KHOU reports: Information about City of Houston employees’ health insurance may have been compromised after an employee’s laptop computer was stolen. City officials say the laptop was stolen from the employee’s car on Feb. 2. They say the password-protected computer may have contained city employees’ records, including names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers…
Category: Government Sector
SamSam ransomware infects Colorado Department of Transportation
Luana Pascu reports: SamSam ransomware is back and the Colorado Department of Transportation is its most recent victim. More than 2,000 agency computers had to be shut down on Feb 21 to prevent the ransomware from spreading across the entire infrastructure. According to CBS local news, the critical systems used to manage road traffic and…
UK: Former council worker fined for sharing personal information about schoolchildren and parents via Snapchat
From the what-the-HELL-were-they-thinking department: A former local authority education worker who illegally shared personal information about schoolchildren and their parents has been prosecuted. Samira Bouzkraoui, 24, took a screenshot of a council spreadsheet concerning children and their eligibility for free school meals before sending it to the estranged parent of one of the pupils via…
AU: City of Ballarat privacy nightmare: resident details posted online
Ashleigh McMillan reports: More than 70 Ballarat residents have had their home addresses – and in some cases phone numbers and email addresses – leaked by City of Ballarat. […] The list included the personal details of a number of eminent Ballarat personalities and those with sensitive professions, including lawyers, doctors, business owners and police…
PA: City of Allentown computer systems hit by virus that may require an expensive fix
Daniel Patrick Sheehan and Emily Opilo report: The City of Allentown has been hit by a serious computer virus that is affecting an array of systems, with some shut down as a precaution while a team of outside experts tries to fix the problem. City spokesman Mike Moore said the malware, which has the potential…
AU: Immigration department reveals string of data breaches
Rohan Pearce reports: The immigration department has revealed that over the last five years it has reported 18 data breaches to the Office of the Australian Information Commission. In an answer to a question on notice from a Senate Estimates hearing earlier this year, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) revealed it reported…