Hiawatha Bray reports: Personal information from nearly one out of three Massachusetts residents, from names and addresses to medical histories, has been compromised through data theft or loss since the beginning of 2010, according to statistics released yesterday by the office of Attorney General Martha Coakley. […] The attorney general’s office has received 1,166 data…
Category: Commentaries and Analyses
Mind-boggling statistic of the day
[TalkTalk] estimates that more than 700,000 attempts at identity theft were also mounted on Britain’s homes during the first quarter of 2011… Source/more: ISPreview.
NM: Schools take closer look at computer security
It’s nice to see some schools getting the message and being proactive on preventing ID theft or reducing the risk. Reyes Mata reports: To protect students from becoming part of an identity theft scam, schools in Las Cruces have responded to online security threats by no longer collecting Social Security numbers from students. “We used…
Slow learning curve for DHS on infosec
Aliya Sternstein reports: Security weaknesses in the computers that track money for the Homeland Security Department could lead to a substantial mistake in the agency’s financial statements, according to a federal audit. KPMG analysts hired by the DHS inspector general to assess the department’s various financial systems for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2010, found about…
Is Texas the New Federal Government? Nationwide Breach Notification Law Signed by Governor Perry Suggests So
Jake Sommer writes: Texas has never been known as a state that loves to regulate and its current governor has made a name for himself by being staunchly anti-regulation, but its recent Texas Security Breach Bill (HB 300), contains a sneaky provision that turns the Texas Attorney General into one of the nation’s most powerful…
UK: Council blunders put personal data at risk
Simon Murphy reports: Personal details of more than 16,000 residents were lost when a council’s computer memory stick went missing. A series of data protection blunders by West Sussex County Council since 2008 have left the personal information of children and adults at risk. Children’s case material, court records, and social care reports were among 60 breaches,…