Stephen Cauchi and Georgia Wilkins report: Telstra has scrambled to reconnect its BigPond internet services after a privacy breach that leaked personal customer information shut down its system for 24 hours. Up to 1 million BigPond users could not use email and other online services while the problem was being fixed. About 60,000 passwords were…
Author: Dissent
WA: Unencrypted USB drive with patient data and Social Security numbers reported missing
This is one of the incidents for which we previously had no details. Gene S. J. Liaw, M.D., a Washington physician, reported an incident involving a lost device to the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services and they summarized the incident this way: An unencrypted USB drive used to store patient information could not…
PA: Hackers Steal Washington Co. Customers’ Credit Card Info
The Secret Service is investigating after several customers of a Washington County restaurant had their credit card information stolen by hackers from overseas. Beginning Dec. 4, Jumpers Junction customers began reporting their credit card information as being stolen. Investigators said each person had recently paid for their food with a credit card at the restaurant….
UK: Patient data-sharing may not take account of anonymisation concerns
Earlier this week the Government announced proposals (40-page / 2.1MB PDF) to change the NHS Constitution so that information stored about patients would be automatically shared with life sciences researchers via a new anonymised database unless patients elect for their details not to be included. While welcomed by the life sciences industry as a boost to research,…
Breaches without details (updated)
When HHS’s breach tool reveals a breach I was not already aware of, I try to investigate or find media sources. Sometimes, despite my efforts, I can find nothing online to clarify a breach report. In some cases, I write to the organizations, who may – or may not – answer. Here are some breaches…
Missing or stolen Logan County Emergeny Ambulance Service Authority laptop contained data on over 12,000 patients
Logan County Emergeny Ambulance Service Authority in West Virginia notified HHS that a missing laptop contained protected health information on 12,563. The only coverage I can find on this was in the Logan Banner on November 18. Martha Sparks reported: Area residents who have been serviced by LEASA (Logan Emergency Ambulance Service Authority) may have their…