Bank regulator seeks to shore up defenses
New York’s Department of Financial Services is taking steps to ensure that banks and other financial institutions are aware of their responsibilities in tackling cyber risk. It comes in the wake of the huge online attack earlier this year which targeted some of the biggest US banks, including JP Morgan Chase which revealed last week that the details of more than 80 million customers were accessed. Superintendent of NYDFS Benjamin Lawsky now intends to meet with CEOs of regulated firms to impress on them the seriousness of the threat. He said that those meetings had to be at chief executive level as “it’s not an IT problem, it’s a bank problem.”
NASA report reveals climate change mystery
A report by NASA shows that the deepest parts of the oceans have not warmed since 2005. The study of the ocean below 1.24 miles shows no measurable increase in the last 9 years and although experts say this does not throw suspicion on global warming but may be a result of it slowing in recent years. Co-author of the study Josh Willis says that the sea levels are still rising but this study is to help scientists understand the finer details.
Don’t hide reality of stressful jobs says report
Businesses and organisations that involve stressful roles should be upfront about the risks according to a new report. Ontario’s Ministry of Labour has published a Roundtable on Traumatic Mental Stress and says that recruits for roles at high-risk of post traumatic stress should be given all the facts and possibly even screened as part of the recruitment process. The type of jobs that are considered high-risk include the obvious ones like armed forces and emergency services but also others in healthcare and transit services. The report is aimed at being the starting point for dialogue about the issue of mental stress.
Read the report.
Wal-Mart cutting health insurance benefits
As corporations keep a watchful eye on the costs of healthcare benefits, Wal-Mart is the latest to announce a reduction in the benefit it provides for 30,000 part-time workers and increasing premiums for some others. With businesses assessing the cost of the Affordable Healthcare Act more are shifting higher proportions of healthcare fees onto employees; some are opting to give employees lump sums to buy their own policies instead of providing cover. Changes introduced by Wal-Mart mean that an average employee will be working for almost an hour each pay-period to cover the additional cost of their healthcare.
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