Betty Ostergren of The Virginia Watchdog has been a passionate advocate for eliminating Social Security numbers from documents posted on the web by government agencies. To that end, she has occasionally posted examples of what she has found on publicly available web sites, a tactic that I have questioned while admiring her dedication and determination….
Category: Breach Incidents
Government laptops stolen in Belfast
UTV News reports: An urgent investigation has been launched into what material was taken from the corporate human resources offices over the weekend. All the machines were password-protected, marked and serial numbers recorded. Detectives have been called in. A spokesman for the Department of Finance and Personnel said: “In view of the nature of corporate…
NHS Scotland loses patients’ medical history data
Computing.co.uk reports: The Scottish NHS has admitted to the loss of medical histories for 137 patients that were stored on a memory stick, in contravention of data protection rules. The admission comes just days after the Scottish parliament published a report recommending the devolved government should be more proactive ensuring compliance with security standards. Police…
Hundreds of Aviva customers notified of data breach
Aviva USA is notifying hundreds customers that their Social Security numbers may have been acquired after malware infected one of their computers. In a May 28 letter (pdf) to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office, Aviva’s Chief Privacy Officer Carolyn Gee explained that the exposure occurred while the company “was conducting online research to locate…
IL: Confidential CPS Documents Found Dumped in Alley
Erin Mendez and Sean Leidigh of WGNTV report: Years of CPS [Chicago Public Schools] student’s confidential, sealed records somehow made their way to a Lakeview alley early this morning. “I came upon my dumpster, totally filled. See this box? Sped –special education records..Lakeview,” said Art Kuesel, who found the documents behind his home. Inside, he…
Bits ‘n Pieces
In the justice system: Paul D. Gale, the owner of Roadhouse Grill & Tavern, has been arrested on charges he made a fraudulent insurance claim and collected phony charges using customers’ credit card numbers. More. Gerry Lynn McAfee was sentenced to 33 months in prison for stealing the identity of a Vietnam War veteran and…