Associated Press reports: Banks and big retailers are locked in a debate over the breach of consumer data that gripped Target Corp. during the holiday season. At issue: Which industry bears more responsibility for protecting consumers’ personal information? The retailers’ argument: Banks must upgrade the security technology for the credit and debit cards they issue….
Category: Commentaries and Analyses
MI: Hacker steals teacher’s direct deposit paycheck: University says too bad so sad
Darlene Storm reports: No matter how much you love your job, very few people work for free. About 80% of Americans receive their paychecks via direct deposit, but if a hacker manages to reroute your paycheck to his or her account, is that just tough luck and you don’t get paid? That’s basically what a…
TX: 14,000 Midland ISD students risk identity theft because of sloppy security
From the oh-FFS-dept.: AP reports: The identity information of 14,000 past and present Midland Independent School District students has been compromised by a computer theft. Midland school Superintendent Ryder Warren says a laptop computer and external hard drive containing the information was stolen from the back of a district administrator’s car on Jan. 23. He…
Commission Statement Marking the FTC’s 50th Data Security Settlement – January 31, 2014
Today marks a milestone for the Federal Trade Commission – the announcement of the Commission’s 50th data security settlement. What started in 2002 with a single case applying established FTC Act precedent to the area of data security has grown into a vital enforcement program that has helped to increase protections for consumers and has encouraged companies to make…
Provider of Medical Transcript Services Settles FTC Charges That It Failed to Adequately Protect Consumers’ Personal Information
Press release from the FTC, followed by my comments: A company that provides medical transcription services has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that its inadequate data security measures unfairly exposed the personal information of thousands of consumers on the open Internet, in some instances including consumers’ medical histories and examination notes. In its complaint…
NYS audit of Village of Westbury reveals IT security deficiencies
The NYS Controller’s Office has released another audit that looks at information technology security – this time it’s the Village of Westbury on Long Island. The audit covered the period June 1, 2011 — November 30, 2012. Here are some snippets from their report: We examined controls over the Village’s computerized financial operations and found that Village…