It was a bellwether year for cyber-crime worldwide in 2019. As a patchwork of new regulations began to emerge in the United States and the…
In a recent article “Who’s to Blame for Ransomware Attacks—Beyond the Attackers?” (SearchSecurity, July 2019, http://bit.ly/38txRda), Kevin McDonald of Avalka Networks discussed the issue of responsibility…
Technology Touchstones for 2020
Increase Security and Monitor Activity
When hackers attack a CPA firm, it can impact the firm's data, but more importantly, it can expose clients' sensitive financial data. A business's ability…
Pulitzer Prize–winning author Herman Wouk wrote, “The will not to believe. It is simple human nature. When the mind cannot grasp or face up to…
A call comes in from the helpdesk: A user reports that she has a red screen on her desktop asking for a cryptocurrency payment and…
Cybersecurity: Where Are We, and What More Can Be Done?
Keynote Address
Our mission at the PCAOB calls on us to protect investors and the public interest by overseeing one particular aspect of the financial reporting ecosystem:…
Sometimes the highest and best value that CPAs can provide to their clients and employers is to prevent problems from occurring or to recognize events…
In a speech at Baruch College's 18th Annual Financial Reporting Conference, PCAOB member Kathleen Hamm stated: “Technology offers the promise of combining increased efficiencies with…
Cybersecurity and Data Breaches
Learning from CCH’s Mistakes
By this point, every CPA knows that CCH was attacked by malware in early May, causing a mass outage of its platform for several days…
Around the globe, cybercrime cost society over $3 trillion in 2018, and this cost is forecast to rise to $6 trillion by 2021 (“Cybercrime Damages…
Should CPA Firms Be Worried about Data Breach Claims?
Hurdles to Establishing Standing and Demonstrating Economic Viability
Driven by unceasing news reports, CPA firms are growing increasingly concerned that data breaches are increasing in both frequency and severity. With this deluge of…
Where The Money Is
Doing What’s Right for the Profession
Editor's note: This month, we introduce a new column dedicated to the current state of cybersecurity and how cybercrime affects CPAs and auditors. Each installment will…
The panel featured Douglas Bloom, JD, director of the cybersecurity and privacy and financial crimes unit at PricewaterhouseCoopers; Chris Halterman, CPA, executive director of advisory…
A new series of cyber-related class action claims against at least 15 law firms could have serious implications into how CPA firms, and many of…
The Computer Crime Research Center defines cyber-crime as “the commitment of crime using electronic technology means.” It can be a theft of assets, a destruction…
The Computer Crime Research Center defines cyber-crime as “the commitment of crime using electronic technology means.” It can be a theft of assets, a destruction…