In February, we learned of a horrific privacy breach involving almost 10,000 asylum seekers. This breach is on my personal Top 10 Worst Breaches of 2014 because of the risk of harm to those exposed. A detention file created by Australia’s Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) accidentally exposed detainees’ personal details and was subsequently downloaded in about 16…
Category: Government Sector
Hacked Employees File Charges Against Postal Service
Eric Katz reports: The American Postal Workers Union filed a complaint on Monday to the National Labor Relations Board for the Postal Service’s failure to adequately consult with the group over the security failure. APWU President Mark Dimondstein said USPS should have bargained with the union over the “impact of the security breach.” “We are demanding…
In: Massive data breach at CIDCO’s website
Yogesh Sadhwani reports: The personal records of about 85,000 applicants to the City and Industrial Development Corporation‘s (CIDCO) housing scheme have inadvertently been made public by the government establishment. Details such as residential address, mobile number, Permanent Account Number (PAN), bank account number, Indian Financial System Code (IFSC) information related to their bank accounts and…
Ca: Edmonton Police Service apologizes for mailing staff info to man in U.S.
Julia Parrish reports: The Edmonton Police Service has apologized for a security breach that saw personal information of some staff and volunteers sent to a man in the United States. David Henderson, a former CBS News correspondent, who now works as a crisis and strategic communications advisor, told CTV News he’s trying to draw attention to…
U.S. Postal Service Says It Was Victim of Data Breach (update3)
Laura Stevens reports: The U.S. Postal Service said Monday that its more than 500,000 employees could be affected by a data breach that may have compromised data including names, Social Security numbers and addresses. The Postal Service said its revenue systems — including at post offices and online — weren’t compromised, and credit and debit…
Federal workers weaken cyberdefense
Associated Press reports: A $10 billion-a-year effort to protect sensitive government data, from military secrets to Social Security numbers, is struggling to keep pace with an increasing number of cyberattacks and is unwittingly being undermined by federal employees and contractors. Workers scattered across more than a dozen agencies, from the Defense and Education departments to…