Topic
Technology
Volkswagen engineer gets prison, $200,000 fine in diesel scandal
August 25, 2017 The Associated PressDETROIT – A Volkswagen engineer who had a key role in the company’s diesel emissions scandal was sentenced Friday to more than three years in prison and a $200,000 fine, a steeper punishment than prosecutors requested. Robert Liang, 63, knew the German automaker was cheating and worked to cover it up, U.S. District Court Judge Sean Cox said during the sentencing hearing in Detroit. The judge imposed a 40-month prison sentence.
“The conspiracy perpetrated a massive … and stunning fraud on the American consumer that attacked and destroyed…
83% of polled organizations had standalone cyber insurance policies: 2017 RIMS Cyber Survey
August 24, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterOrganizations with standalone cyber insurance policies increased three points from 2016 to 83%, according to the 2017 RIMS Cyber Survey. “Risk professionals’ continued to show confidence in standalone cyber insurance policies as the number of practitioners who purchased the coverage…
Home telematics startup Roost closes second round of funding with investments from Desjardins Insurance and Aviva Ventures
August 23, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterRoost, a U.S.-based innovator in smart home telematics for the insurance industry, announced on Wednesday it has closed its second round of funding with US$10.4 million in investments from three companies, including Desjardins Insurance. The US$10.4 million Series B funding includes strategic investments from three companies, led by Aviva Ventures, with participation from Desjardins Insurance and Fosun RZ Capital in China, noted information from Sunnyvale, Calif.-headquartered Roost. Existing investors also participated in the round, bringing total funding to date to US$17 million.…
Cyber market ‘softer than ever,’ commercial property, general liability rates down in U.S. in Q2: CIAB
August 23, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterResponses from brokers surveyed indicate commercial property insurance rates in the United States dropped an average of 3.6% during the three months ending June 30, with average premium pricing down 1.44% in cyber, in a market that is “softer than…
Collaboration leads to milestone achievement to define data exchange standards between companies, brokers
August 23, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterThe long-standing objective of standardized real-time data exchange between insurance brokers and companies has taken a big step forward with Tuesday’s announcement that initial testing of the process has been successfully completed. A team of players in Canada’s p&c insurance…
Ironshore establishes computer emergency response team to help policyholders with cyber response
August 22, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterNew York-based Ironshore Inc. is taking steps to help manage cyber claims for all in-force policies, regardless of line, with the launch of a dedicated computer response team. Comprised of cyber claims co-ordinators representing each of the insurer’s specialty lines…
Worldwide spending on IT security products and services to reach US$86.4 billion in 2017: Gartner
August 22, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterWorldwide spending on information technology security products and services will reach US$86.4 billion in 2017, an increase of 7% over 2016, according to the latest forecast from Gartner, Inc.
Spending is expected to continue its growth to US$93 billion in 2018, the Stamford, Conn.-based research and advisory company said in a press release last week.
Within the infrastructure protection segment, Gartner forecasts fast growth in the security testing market (albeit from a small base) due to continued data breaches and growing demands for application security testing as part of…
B.C. Green Party leader to re-introduce ridesharing legislation in the fall
August 22, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterThe leader of the BC Green Party said on Monday that he will re-introduce legislation this fall to enable ridesharing in the province.
Andrew Weaver said in a press release that he has twice introduced the Ridesharing Enabling Act, once in April 2016 and again in February 2017.
“All parties want to see B.C. be a leader in the emerging economy,” Weaver said in the release. “To do so, government must take a proactive, responsive approach that considers the wide ranging impacts of technological innovation. Vancouver is the largest…
Cybercriminals used WannaCry epidemic to promote fraudulent services, Kaspersky report says
August 22, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterCybercriminals involved in spam distribution tried to capitalize on public fears of the WannaCry ransomware epidemic with spam and phishing emails offering cyber protection, a new report from Kaspersky Lab has found. The Spam and phishing in Q2 2017 report,…
Alleged Yahoo hacker Karim Baratov to forgo extradition hearing
August 21, 2017 Paola Loriggio - THE CANADIAN PRESSHAMILTON – A Canadian man accused in a massive hack of Yahoo emails will forgo his extradition hearing and go face the charges in the United States in what his lawyer has called an effort to speed up the legal process.
Karim Baratov signed documents agreeing to waive the hearing before a Hamilton judge on Friday, after weighing the decision for months.
Ontario Superior Court Justice Andrew Goodman warned Baratov that the move could leave him open to more charges in the U.S., prompting the 22-year-old’s lawyer to confirm…
Polled security professionals in U.S. find securing disconnected systems a challenge
August 21, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterRecently surveyed IT security professionals in the U.S. say securing systems that are disconnected from their corporate networks is a challenge, a situation that could worsen over time, reports Los Angeles-based Lieberman Software Corporation. Polled at Black Hat USA 2017,…
Accenture launches “Liquid Studio” in Toronto to help clients accelerate digital transformation
August 18, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterGlobal professional services company Accenture has opened a new “Liquid Studio” in Toronto to help clients “to turn ideas into innovative applications and solutions with speed and agility.” The Liquid Studio uses rapid development approaches, including agile methodologies and DevOps…