Robert Pear reports: The Obama administration is rewriting new rules on medical privacy after an outpouring of criticism from consumer groups and members of Congress who say the rules do not adequately protect the rights of patients. Democratic lawmakers and a few Republicans have denounced the rules, saying they fall short of offering patients the…
Author: Dissent
Leaks
Ben Zimmer’s On Language column in the New York Times magazine section discusses the use of the word “leak.” Although the context of his column are leaks of a political nature such as the Afghan war files, it struck me as just applicable to data “leaks.” Here’s a snippet of the column: Do we need…
TN: Identity Theft Hits Customers of Mid-South Deli
Natasha Chen reports: Some customers who have recently purchased items at Jason’s Deli found suspicious activity on their credit or debit accounts, some of which is occurring out of state. […] The Memphis Police Department said that they have an open investigation right now, with three victims reporting unauthorized charges on their credit/debit card accounts….
MI: Four sentenced in ID theft
Four Detroit men with possible ties to the Russian Mob have been sentenced for their crimes. Gerrod Johnson, 25, Derrick Ingram, 25, Leon Stevens-Moman, 25, and Ernest Lewis, 21 were convicted of conspiring to commit identity theft, wire fraud, credit card fraud and committing credit card fraud. […] The group apparently purchased the stolen data…
$9 Here, 20 Cents There and a Credit-Card Lawsuit
Randall Stross reports: It’s easier to steal a million dollars a dollar at a time than a million dollars once. So goes an old saying. If the allegations in a civil case filed in a federal court in Chicago hold up, you can even haul off $10 million if you stick to $9 here or…
How to create a ‘super password’
John D. Sutter reports: Say goodbye to those wimpy, eight-letter passwords. The 12-character era of online security is upon us, according to a report published this week by the Georgia Institute of Technology. The researchers used clusters of graphics cards to crack eight-character passwords in less than two hours. But when the researchers applied that…