Jared Savage reports: University students have been warned to watch out for anyone trying to steal their identity after a computer server holding personal information was hacked. An email sent this week by Stephen Whiteside, at the University of Auckland, said unauthorised parties had accessed a single server holding information such as name, date of…
Author: Dissent
Network security challenges faced by universities
H. Peter Felgentreff, President & CEO of NCP Engineering, discusses challenges faced by universities in balancing a secure and open network and makes some suggestions in this article on Help Net Security.
MN: Court Sides With State in Baby Blood Storage Case
Jeff D. Gorman reports: Minnesota did not violate families’ privacy rights by collecting and storing children’s blood samples, the state Court of Appeals ruled. Alan and Keri Bearder and the parents of 23 other children sued the state and its Department of Health for allegedly collecting blood samples from their infants to test for genetic disorders, and…
U.K. detective fined £4,000 for disclosing police data
A North Wales police detective has been fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £1,000 costs after disclosing police information to a suspected criminal. Vaughan Roberts, from Rhos on Sea, Conwy, accessed information about a friend on the police computer, Caernarfon Crown Court heard. Roberts, who was convicted of two offences earlier this month, had accepted…
Ca: RMC patient info might have been compromised
Gene Zaleski reports: The Regional Medical Center has offered identity theft coverage to about 200 patients after discovering a possible breach of its computer system. RMC President Tom Dandridge said the hospital’s auditor found an former employee’s password may have been used to access medical records. “We could not determine whether there had a been…
Patient Loses Appeal of HIV Disclosure Verdict
Jeff D. Gorman reports: A hospital and one of its nurses are not liable for disclosing a woman’s HIV-positive status to family members who visited her, the Missouri Court of Appeals ruled. Candy Ziolkowski sued the Heartland Regional Medical Center for violation of a Missouri law that keeps the HIV status of patients confidential. She claimed…