Scott Bauer of the Associated Press reports that a computer program run by Harmony Information Systems has a significant security hole that resulted in exposure of personal and medical information on Wisconsin seniors and disabled people.
The program in question, Harmony’s Social Assistance Management Systems program, is used by Wisconsin to compile nutrition information about senior citizens and Meals on Wheels recipients and to determine trends in the nutritional health of the state’s senior population. As part of the data collection, the program includes details on pre-existing medical conditions and how much alcohol they consume. The record is by identifiable by the person’s name and Social Security number.
According to Fred Buhr, a former volunteer volunteer for the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services who worked on data security for DHFS before retiring in 2006, Wisconsin has been using the program since 2002.
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