In The Privacy Dividend, a report published on 4 March 2010, it said public and private sector organisations can use business cases to justify spending on privacy protection. It says the benefits of protecting privacy derive from four areas in which information has value. Firstly, protecting personal information as an asset can help to make…
Author: Dissent
Memo to arrestee: a flash drive is not a goldfish
The Smoking Gun reports: In a bold and bizarre attempt to destroy evidence seized during a federal raid, a New York City man grabbed a flash drive and swallowed the data storage device while in the custody of Secret Service agents, records show. Florin Necula ingested the Kingston flash drive shortly after his January 21…
Illinois Department of Insurance won’t fine MetLife… for now
Would the state of Illinois have treated a bank or health care provider the same way if the same data had been exposed by them? The Illinois Department of Insurance says it won’t fine insurance agency MetLife, at least for now, after a 13 News investigation revealed MetLife files were thrown into a dumpster without being…
Cyberthieves Using Bluetooth To Steal Gas Station Credit Card Data
Evan Schuman writes: When cyberthieves plant skimming devices inside POS PIN pads, they typically have one of two headaches. First, they have to return to the scene of the crime to retrieve the device and its stolen data, which is dangerous. If the thieves use the device to wirelessly phone the data to one of…
(update) Salmat caused St George data breach
Renai LeMay reports: Business process outsourcing firm Salmat has acknowledged responsibility for a data breach at St George that saw some customers of the Westpac subsidiary receive account details that belonged to other customers. “Our statement production company Salmat has acknowledged responsibility for the error which occured and is currently completing a full investigation,” said…
Argos exposes customers’ credit-card numbers in emails
Barry Collins reports: High street retailer Argos has compromised its customers’ security by sending their credit-card details – including the vital security code – in unencrypted emails. The company has been including the customer’s full name, address, credit-card number and three-digit CCV security code in order confirmation emails, which are sent once a customer has…