Over on The Examiner, Joe Campana compares the way in which two recent breaches involving Wisconsin residents were handled by the respective entities – the Dean and St. Mary’s Hospital breach and a University of Wisconsin breach. For the most part, I agree with Joe’s points, and I think it’s important to emphasize that much…
Category: Commentaries and Analyses
Army opens probe of its role in WikiLeaks security breach
Nancy A. Youssef reports: The U.S. Army has launched a wide-ranging investigation into how a private allegedly downloaded hundreds of thousands of secret reports and diplomatic cables and handed them to WikiLeaks, McClatchy has learned. The probe could result in a recommendation that other soldiers should face criminal charges in the case. […] The report…
New study shows ID theft exaggerated
Jeff Blyskal writes: If you worry that your identity is at risk of being stolen, a new study by the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics should set your mind at ease. It confirms that the identity-theft “crisis” has been wildly overblown, as we’ve previously reported. For example, credit- and debit-card fraud accounts…
Ninth Circuit Issues Decision on Article III Standing (Starbucks lawsuit)
Andy Serwin provides background and analysis of yesterday’s Ninth Circuit decision that plaintiffs had Article III standing in a lawsuit stemming from a stolen Starbucks laptop: Standing is a key issue in privacy litigation, and it is an issue related to damages, though courts at times reach conclusions regarding standing that are inconsistent with their findings…
Colorado’s state computer systems fail “hacker” test in cyber-security audit
Tim Hoover reports that the state’s cybersecurity is not in good shape and that personal information is at “high risk. You can read his report in the Denver Post. While the news may not be good, kudos are due for hiring a firm to try to hack into the state’s systems to determine just how…
Simple fix to bank security breach: Close the blinds
Ivan Penn reports: Major financial institutions spend millions of dollars protecting private information from falling into the wrong hands. But even with all the high-tech gadgetry and sophisticated computer firewalls, sometimes they miss the simplest safeguards — like closing the blinds. Take the Bank of America branch office on the high pedestrian and vehicle traffic…