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…
Category: Government Sector
Ca: WorkSafeNB apologizes to 3,022 injured workers for privacy breach
CBC reports that too much information sharing went on when WorkSafeNB provided data to to Corporate Research Associates. The breach was not the polling firm’s fault, but WorkSafeNB’s, for providing details the contractor did not need and should not have been sent. WorkSafeNB has sent out more than three thousand letters of apology over a serious…
UK: Norwich International Airport website hack sparks ‘secure’ update pledge
BBC reports: An airport has taken down its passenger information website after a hacker breached security systems, claiming they were too lax. Using a pseudonym of His Royal Gingerness (HRG), the hacker told the BBC he wanted to highlight the website’s “vulnerability”. It only took him a few minutes to hack into the site, he…
UK: Parliament HACKED: Sensitive data STOLEN, used to hold MP to ransom
Aaron Brown reports: Cybercrooks hacked into parliament’s secure network and compromise several computers, The Times has claimed. The hackers unearthed confidential documents relating to MP for Newcastle upon Tyne Central, Chi Onwurah – the shadow digital minister – and her employees. The hack is the first report of a successful cyberattack against the secure parliament network, which…
IL: Man Pleads Guilty To Illegally Accessing Computer At MCC
CBS Chicago reports: A former religious services assistant at the federal Metropolitan Correctional Center downtown pleaded guilty Monday to illegally accessing government computers to get personal information about inmates. Tommy Haire, 34, searched the MCC’s computer system without authorization to get sensitive personal information about prisoners in other facilities, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office….
IE: 317 civil servants hit by payroll system data breach due to brain fade at PeoplePoint
Irish Times reports: Over 300 civil servants have been hit by a data breach in the civil service’s shared payroll system, involving their personal details being sent to HR departments other than their own. The breach was reported to the Data Protection Commissioner at the end of October. PeoplePoint, the shared human resources and pensions centre based…