the corrective action process
Survey spotlights need for data and security strategies
On the surface, the results of the 2013 North America Top Technology Initiatives survey show that “managing and retaining data” nudged past “securing the IT environment” to become the top technology priority cited by the nearly 2,000 accounting professionals polled. Dig a little deeper, and the evidence indicates that the
Seven ways to address IT vulnerability
When Mike Foster hears from CFOs about IT security issues, he gets the sense they’re focusing on a single hacking event here or there, instead of viewing IT security as a project that needs constant management and attention. What Foster tells the CFOs is this: “We don’t want to fight
Data, security take top two spots in AICPA technology priorities survey
On the surface, the results of the 2013 North America Top Technology Initiatives survey, released Wednesday by the AICPA and CPA Canada, show that “managing and retaining data” nudged past “securing the IT environment” to become the top technology priority cited by the nearly 2,000 accounting professionals polled. Dig a
Cybersecurity: 2013 is already “the year of the hack”
Many organizations are unprepared to protect themselves against an emerging, relentless cybersecurity danger that threatens national security and economic stability, according to a new global survey. Advanced persistent threats (APTs) are not easily deterred, which makes them different from traditional threats, according to global IT association ISACA. But an ISACA
Stopping tax identity theft: Practical advice for CPAs and clients
Tax return and other tax-related identity theft is a growing problem that CPAs can help their clients with—both in taking preventive actions and in correcting problems after an identity thief has struck. Tax return identity theft occurs when someone uses a taxpayer’s personal information, such as name and Social Security
Three IT challenges to watch for in 2013
The global information systems organization ISACA is urging businesses to prepare for tough decisions in the year ahead in three areas: data privacy, cloud computing, and increasingly complex cyber-threats. Interest in private or hybrid (public/private) cloud solutions is expected to grow because of information security concerns, according to ISACA. Meanwhile,
S.C. taxpayers’ Social Security numbers, credit cards hacked
The South Carolina Department of Revenue is providing affected taxpayers a year of credit monitoring after a hacker stole information including 3.6 million Social Security numbers and 387,000 credit and debit card numbers from its computer systems. State revenue officials announced Friday that the S.C. Division of Information Technology learned
Malware growth maintains rapid pace as mobile threats surge
The number and complexity of cyberattacks, especially those targeting mobile devices, grew at an alarming pace in the second quarter, security technology company McAfee Labs said in its latest Threats Report. McAfee identified more than 8 million previously undiscovered samples of malicious software, or malware, during the three months that ended
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