Data encryption for HIE sounds obvious; not so simple to implement

One of the early themes that has emerged from the initial discussions of the Office of the National Coordinator’s privacy and security tiger team is the need for stronger protection of the confidentiality and privacy of…

Trusted computers are reliable, but that’s not the same thing as trustworthy

Trust in a security context normally means reliability or, in the identification and authentication context, authenticity. When the term trusted is applied to a system or capability, the same connotation conveys — that is, a trusted…

Building patient trust in EHRs can’t be about security controls

The emphasis on security and privacy in electronic health record (EHR) systems as a prerequisite for building consumer trust in these systems both overstates the extent to which security controls can in fact provide trust, and…

NIST answers to questions on continuous monitoring suggest no drastic change in approach

In the wake of the release of its updated Special Publication 800-37, Guide for Applying the Risk Management Framework to Federal Information Systems, which among other things calls for federal agencies to continuously monitor the security…

Issues raised about no-fly list checks provide a nice lesson in disparate impact of false positives and false negatives

The last-minute apprehension of the would-be Times Square bomber, who had already boarded an international flight despite being placed on the government’s no-fly list, provides one of the rare instances where real-time integration or data propagation…

HHS says stronger HIPAA enforcement on the way with privacy and security audits

Representatives from the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) said last week that OCR plans to begin conducting HIPAA compliance audits for security and privacy later this year, implementing a proactive audit program required under the…

Desired SSA shift to more online service delivery may require changes in policy or new technologies for identity proofing and authentication

The Social Security Administration (SSA), citing an increased volume of claims and requests for its services, is evaluating ways to conduct more of its transactions online. Before making such a move SSA needs first to establish…