In California, catching and prosecuting internet crooks is now being handled by the new, special eCrime Unit. This team is comprised of 20 attorneys and investigators, and was created by the State Attorney General. Innovative techniques will be used in order to target criminal activities like email scams, piracy, child pornography, online fraud, and many others. Up to this date, many people have been victimized, both online and offline.

A number of cases have already been handled by the Unit, including that of a man found guilty of hacking email and Facebook accounts. Once he managed to get into an account, he would then threaten its owner by saying he would expose embarrassing pictures. There is also another case involving a criminal group that used card scanners and hidden cameras at bank teller machines to steal passwords and other account information.

These criminals take advantage of the knowledge that the internet is very important to the economy. From offline, they managed to move online in order to steal very valuable data from individuals and groups. There has been a forecast that the year 2012 will be a year of battling against online criminal activities. If the past year proved to be problematic in terms of scams, this year will yield even more crimes of this nature.

With the new eCrime Unit concentrating on internet-related offenses, going after online crooks will be more systematic and focused. According to the Attorney General, California would like to set a new standard in crime fighting. The availability of relevant technology will be beneficial not only to online criminals but also to law enforcers.

The role of social media in big data and analytics is expected to grow and expand. Due to new data sources, it is very possible that more organizations will use these tools in order to make transformations. The end result for doing all these would be the realization of more significant benefits coming out of social networking. There was a tremendous growth in the number of organizations using the social media command center in the year 2011. The same or even more is expected to happen in 2012. This is proof that the common use of marketing service agencies is gradually being replaced by the more advanced and more efficient social media.

What issues are in store with regards to security in 2012? Of course, the IT world knows that the extensive use of mobile devices in data management increases security risks. Analysts say that with this situation, organizations have to cooperate with technology. They cannot avoid encounters with data breaches that could happen at any time. Corporate networks have to be on their toes, ready for any malicious attack that may result from such breaches. This is brought about mainly by employee-owned devices, which increases the number of data leakage points.

The development in mobile technology is allowing for corporate data to be accessible from anywhere. Mobile devices are used by employees who have access to this information. The personal computer, which was formerly a major corporate tool, has given way to “personal cloud”, that uses mobile and web applications. Anything can happen in the year 2012, but it is hoped that whatever does happen, it makes things better.

Mobile technology has now entered into almost all private and public organizations. The use of smartphones or tablets has made it very easy for people to handle data. These gadgets are also being used by doctors and other health care professionals for electronic health records. The problem with these tools is with the lack of needed security. Left on their own, some doctors use these gadgets without sufficient knowledge on the use of encryption technology or even passwords.

According to the American Health Information Management Association, there is a need for education and consciousness. A spokesperson admitted that there are trainings conducted on the use of mobile technology as used in data management, however, these are less effective than education and awareness. Other interventions must be done if health professionals are to possess the right awareness about patient data security.

You will be surprised to note that 4 out of 10 health care professionals surveyed are convinced that patient data accessed by mobile devices are secured. It is also surprising to know that 8 out of 10 use these devices to collect, store and transmit patient records. The most disgusting of all is that almost one-half of the participants surveyed said that their organizations have no data security system at all.

Translated into cost, the health care industry lost an estimated $6.5 billion in the span of 1 year alone. Almost one-half of all health organizations that were surveyed said that lost or stolen devices were the major cause of this loss. The survey covered 72 hospitals and health providers, but the organizations were not named.

Observers see that the situation is not getting better, especially since security seems to not be given top priority. They also foresee that the situation will worsen given the policy of giving incentives to doctors and hospitals that adopt digital health records. More patient records will be vulnerable to theft with the payment budget that reaches up to $27.4 billion. This encourages health care organizations to speed up health records, but without the corresponding needed security.

According to another study, more than 50 percent of the organizations surveyed blame inadequate funding as the cause of such breaches. There are the data breach notification laws that mandate organizations to report to the Health and Human Services Department those that affect more than 500 people. The latter then makes a list of those affected, and posts these incidents on its website.

Health care providers and employer-sponsored group health plans are obliged to comply with federal privacy laws. Because of this, periodic audits are conducted by the Health and Human Services Department. This is to conduct security risk assessment, and look into security and breach notification policies. Through this mechanism, organizations have to see to it that their privacy, security and breach notification policies are in place.

The emails were convincingly written and bear the subject “InDesign CS4 License Key”. It is not easy for users to see that the emails contain malware. These emails subtly encourage users to discover what is new about InDesign and how its features have been enhanced. The emails were sent with an attachment that is said contains tips, tutorials, and eSeminars.

Observers have noted that there were several versions of the emails; each one is somewhat different from the others. The subject lines of the emails used different reference numbers. Some attachments bear the filename “License_key_ID[random number].zip”, others use “AdobeSystems-Software_Critical Update Dec_2011-[random].zip”.

Hackers know that users would protect their security, so they use subtle intimidation in their emails. They “promise” such things as advanced features to make sure that users open the attachment. Along with this, there is insinuation that work productivity would be enhanced only if users open the file.

Users with no adequate understanding about how malwares are spammed out are prone to open the attachment. Not being aware that it contains malicious software, they will install it and their Windows computers are infected with it. The malware is detected as the Troj/Bedo-MY Trojan horse by the Sophos antivirus software. It also reminded users that Adobe sends emails to people for a clear purpose other than updates. Users have to bear in mind that Adobe uses only its own website for any available legitimate product updates.

The specific part of the law that needs to be revised is the power of government to convict users who break a website’s terms of service agreements. A law school professor presented his concern about the present state of the law. According to him, it threatens the civil liberties of Americans who innocently falsify information on Facebook and online dating sites.

In his written testimony, the professor gave some typical examples of how millions of users give false information. He wrote that a user could be penalized for writing in his profile that he goes to the gym everyday when, in truth, he only goes there once a month. Or, he added, another user who supplies false information about his height, weight or age could be called a criminal. According to him, a study suggested that 8 out of 10 users provide false information in their profiles. This would mean that there are millions of Americans out there who are cybercriminals.

One critic suggested that lawmakers should spell out what the law really means, especially when it comes to the phrase “exceeds authorized access”. This will not allow employers to punish those employees who violate terms of service agreements. The same critic also suggested that the revisions should exclude those federal employees who are handling confidential information.

This move would somehow narrow down the prosecution threats to those violations committed by government employees. Some organizations that have been known to protect consumers and citizens have co-signed a letter. It contained their common interest of protecting people who accidentally break site service contracts.

There are also sites that, if not asking for personal information, are charging you fees for services that they claim to offer. There have been many victims of this kind of fraud – they paid for services that they were not able to receive at all. This type of online scam is so effective that there is a continuous increase in the number of related complaints. These criminals are difficult to catch because they “close down” their businesses after a while and simply disappear.

For job hunters like you, it would help if you remember these few tips that would keep you safe. Do not provide any personal information that is not related to work. For example, a legitimate prospective employer would not ask for your social security number, date of birth, home address, etc. In fact, it is advised that you should not give out any of this information over the phone, through email, or by fax.

Your resume is your most valuable “capital” as a job hunter. It contains so much sensitive information about yourself that you have to keep private. Do not just give away your resume without having a valid reason. If you want to post it online, choose a job site that has a clear privacy policy. Go for one that verifies recruiters before allowing them to gain access to your records.

If you need to verify a prospective employer or recruiter, look for the company’s contact number and call it. If it is convenient enough, you can visit the company in person during regular business hours. After doing so, you can agree to a background check if they request it.

What could be the reason why privacy advocates seem to react so disapprovingly to the proposed law? Thinking deeply on the matter, such legislation would turn every person who uses the internet into a victim. The advocates contend that passage of the law would require all internet service providers, or ISPs, to track all of a user’s internet activities and save it for 18 months. Aside from this, ISPs are supposed to store this information together with the user’s name, home address, bank account and credit card numbers, and the assigned IP address. Does this sound threatening?

One of the arguments is that tracking all of the user’s internet activities is not the solution to the problem of internet child pornography. Why track the behavior of everybody just to look for the very few child pornographers who hide online? Among the millions of internet users, there are a handful of criminals, but why make everyone a suspect? Its final effect would be oppressive to the free speech rights and menacing to the online privacy of every American.

The proposed law would allow a person to be tracked even if he or she is not yet under investigation. The simple reason of doubt would be sufficient so that the police can get hold his or her internet history. According to one state representative, the law would pose numerous risks that far outweigh the benefits that it would give. He also expressed his disbelief about the law’s significant positive effect in protecting children. However, all of these are just opinions. Who knows, it might be that this law would be the real solution to the problem at hand.

Consumers have long been complaining that their online activities are tracked by the use of “cookies”. Websites send cookies to the consumer’s computer to make it easy for data miners to simply know their online choices. The information that is being gathered is used by companies to target specific products and services to online consumers. It is not easy for consumers to defend themselves because most of them do not know how to disable cookies. They really have to struggle to find the browser’s privacy settings so that they can opt out of cookies. Even to the experienced user, this is not easily done.

It cannot be denied that some consumers might gain from data mining, particularly those who shop online. Discounts and other offers may be available if they wish to purchase the same item again. While some consumers welcome these targeted advertisement benefits, others find them annoying and intimidating to their privacy. That is why authorities are constantly trying to find ways to guard consumers from these unwanted ads.

The FTC hopes that it can make “opt out” issues simple through the proposal that it has issued. After its approval, consumers can opt out of cookies more easily and, if they like, turn it off permanently. In the present situation, users are presented with very long and incomprehensible privacy policies. In addition, the terms used are not easy to understand except for those who have some background in law. The proposal reiterates that consumers would be allowed to know who is tracking their online activities. Additionally, consumers will be given the power to permanently reject cookies.

It is suggested in the proposal that consumer watchdog groups and companies that sustain websites can come together, and from there, they could start coming up with guidelines for consumer protection. All of this must be done without prejudice to innovation on the web.

Many mobile devices today that have Android operating systems come with the software installed by default. Eckhart said that it runs in the background unnoticed or without the user’s knowledge. But even if the user becomes aware of it, the software cannot be stopped, added the researcher. He called the software a “rootkit”, which is software that is often used in malware.

Much more has been discovered about Carrier IQ when the researcher was able to get hold of the training materials posted on the software’s website. He was very quick to think that the company might take the files offline, so he copied the training materials. He was right in his belief because these files became unavailable, which was done not long after he posted his analysis.

Carrier IQ sent a cease and desist letter to Eckhart, claiming that he violated copyrights by publishing its training manuals online. The company also claimed that he made vague false allegations about the software. It also demanded that the researcher turn over the contact information of all those who obtained copies of the file.

On top of this, Carrier IQ demanded that he replace his analysis with a statement renouncing his research. The company drafted the statement and sent it to the researcher for his own use. There was also a hint of a legal action against the researcher if he did not give in. However, the digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation, or EFF, sided with him, which made the company more tolerant with the matter.