Evan Schuman and Fred J. Aun have a well-written commentary on the recent indictment of Albert Gonzalez and two unnamed co-conspirators that highlights the questions left unanswered by the indictment, and the apparent contradictions between statements made. As one example, they write: For example, 7-Eleven is a new name in the breach circle, and the…
Author: Dissent
Hackers break into police computer as sting backfires
An Australian Federal Police boast, on the ABC’s Four Corners program, about officers breaking up an underground hacker forum, has backfired after hackers broke into a federal police computer system. Security consultants say police appear to have been using the computer as a honeypot to collect information on members of the forum but the scheme…
Radisson breach affects N. American guests
The Associated Press has an item about Radisson Hotels & Resorts notifying guests of a breach that involved their credit card numbers. And I see that on Radisson’s site, they have posted a letter to guests: Radisson values your business and respects the privacy of your information, which is why we wish to inform you…
Surgeon resigns from Washington University
It seems that every day, there’s a new article on ethical charges or issues involving research. The recent revelations about prominent clinical researchers getting fees from pharmaceutical companies that they did not disclose and even more recent revelations about pharmaceutical firms “ghost writing” research reports and paying doctors to put their names on them are…
UMass battles hacker attack
Since the University of Massachusetts announced a breach of its computer system earlier this month, there have been a few inquiries but no evidence that hackers actually stole information, according to UMass spokesman Edward F. Blaguszewski. By law UMass had to post a notice on its Web site reporting “a breach of security regarding personal…
Laptop with loan data missing in Weber County
The Weber County Sheriff’s Office is concerned about a missing laptop from a loan officer that contains sensitive and personal information of hundreds of home owners in Utah. Deputies said the [Sun Valley Mortgage] loan officer accidently (sic) left his computer on a sidewalk instead of putting it in his car, a mistake that may…