Mathew J. Schwartz

Executive Editor, DataBreachToday & Europe, ISMG

Schwartz is an award-winning journalist with two decades of experience in magazines, newspapers and electronic media. He has covered the information security and privacy sector throughout his career. Before joining Information Security Media Group in 2014, where he now serves as the executive editor, DataBreachToday and for European news coverage, Schwartz was the information security beat reporter for InformationWeek and a frequent contributor to DarkReading, among other publications. He lives in Scotland.

EU Agencies Target Cybercrime

Mathew J. Schwartz • June 26, 2014

The European cybercrime agency ENISA and the Europol police force will work more closely together to combat everything from the latest malware attacks to organized crime syndicates.

U.S. Plan Would Boost EU Privacy Rights

Mathew J. Schwartz • June 25, 2014

The Obama administration has reached a deal with EU representatives, pending Congressional approval, to give EU citizens the right to file lawsuits, in certain circumstances, if the U.S. has violated their privacy rights.

Smart Phone 'Kill Switch' Cuts Crime

Mathew J. Schwartz • June 24, 2014

Thefts of iPhones in New York, San Francisco and London declined after Apple added a remote-disabling feature. Now Google and Microsoft have promised to offer the feature in their mobile operating systems.

Heartbleed Update: Fixes Plateau

Mathew J. Schwartz • June 23, 2014

Two months after the OpenSSL flaw known as Heartbleed was discovered, remediation efforts have slowed. But several security experts laud businesses' rapid response to the threat, noting that they've installed related fixes more quickly than usual.

Facebook NSA Case Moves to EU Court

Mathew J. Schwartz • June 19, 2014

A privacy activist's case against Facebook for allegedly sharing Europeans' personal data with the NSA in violation of EU data protection rules has been referred to the European Court of Justice for review.

Privacy Groups Decry UK Surveillance

Mathew J. Schwartz • June 17, 2014

The U.K. government's legal justification for spying en masse on British residents' online communications - Google searches, Facebook posts, Webmail - is questioned by privacy and Internet law experts as part of a case triggered by Edward Snowden's leaks.

P.F. Chang's Breach: 6 Key Developments

Mathew J. Schwartz • June 17, 2014

While P.F. Chang's China Bistro has warned customers that their card information may have been compromised in a data breach, several fraud experts say they have yet to see a related increase in fraud. Learn the latest developments.

P.F. Chang's Confirms Card Breach

Mathew J. Schwartz • June 13, 2014

Restaurant chain P.F. Chang's China Bistro confirms it suffered a data breach that compromised credit and debit card numbers used by an unknown number of patrons. Some experts see a Target connection.

Sizing Up Apple's Privacy Changes in iOS 8

Mathew J. Schwartz • June 12, 2014

Consumer rights advocates have applauded Apple's preview of iOS 8 privacy changes, including randomizing MAC addresses to help block retail analytics and unauthorized forms of device tracking.

Microsoft Fights U.S. Warrant

Mathew J. Schwartz • June 11, 2014

Microsoft moves to quash a search warrant granting U.S. investigators the right to request copies of an overseas customer's e-mails that are stored in a data center in Ireland.

China Hacking Report Questioned

Mathew J. Schwartz • June 10, 2014

A second economic espionage campaign has been tied to a Chinese military hacking team. But does that attribution help businesses, or just highlight security firms battling for government cybersecurity spending?

Google Plans 'Forgotten' Results Flag

Mathew J. Schwartz • June 9, 2014

European officials have been accused of punting the difficult decision of exactly how search engines should "forget" people's personal data, even as Google daily now receives 10,000 such requests.

UK Pitches Business 'Cyber Essentials'

Mathew J. Schwartz • June 6, 2014

The British government aims to increase uptake of five essential security controls at U.K. businesses, backed by third-party annual audits and a badge of compliance. Many government contractors must comply.

OpenSSL Flaw Discovered: Patch Now

Mathew J. Schwartz • June 5, 2014

In the wake of the Heartbleed flaw, a researcher finds new weaknesses in OpenSSL that could be exploited to launch man-in-the-middle attacks, distributed-denial-of-service attacks and remote-code execution on millions of sites.

UK Seeks Hacking Life Sentences

Mathew J. Schwartz • June 5, 2014

A proposed UK computer crime bill would increase hacking penalties and criminalize cybercrime attacks that impact the economy, environment or national security. Proving related charges in court, however, could be difficult.