Byron Acohido reports: A rising swarm of cyber-robberies targeting small firms, local governments, school districts, churches and non-profits has prompted an extraordinary warning. The American Bankers Association and the FBI are advising small and midsize businesses that conduct financial transactions over the Internet to dedicate a separate PC used exclusively for online banking. The reason:…
Author: Dissent
UK: Leicestershire police 'strongly support' DNA legislation
Leicestershire police has said it “strongly supports” clearer legislation on retaining innocent people’s DNA. Yet in the past year, the force refused 22 of 24 requests to remove records from its database. This is despite a ruling from the European Court of Human Rights which has said holding the DNA of innocent people indefinitely was…
WA: 130,000 at risk after computer breach at EWU
Levi Pulkkinen reports: Following a computer breach earlier in December, Eastern Washington University will be notifying 130,000 current and former students that their identifying information may have been compromised. While it remains unclear whether any students or alumni have had their identities stolen due to the breach, officials with the Cheney-based university are preparing to…
Breach reports decline in 2009, but what does it mean?
As of today’s date, breach compilations by both the Identity Theft Resource Center and Open Security Foundation indicate that there were fewer breach reports in 2009 relative to 2008. While some of the apparent decrease may be due to two sources used last year not being available online for the second half of this year,…
UK: Hacker rattles 21,000 iPhone unlockers
Bill Ray reports: Hackers have mailed 21,000 customers of iPhoneUnlockUK to remind them the company uses unlicensed software, and that their details have been compromised. E-mails were sent out to customers of the iPhone unlocking service, with claims that iPhoneUnlockUK is guilty of stealing software and selling it illegally. The mail goes on to recommend…
Meaningful use' criteria released
David Burda writes on ModernHealthcare.com: HHS issued two sets of much-anticipated federal regulations that significantly further the government’s healthcare information technology adoption agenda. The first set of regulations lists the “meaningful use” criteria that healthcare providers must meet to qualify for federal IT subsidies based on how they use their electronic health records. The second…