Catalin Cimpanu reports: Powerful spying malware infiltrated the personal laptop of the head of the German Federal Chancellery (GFC). The current GFC chief is Peter Altmaier, whose main role is to assist German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the affairs of the German state. The infection was discovered in December 2014, and after further investigation, German…
Month: October 2015
UK: Marks & Spencer Website Suspended After Customer Data Breach
Tom Jowitt reports: Marks & Spencer temporarily suspended its website on Tuesday night after “technical difficulties” that exposed customer information to other website users. But the British retailer insisted that its website was not hacked by outside third parties, and there is no security risk for affected customers. Read more on TechWeek Europe.
No Bank Card Required: Citigroup Testing Eye-Scanning ATM
James Eng reports: No card reader, no PIN pad, no touch-screen display — how you bank at your ATM could drastically change in the not-so-distant future. Citigroup is testing an automated teller machine made by Canton, Ohio-based Diebold that relies on your smartphone and perhaps an eye scan to dispense your cash. Read more on…
UK: Another ‘data disaster’ at Islington Council after third major breach in four years
James Morris reports: An investigation has been launched after yet another data leak by Islington Council. On Sunday, it emerged personal information about penalty charge notices was freely available on the council’s parking appeals website. Information included scanned cheques, medical information to justify appeals – and even one person’s prison record. It is the council’s…
TalkTalk requiring upset customers pay contract termination fee after data breach
From the if-they-have-a-PR-firm-are-they-even-listening-to-them dept: TalkTalk is becoming the poster child for poor PR and how NOT to respond after a data breach. In today’s installment, the BBC reports that the firm will only waive contract termination fees if the customer has had money stolen from them. “In the unlikely event that money is stolen from…
National University Hospital of Iceland (Landspítali) sued over privacy breach
The Iceland Monitor reports: A Vietnamese national previously denied residence in Iceland owing to suspicions that her marriage was a sham will now be allowed to stay. Controversy has emerged over how the Directorate of Immigration received the information about the couple on which the previous decision to deny residence was based. According to the…