Two companies that maintain large amounts of sensitive information about the employees of their business customers, including Social Security numbers, have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they failed to employ reasonable and appropriate security measures to protect the data, in violation of federal law. Among other things, the settlement orders require the…
Category: Breach Incidents
SOE security breach: only “900” of stolen credit cards were active
Steven Williamson reports: Following the closure of Sony Online Entertainment’s network operations earlier today, the company has now confirmed that only a small percentage of credit card details – possibly seized by hackers during the recent security breach – could be used for fraudulent purposes. Earlier today, PSU reported that Sony Online Entertainment had shut…
Texas Comptroller dips into campaign fund to pay for credit restoration services
Facing mounting criticism of her handling of her office’s massive data breach, Texas Comptroller Susan Combs has apologized for the security lapse that exposed personal information on 3.5 million citizens and has agreed to pay for identity restoration services out of her campaign fund. Read more on InfoSecurity. Okay, her campaign fund isn’t exactly the…
SOE hacked: 12,700 credit card numbers and 24.6 million accounts may have been compromised
Togikagi writes: As we previously reported, all Sony Online Entertainment services, games, forums and web sites went offline this morning as a result of the recent Playstation Network intrusion. SOE just issued an announcement, and it appears that the personal information of players may have been compromised. Here are the details straight from SOE: “Our…
IL: Police shut down identity theft operation at clinic
Chicago police have located the hub of an identity theft operation and have arrested the two women coordinating the scheme. Carmencita Kennedy, the reception at Woman to Woman Healthcare on the South Loop, has been charged with organizing a long-term financial crimes enterprise. Police say the 32 year old has stolen the identities of at…
Sony Declines to Testify at Congressional Hearing
Nick Bilton reports: Sony has declined to testify at a Congressional hearing on Wednesday, “The Threat of Data Theft to American Consumers,” that seeks to understand how consumers’ private data is protected by corporations. […] The subcommittee sent a letter to Sony on Friday asking the company to answer a number of questions related to the…