ERIC, a clearinghouse and database for education research articles, has this notice linked from their home page: Dear ERIC Community, In early August we discovered that sensitive personally identifiable information appeared in some full text documents contained in the ERIC collection. Specifically, social security numbers and other highly sensitive information were found in multiple documents…
Category: Exposure
Scottish council fined £250k after losing staff pension records
We had been told a big fine was coming, but now it’s here. PublicService.co.uk reports: Scottish Borders Council has been hit with a major fine after pension records, bank details and salary information on hundreds of employees were dumped in recycle bins, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has confirmed. The watchdog, which can fine up…
ME: Sheriff Department’s Social Security numbers breach poses privacy concerns
Seth Koenig reports: Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce is urging the approximately 180 people recently arrested by his agency whose Social Security numbers were accidentally made public this week to be wary of strange activity in their bank or other personal accounts. […] On Thursday night, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office announced that a new…
NG: SSS official laments security breach
Emmanuel Okubenji reports: A senior intelligence official of [Nigeria’s] State Security service (SSS) has that the lives of officers and those of their families have been put at risk. Following the leak of personal data of more than 60 past and current employees of the SSS on the Internet, the official added that two SSS…
UK: Child database leak caused by error not hacking
When I posted a news item about a breach involving Gabbitas and The Independent Schools Guide web site, I duly quoted the reference to claims that the leak had been due to a cyber-attack, even though it seemed a bit implausible to me. An article in Computerworld today by John E. Dunn that reports there…
TX: Del Mar College exposes 400 people’s SSN after improper disposal of records
Ah yes, because we didn’t have enough education sector breaches already? kiii TV reports: Del Mar College’s East Campus reported Tuesday that paper documents containing personal information, including Social Security numbers, were discovered in a recycling bin. The documents, created between 1996-2007, contained personal identifying information of some 400 people. They were discovered in a…