RT reports that Russian TV accidentally leaked a secret ‘nuclear torpedo’ design. Yes, you read that correctly. The Kremlin has confirmed “some secret data” was accidentally leaked when Russian TV stations broadcast material apparently showing blueprints from a nuclear torpedo, designed to be used against enemy coastal installations. During President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with military…
Category: Government Sector
OPM’s $20M contract for ID theft protection violated federal rules
Can OPM do anything right? In this week’s installment of their totally infuriating breach and breach response saga, it appears that they didn’t follow proper procedures in awarding a contract for ID theft monitoring services for breach victims. Jack Moore reports: The inspector general of the Office of Personnel Management says a $20 million sole-source…
UK: Probe into data breach at Telford & Wrekin Council as it sends out 222 letters revealing personal details
The Shropshire Star reports: The error, which saw 222 incorrectly printed letters sent to homes in the borough, was in breach of data rules, the authority has admitted. Council chiefs today apologised for the blunder, which they said was down to human error. A disabled woman in her 60s, who lives in Telford but does…
UK: Hacker jailed for eight months after attacking police, council, charity and porn websites
Liverpool Echo reports: A jobless computer hacker was jailed today for eight months after launching a mass cyber attack on The Met Police, Tory Party and British Airways websites – from his bedroom in his parents’ house. Ian Sullivan, 51, flooded the internet servers for police forces, councils, charities and even porn sites as part…
AU: TAFE hack: Student ‘sex assault and bullying’ details hacked in IT breach
Amy Remeikis reports that despite early assurances from the government that all information was “low-level,” the TAFE breach (noted previously on this blog) included some sensitive information such as sex assault and bullying complaints: “However, in relation to records deemed to be of a more sensitive nature, the department needed to contact 16 people to alert…
You Only Need One Password to Access the Allegedly Hacked Law Enforcement Databases
Meant to post this one yesterday, but got sidetracked. It’s a great reminder of how if you try to make things more user-friendly, you may also significantly compromise security – and in this case a LOT of government files that should be secured better. Aliya Sternstein reports: The U.S. government recently lassoed together a bunch of intelligence…