Brian Krebs reports that a breach involving Michaels Stores is not just a Chicago-area breach but is affecting stores nationwide: Earlier this month, arts & crafts chain Michaels Stores disclosed that crooks had tampered with some point-of-sale devices at store registers in the Chicago area in a scheme to steal credit and debit card numbers and…
Author: Dissent
Catch a clue from an EDU: Universities that get security right
Mary K. Pratt reports: Professor Corey Schou was working in his school’s library when he realized his computer was picking up a particularly strong Wi-Fi signal. Normally that would be welcome news. But Schou knew that spot was usually a dead zone, which meant something was probably amiss. So Schou, a professor of informatics at…
UK’s ICO fines ACS:Law for data breach (updated)
John Oates reports: ACS:Law has been fined by the Information Commissioner’s Office for failing to follow data protection law. The one-man law firm, which has since ceased trading, won infamy for using IP numbers to accuse people of illegal file-sharing. Victims received a letter offering to settle the claims rather than go to court. But…
KS: Assurant reports breach in customer account information
Diane Stafford reports: Assurant Employee Benefits said Monday that 1,007 customers in the Kansas City area have been notified that their personal information inadvertently was made available to another business client administrator. The insurer said human error caused those customers’ names, addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers and types of coverage to be available…
IL: 2002 records unintentionally released
I missed this breach involving Eastern Illinois University that was reported in the Daily Eastern News several weeks ago, but DataLossDB.org noticed it: Coarsely shredded documents displaying the names and Social Security numbers of Eastern employees in 2002 have been unintentionally released because of improper disposal. “EIU officials are still in the process of determining which years’ information…
Florida Bill Would Bar Doctors From Asking Patients About Guns
David Taintor writes: As NPR reports, a Florida bill would bar doctors — in particular pediatricians — from asking their patients if they own guns. Gov. Rick Scott (R) is expected to sign the bill this week, which would make Florida the first state with such a law.Scott’s office would not release a timeline on when…