The last week or so has been a busy one in the ongoing Cyberwar. China is pushing back against the US, blaming Cyberattacks coming from a particular office building in Shanghai on the Americans. But that’s not the biggest Cybersecurity story of the week.
Then there’s the story of how Visa is fining several retailers for violating PCI regulations by not doing enough to avoid getting hacked. The retailers are up in arms, saying they followed the rules and were hacked anyway. But that’s not the biggest Cybersecurity story of the week, either.
No, the biggest story of the week is how a hacker managed to get the personal financial details of a number of celebrities ranging from First Lady Michelle Obama to Kim Kardashian. Credit reports, Social Security Numbers (SSN), and mortgage payment information. The information is still available online, including Kim’s SSN and home address.
So why does the celebrity hack get my vote for the biggest Cybersecurity story of the week? Well, the other two stories are essentially spats over who is responsible for what. Yawn. But the third story isn’t just about celebrities. Sure, private information about celebrities titillates us (admit it, you felt a voyeuristic tingle over Kim’s SSN, didn’t you?). But if their information is so easy to get, then so is ours. It might not make the news, but do you really think your SSN and credit report are confidential? In your dreams.
