Megan Newquist reports: Imagine a burglar stalking his victims and taking pictures of their cars in parking lots, knowing their whereabouts and then breaking into their homes. Eden Prairie police say that’s exactly what 45-year-old David William Pollard was doing, but they didn’t know how until he was arrested leaving a Minnetonka home on April…
Category: Government Sector
Wisconsin senators want answers from the VA about repeated breaches
Earlier today, I posted an item and commentary about a breach affecting veterans in Wisconsin. Adam Schrager’s report indicated that there were recurring problems and that the VA knew about these problems but has not addressed them to prevent recurrences. One of the problems involves the VA’s software not flagging SSN that are unhyphenated for mandatory encryption. The VA…
Our veterans deserve better infosecurity of their information
When News3 in Madison, Wisconsin started digging into a breach involving 637 veterans’ Social Security numbers, what they found should have everyone asking the VA some hard questions. Adam Schrager reports: The Social Security numbers of Wisconsin veterans are being sent via email without encryption despite numerous federal laws and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs…
Regin Spyware Found on Merkel Assistant’s Laptop
Catalin Cimpanu reports: Powerful spying malware infiltrated the personal laptop of the head of the German Federal Chancellery (GFC). The current GFC chief is Peter Altmaier, whose main role is to assist German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the affairs of the German state. The infection was discovered in December 2014, and after further investigation, German…
UK: Another ‘data disaster’ at Islington Council after third major breach in four years
James Morris reports: An investigation has been launched after yet another data leak by Islington Council. On Sunday, it emerged personal information about penalty charge notices was freely available on the council’s parking appeals website. Information included scanned cheques, medical information to justify appeals – and even one person’s prison record. It is the council’s…
Did China Just Hack the International Court Adjudicating Its South China Sea Territorial Claims?
Jason Healey and Anni Piiparinen report: Attribution for cyberattacks is said to be notoriously difficult, but sometimes context and timing are damning evidence. In July, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague conducted a hearing on the territorial dispute in the South China Sea between the Philippines and China. On the third day of…