Researchers give smartphone users new reasons to worry: leaving WiFi on can expose a phone to data leakage, even when it's not connected to a network, and proof-of-concept Android malware uses a phone to create 3D maps of private spaces.
The Philippines enact new cyber crime legislation, and Anonymous pledges to fight what it calls "e-martial law." The Islamist hacktivists who claim responsibility for last week's anti-banking campaign promise more attacks against US targets. (For all the furor surrounding those attacks, the damage appears to have been tolerable.) Sweden's raids on Pirate Bay appear to have provoked a hacking backlash.
We've seen local governments take an increasingly active cyber security role. This week Tulsa shows the risks inherent in that role: the city forgot it had engaged penetration testers, saw the testers' activity, and began warning citizens their personal data had been exposed. (May Reno and San Antonio have better luck with upcoming cyber exercises.)
Hacktivism is increasingly a precursor to financial crime. A DataMation survey finds one-third of companies take compliance risks. The Defense Department has hinted it will pick up contractors' legal fees if sequestration produces layoffs that prompt lawsuits. "Data scientist" is the hot job in the labor market, but recruiters find qualified candidates hard to spot. Booz Allen and KEY-W continue their push from government into commercial cyber work.
US cyber policymakers continue to advocate public-private partnership. The Department of Homeland Security receives harsh bipartisan criticism in a Senate report on fusion center failures: "pools of ineptitude."