A large number of first-time claims for unemployment benefits filed last week in Colorado are suspected of being fraudulent, the state’s Department of Labor and Employment said Friday. An investigation found that nearly a third of new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims filed last week, or about 5,600, are likely fake. The labor department stopped paying […]
cybersecurity
Posted inBusiness, News, Technology, Transportation
How SamSam ransomware took down CDOT and how the state fought back — twice
In the early hours of Feb. 21, 2018, malware began spreading rapidly throughout the Colorado Department of Transportation computer network. As employees turned on their computers, messages popped up on screens that files had been taken hostage. If users wanted them back, they would have to pay — in bitcoin. “The impact was fast and […]
Posted inBusiness, Education, News, Technology
Colorado got $3.6 million from the Equifax breach. It’ll help start a rural college program to prevent this from happening again.
Colorado Northwestern Community College President Ron Granger blurted out the first thing that came to mind when he was asked in August what he would do for the school if he had the money: build a cybersecurity program. That was a pretty bold idea for a school serving a region best known for outdoor recreation […]
Posted inBusiness, Politics and Government, Technology
Removing banned tech from China’s Huawei will cost rural Colorado telecoms over $300 million. Will it even fix the problem?
Facing costs of more than $300 million to rip out equipment now banned by the U.S. government over national security concerns, Fort Morgan-based Viaero Wireless made its plea to the Federal Communications Commission last year to keep the Huawei Technologies parts it installed years ago. “The FCC’s proposed rule threatens Viaero’s ability to survive. Viaero […]
Posted inBusiness, News, Politics and Government, Technology
Coloradans can now store their driver’s license on a smartphone. But don’t ditch your plastic ID just yet.
As personal data security becomes an increasingly overwhelming issue for Americans, the state of Colorado said it’s figured out how to make personal identity more secure with digital IDs. On Wednesday, the state officially added driver’s licenses to the myColorado mobile app. The app can be used to register to vote, renew a driver’s license […]
Posted inBusiness, News, Politics and Government, Technology
How California’s data privacy law will change your online experience — no matter where you live
Whether it’s a Social Security number or your mother’s maiden name, it could be easier to find out the personal data companies have about you — and ask them to delete it — starting Jan. 1. That’s when a strict California law goes into effect requiring businesses, including many in Colorado, to make changes like […]
Posted inBusiness, Education, Growth, News, Politics and Government, Technology
Lockheed Martin sniffs around for space in Grand Junction
An oh-by-the-way comment dropped into a recent Club 20 address by Gov. Jared Polis may—or may not — signal a significant economic development win for the Western Slope city of Grand Junction that has been wooing the aerospace industry. Polis was speaking to the Western Slope coalition of counties at their annual fall meeting Saturday […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Cory Gardner: Cybersecurity is everyone’s problem. So why are women underrepresented in the field?
Cybersecurity is everyone’s problem, regardless of gender. The individual safety and national security of men and women alike are at risk from increasingly sophisticated — and frequent — cyberattacks across industries, including finance, communications, law, medicine and defense. So why are women so underrepresented in the field, making up only 20 percent of the cybersecurity […]
Posted inBusiness, News, Technology
A cybersecurity worker shortage in Colorado has the industry tapping veterans to fill the gap
Eric Perez joined the U.S. Air Force at age 17 because he wanted to help fight the bad guys. He spent the next decade working in military intelligence and as a communications network technician. When he left the service, he went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in accounting, followed by a master’s in accounting. […]
Posted inBusiness, Crime and Courts, News, Politics and Government, Technology
Nearly 3 dozen cybersecurity breaches reported in Colorado since start of consumer data-privacy law
Rarely does a week go by without hearing of another cybersecurity breach that exposed piles of private consumer data to strangers. At least Coloradans can take comfort that should this happen to their own personal data, the attacked company must notify them within 30 days. The state law, which went into effect Sept. 1, has […]