Mike Lyons reports that a mailing error by Wells Fargo in Florida exposed customers’ bank account information to each other. Social Security numbers were not involved, but bank account numbers, balances, and transactions were. Ugh. Update: This may be a regional or national problem, as other parts of the country are also reporting complaints from…
Category: Exposure
UK: Probe at Edge Hill University after student data breach
Rob Pattinson reports: A (sic) investigation has been launched after personal details of nearly 800 Edge Hill University students were sent out in an email. The email, sent by a university staff member to 53 students, mistakenly contained 798 other students’ addresses, email addresses, course enrolment details and student network passwords. The university told the…
In the wake of really bad press, First State Super walks back its threats against researcher
Some updates to the First State Superannuation breach reported previously: 1. First State will not be taking legal action against Patrick Webster, the customer and IT security expert who alerted them to the breach. 2. The Australian Privacy Commissioner will investigate the breach. 3. On October 19, First State issued a statement linked from their home…
UK: Housing group emailed workers’ details to wrong address
As a follow-up to a breach previously reported on this site, the Information Commissioner’s Office found that a private housing group breached the Data Protection Act by sending the personal data of 200 employees to the wrong email address. In March of this year, an employee of Spectrum Housing Group accidentally emailed a non-secure excel…
UK: 100 private documents accidentally published on police website
Martin Williams writes: Privacy breaches by the Metropolitan Police have left more than 100 documents online which contain confidential information. Names, email addresses and employment details are among the private data which can still be viewed on the Met’s website. Police publish all their responses to questions in an online disclosure log. But staff are routinely failing to…
UAE: Bank gaffe shows info of wealthy customers
Gregor Hunter reports: A bank blunder has revealed the personal email details of scores of HSBC’s high-income customers for the second time in two years. The security breach occurred after a mass email was sent on Sunday morning to 178 customers of HSBC Premier, the bank’s account level for high earners, advising them that it…