Ian Mason reports: Red-faced town hall bosses have issued a public apology after residents’ personal details were accidentally published online. Wandsworth Council blamed the blunder on a “temporary glitch” in an automated electoral roll registration system which resulted in an undisclosed number of personal details being sold to a third-party company. The information leak was…
Author: Dissent
AU: ‘Malicious hacker’ breaches University of Sydney website
Ben Grubb reports that the university got a very public demonstration of the need to harden their security. Although no personal information was reportedly accessed or acquired, the university got the message: A hacker who claims not to be qualified has breached Sydney University’s computer security in an apparent bid to embarrass administrators. But, as…
National Breach Warning System Urged
Tracy Kitten writes: Forty-six states have breach-notification laws on the books, but no law is the same, and enforcement is weak. In 2011, as malicious breaches continue and the sophistication of cyberattacks increases, Foley, co-founder of the non-profit Identity Theft Resource Center, says it’s time for a national breach notification law. “This would be easier…
Trapster.com reportedly notifies users of hack, advises changing password
Jake Kouns of DataLossDB.org kindly sends along this notice, reportedly from Trapster. The site, which is intended to help users avoid speed traps and other hazards, reports another kind of hazard – that its site was hacked and user email addresses and passwords may have been accessed or acquired. Peer360 provides a copy of the…
MO: Open postal truck scatters mail for 70 miles
Leslie Tripp reports: Hundreds of pieces of mail fluttered onto interstates in eastern Missouri Sunday after the back door of a contractor’s semi carrying mail for the U.S. Postal Service popped open. The mail was scattered along 70 miles of highway near St. Louis, according to Postal Inspector Dan Taylor, who said the tractor-trailer was…
Audit: Md. computer network could be more secure
Max Smith reports: If you live or work in Maryland, your personal information; including tax forms, license applications and state payroll details, are on file in the Maryland Comptroller’s office, and an audit has found its systems should be more secure. The legislative audit found that software security and access controls were inadequate, with 84…