A new GAO report indicates that the IRS still needs to do more to improve security. The summary of their report, emphasis added by me: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has a demanding responsibility in collecting taxes, processing tax returns, and enforcing the nation’s tax laws. It relies extensively on computerized systems to support its…
Author: Dissent
UK: Wolverhampton City Council breached Data Protection Act; Confidential records dumped in skip
From the ICO: Wolverhampton City Council breached the Data Protection Act by allowing confidential personal information to be disposed of in a skip, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said today. The ICO first became aware of the breach in October 2010 when a local newspaper reported that council documents containing names, dates of birth, bank…
UK: Wolverhampton City Council breached Data Protection Act; Confidential records dumped in skip
From the ICO: Wolverhampton City Council breached the Data Protection Act by allowing confidential personal information to be disposed of in a skip, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said today. The ICO first became aware of the breach in October 2010 when a local newspaper reported that council documents containing names, dates of birth, bank…
Zeus computer virus nabs Social Security numbers from Virginia Tech computer
Tonia Moxley reports that a computer in Virginia Tech controller’s office was infected by a virus that sent Social Security numbers and some financial data on current and former employees overseas before it was detected: About 370 people were affected, and all have been notified by mail of the security breach. The university will pay…
UWindsor sends 650 tax slips to wrong people
The University of Windsor Finance Department mistakenly sent about 650 income tax slips to the wrong people, meaning personal information, including social insurance numbers, ended up in someone else’s mailbox. […] “I received two envelopes. Both were addressed to me so I opened them both,” said Kennedy. “One had all of my information in it,…
What's 100,000 more or less in a data breach, right?
It may be a measure of how blasé we’ve become about data breaches. Today’s newly revealed Health Net breach reportedly affected 1.9 million members, employees, and providers. Now that’s a huge number, right? But I guess some in the media decided that a headline with 1.9 million just wasn’t sexy enough, because tonight I see…