After a lull in security incidents following a string of breaches between 2006 and 2008, Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer recently reported another security incident. According to a notification (pdf) filed by their attorneys, a Pfizer employee “inadvertently left a backup hard drive in a box that was discarded in the trash on March 26, 2009. Because…
Author: Dissent
Newton Manufacturing discovers hackers acquired customer data in repeated intrusions
In what was likely a nasty shock for Iowa-based Newton Manufacturing, Jnc., a recent security audit revealed that the company’s databases had been breached in September 2008, October 2008, and February 2009. Hackers apparently accessed and acquired customers’ personal information including names, addresses, and Social Security numbers. According to a notification (pdf) filed by the…
Concerns raised about CVS Caremark practices (updated)
The Associated Press reports that pharmacists and customers will be talking with trade regulators today about CVS Caremark Corp. practices. While a major issue is whether CVS Caremark is charging patients higher co-pays for not using CVS pharmacies, the AP reports suggests that there are also privacy concerns about the company’s use of patient data….
Prosecutor will seek life sentence for ID theft
As a follow-up to a case reported in a recent “Bits ‘n Pieces” post: Jim Dooley of The Honolulu Advertiser reports that the prosecutor will be seeking a life sentence for Susan Shaw, who is charged with stealing some $160,000 from at least 11 victims from January 2008 through last month. Dooley quotes prosecutor Christopher…
Most of Hannaford breach lawsuit tossed out by judge
Trevor Maxwell of The Portland Press Herald reports that Judge D. Brock Hornby of the U.S. District Court in Maine has dismissed nearly all of the claims filed again Hannaford Bros. for the massive breach they suffered in 2007 and early 2008. Only consumers who were not reimbursed by their banks for fraudulent charges on…
Impact of Heartland Payment Systems breach continues to emerge
Yesterday, Marc Stewart of WSMV reported on how a number of Tennessee banks had been affected by the Heartland Payment Systems breach. Today, Todd Wallack of The Boston Globe has some data and figures on banks in Massachusetts affected by the Heartland Payment Systems breach. Some of the figures may be a bit surprising to…