Mitigating medical device cybersecurity risks can be a matter of life and death, warns federal adviser and security expert Anura Fernando, who says ensuring that medical device network connections are properly managed, monitored and secured is "much like keeping a weapon in a safe with the safety on."

A warning that a smartwatch marketed to parents for tracking and communicating with their children could be coopted by hackers leads the latest edition of the ISMG Security Report. It also reviews how a DNS hijacking campaign is hitting organizations and how "dark patterns" trick users.

Among the top new spear phishing threats to enterprises: Extortion. Asaf Cidon of Barracuda outlines the top three spear phishing threats and new strategies to defend against them.

The advent of faster payments has helped accelerate authorized push payment fraud schemes in which victims are defrauded under false pretenses. Banking regulators are responding to the trend, and Rob Tharle of NICE Actimize offers advice for multilayered defense.

Boston Children's Hospital is pioneering the use of Amazon's Alexa voice assist technology in the healthcare sector. John Brownstein, the hospital's chief innovation officer, discusses the security measures involved.

When it comes to browser security, one mistake made by consumers and enterprise alike is that they see the browser as a one-way window into the internet. The reality is quite different - and potentially costly if overlooked, says Pieter Arntz of Malwarebytes.

In the past, the relationship between cybersecurity and privacy has been uneasy and even ill-defined. But today, in the post-GDPR era, the relationship is clear, and so is the legal and compliance path forward, says David Ruiz of Malwarebytes.

The latest edition of the ISMG Security Report features an update on a congressional report that slams Equifax for lacking a strong cybersecurity culture. Also featured: A new study on the status of women in the cybersecurity industry and the use of Android phones as security keys.

Nearly one-quarter of the global cybersecurity workforce is now made up of women. But women still face significant compensation and other career challenges, according to a new study. Mary-Jo de Leeuw of (ISC)2 shares analysis.

Healthcare organizations need to plan ahead for the financial burden of data breaches stemming from cyberattacks and also take preventive steps to help minimize those expenses, says attorney Laura Hammargren of the law firm Mayer Brown.