Noa Bar-Yosef writes: As 2010 closes, we are given a chance to reflect on the past year of breaches. But something interesting has occurred which will surprise many: there has been a 93.7% drop in the volume of data stolen from 2009 to 2010. An analysis from the Privacy Clearinghouse, a public database which records…
Author: Dissent
(follow-up) Man admits tax scam using stolen patient data
Giovanna Fabiano reports the latest developments in a fraud scheme that victimized some of the most fragile among us: A(n Englewood) city man pleaded guilty Monday to participating in a scheme to file false tax returns, using information stolen from adult and pediatric cancer patients, among other victims. Jason Eaton, 28, told U.S. District Court…
Records of 8,300 former University of Arizona students are missing
Becky Pallack of the Arizona Daily Star reports: A missing hard drive prompted University of Arizona officials to notify 8,300 former students that their identities could be at risk. The external hard drive went missing from a secure records room in Old Main in October or earlier, and it could have been lost when the…
TX: Man found with 20 pounds of stolen checks, mail
Lauren Lea reports: Police busted a man inside a hotel room with about 20 pounds of stolen checks, personal mail, and numerous debit and credit cards. 35-year-old Steven Alcala is charged with fraudulent use or possession of identifying information. An officer discovered the stash after a hotel manager complained that Alcala hadn’t paid his bill….
TX: Hacker gained access to personal data of all students, employees in Houston Independent School District
Houston Independent School District (HISD) announced an overhaul of their computer network security system Thursday after a hacker gained access to the private data of all students, employees and some vendors dating back 10 years. District officials said the first sign of the security breach was noted by HISD tech workers on October 24, 2010….
Recommended: Evaluating Data Breach Disclosure Laws
Sasha Romanosky writes: I imagine most of you have received one or more letters from companies informing you that they lost your personal information. If so, what, if anything, did you do about it? Did you check your credit history?; close a financial account?; something else?; or nothing at all? If you did act, you…