Probably everyone has accidentally left some papers in a shared printer at one time or another. But when papers containing sensitive personal data get scooped and included in a mailing to an uninvolved their party, you may wind up violating the Data Protection Act. According to the Information Commissioner’s Office, that’s pretty much what happened…
Category: Government Sector
Calif. property tax payment system hacked from Philippines
Mike Harris reports: Ventura County’s online credit card payment system was apparently hacked from the Philippines, enabling scam emails to be sent to many residents who used the system to pay their 2007 property taxes, officials said this week. Treasurer-Tax Collector Steven Hintz said the phishing emails appeared to be sent over the weekend in…
UK: Lancashire Police officers dismissed for breaching data laws
The residents of Lancashire, like most people in Britain, hope that the police are there to protect them. So they will be shocked and disappointed today to find out that dozens of police have been using police equipment to spy on their partners and neighbours for the last three years. There were a total of…
Clarksburg VA Medical Center patient list left in car for months, but not to worry, VA says
Cassie Shaner reports: A list of names and Social Security numbers for about 1,450 veterans with upcoming appointments at the Clarksburg VA Medical Center was mistakenly left in a government vehicle for a few months, officials said Tuesday. They said there’s no reason to believe the information was compromised, however. […] Beiler said a female…
Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands learns online state park pass purchase site was compromised last year; 970 notified
Rob Poindexter reports: Credit card information may have been stolen for some people who bought state park passes on line. The Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands learned in February that their online system for the sale of state park passes, provided by a private vendor, was hacked by “malware.” The breach happened between March…
UK: Security scare as council loses memory stick containing medical info and access codes to the homes of thousands of vulnerable people
The Daily Mail reports: A council has lost a memory stick containing home security codes and medical information for thousands of elderly people.The data device holds the medical details on 4,000 people looked after by Leicester City Council support service as well as 2,000 key codes which can be used to gain access to their…