California’s Department of Business Oversight is notifying some investment advisers and dealer-brokers that due to a redaction error on the department’s part, their Social Security numbers were sent to public records requestors. The breach, which occurred on January 5, was not discovered until March 11, and the department does not indicate how it first became aware…
Category: Government Sector
Aussie teen hacker Abdilo’s home raided, and he’s ordered to turn over his passwords and decryption keys
Will Ockenden and Benjamin Sveen report that the teenage hacker known as “Abdilo” had his home raided by Australian law enforcement in a pre-dawn raid. DataBreaches.net has reported on a number of Abdilo’s claimed hacks, which included an Australian travel insurance company, the University of Sydney, and numerous educational institutions in the U.S. and elsewhere. Most of his…
Nine Defendants Plead Guilty in $20 Million Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Ring
There’s a follow-up to a case previously reported on PHIprivacy.net and on this site. From the U.S. Department of Justice: Alabama and Georgia residents pleaded guilty for their roles in a $20 million stolen identity refund fraud (SIRF) conspiracy, Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney George…
UK: Policeman handed absolute discharge for breaching data protection act
Rebecca Buchan reports: A policeman who searched his work computer database for restricted information about his sisters has been handed an absolute discharge. During the course of one day, Keith Knowles accessed seven crime files while at work at Woodhill House, Westburn Road. The documents – relating to his siblings Lynn Robertson and Veronica Knowles…
New privacy taskforce announced after leak of G20 leaders’ details
Paul Farrell reports: Australia’s immigration department has announced the creation of a new taskforce to strengthen the handling of sensitive information following an embarrassing data breach involving the personal details of G20 world leaders. […] The immigration department has been involved in several other serious privacy breaches since 2012, including the disclosure of details of almost 10,000 people…
Kazakhstan Government Sues 100 “Does” Over Hack
Mike Heuer of Courthouse News reports that a lawsuit has been filed in Santa Clara County Court against Does over the hack of Kazakhstan government emails. You can read more here. This appears to be the second suit the government has filed.