Phil Galewitz of Kaiser Health News reports: When the oversized postcard arrived last August from Provena St. Joseph Medical Center promoting a lung cancer screening for current or former smokers over 55, Steven Boyd wondered how the hospital had found him. Boyd, 59, of Joliet, Ill., had smoked for decades, as had his wife, Karol….
Author: Dissent
More breaches caused by staff than hackers
From InfoSecurity: The 2012 data protection survey undertaken by the Irish Computer Society (ICS) shows that a higher number of data breaches are the result of internal failures and lack of awareness than are the result of external theft. The survey involved more than 300 Irish IT administration and management staff and was undertaken in…
Law enforcement targeted by hackers
There have been a number of law enforcement-related web sites hacked since last June. Some of those hacks — like those involving the Arizona Department of Public Safety, BART, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, Baldwin County Sheriff’s office in Alabama, Coalition of Law Enforcement and Retail (C.L.E.A.R.), the California Statewide Law…
UK: Cumbrian Hospitals Trust opens investigation after patients' details 'left on train'
Pamela McGowan reports: A probe has been launched after patients at north Cumbria’s hospitals were told some of their information had been lost on a train. A number of patients this week received letters informing them that personal details have gone missing. It is not known how many people are affected or the exact nature…
NC: Laptop of health care provider stolen
Richard Craver reports that an office burglary snagged a laptop with unencrypted patient data: A laptop computer stolen from a local behavioral-health provider on Dec. 13 contained medical data for 2,070 individuals in Davie, Forsyth and Stokes counties, the provider said Friday. Triumph LLC, which is based in Raleigh, notified clients and family members of…
Ca: Privacy Breach at Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission
There has been a privacy breach at Workers’ Compensation [WHSCC]. An employee accessed the records of twelve injured workers without a justifiable work purpose over a three-year period. Those affected are in the process of being contacted. The Workplace, Health, Safety and Compensation Commission is apologizing to all those affected, saying it has zero tolerance…