Gretchen Smail reports: A hacker (or group of hackers) recently attempted to tamper with the financial aid programs offered through the Solano Community College website. The cyber attack happened early in the spring 2011 semester. Students were quickly notified of the fraud via alerts on the Solano website. “It appears that the person(s) of interest…
Author: Dissent
LA: Report alleges misuse of database
Michelle Millhollon reports: A new report alleges that Murphy Painter used his position as the state’s alcohol and tobacco control commissioner to illegally obtain information on judges, the governor’s staff, a former LSU quarterback, U.S. Sen. David Vitter’s wife and others more than 1,000 times over five years. East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar…
Baton Rouge man gets seven years for ID theft
A follow-up to a breach reported back in August. Bill Lodge reports that Alton K. Davis has been sentenced to seven years in prison for stealing the identities of at least 30 current or retired Baton Rouge police officers. Davis said he did not know the name of the man from whom he purchased the…
Pennsylvania news organizations seek to unseal abortion case
Torsten Ove reports: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and several other Pennsylvania newspapers filed a petition today to open a sealed state Supreme Court case that could potentially alter part of the state’s abortion law. The case involves a 17-year-old who requested permission from an Allegheny County judge to have an abortion and was denied. Such “bypass…
UK: Council sent benefit details to wrong recipients
The Isle of Anglesey County Council breached the Data Protection Act after sending benefit details to the wrong recipients, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said today. The ICO was first made aware of the breach in November 2010 when the council reported that a contractor had mistakenly sent letters to the wrong individuals. The letters…
AU: Crackdown on telco privacy after Vodafone bungle
Ben Grubb reports: Vodafone’s recent breach of privacy laws has triggered a check on all other telcos by the communications regulator, which is concerned poor practices are more widespread. One telco source said that Vodafone’s recent privacy woes had attracted significant scrutiny from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), and the industry was being…