On January 31, 2018, the FBI released a Private Industry Notification (PIN) warning schools about the hacker(s) known as TheDarkOverlord. The information in the PIN was provided by the FBI and the Department of Education’s Office of the Inspector General, and it appears to be an expanded version of a prior alert to schools issued by…
Category: U.S.
What to Know About ED’s New Stance On Data Breach Reporting
Sean Tassi reports: Until recently, colleges and universities that experienced a data breach had no unique reporting obligations to the U.S. Department of Education. Institutions were expected to analyze security incidents under applicable federal and state laws and, when appropriate, notify affected individuals and appropriate federal and state agencies. Because the Family Educational Rights and…
IL: Reinstated school district IT Director sues school board over breach response
In May, 2016, this site noted a breach report from Abingdon-Avon School District in Illinois. One month later, we noted a news report that their IT Director, identified at the time as Mark Rodgers (sic), had been arrested, although it wasn’t clear if the felony eavesdropping charges were directly related to the breach. Not reported…
Aetna sues claims administrator KCC over botched notice in HIV case
Alison Frankel reports that Aetna is suing Kurtzman Carson Consultants for exposing plan members’ HIV status in envelope windows sent out in July as part of notifying members of settlement negotiations in other litigation matters. The privacy breach resulting from the exposure resulted in Aetna members experiencing a privacy breach involving sensitive information, and led…
Latvian National Pleads Guilty to “Scareware” Hacking Scheme That Targeted Minneapolis Star Tribune Website
A Latvian man pleaded guilty today in Minneapolis for participating in a lucrative “scareware” hacking scheme that targeted visitors to the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s website. Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Gregory G. Brooker of the District of Minnesota and Special Agent in Charge Richard T….
Uber says hackers behind 2016 data breach were in Canada, Florida
Dustin Volz reports: The two people who hacked ride-hailing firm Uber’s data in 2016 were in Canada and Florida at the time, a company security executive told a U.S. congressional committee on Tuesday. But I love this line in his testimony: “We made a misstep in not reporting to consumers, and we made a misstep…