From the California Health & Human Services Agency Department of Social Services: We are writing to inform you of a security incident involving your personal information. On July 17, 2014, the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) was informed of the unauthorized release of documentation that may have included your personal information. Confidential documents were accidentally…
Category: Government Sector
PK: Hackers take down govt websites, leak bank records
A group of Pakistani hackers temporarily brought down several government portals, including that of the Army, and leaked 23,000 bank records in a bid to support the ongoing anti-government protests in the country. The group calling themselves “Anonymous Op Pakistan” hacked over two dozen government websites overnight, a few of which remained inaccessible. Some of…
Gardai apologise for data breach after email reveals 1,700 email addresses
Eoghan McNeill reports: An email account operated by the Gardaí yesterday inadvertently circulated the personal email addresses of 1,500 people after an administration error. Dublin North Central Gardaí sent a community policing information bulletin to 1,746 people, failing to hide recipients’ addresses to others receiving the newsletter. Email addresses can be considered “personal data” in…
Pirate Bay Swede’s trial set for final stage
From The Local: Swedish Pirate Bay co-founder Gottfrid Svartholm Warg and his 21-year-old Danish co-defendant are set to appear in Frederiksberg Court in Copenhagen in the latest development in the largest hacking case in Danish history. The two men are accused of stealing social security numbers from Denmark’s national driving licence database, illegally accessing information…
Cybersecurity specialist at Scott Air Force Base commits suicide after FBI seizes his personal computers; “I am a good person at heart, even if I let my (curiosity) get the better of me”
Beth Hundsdorfer reports: A Mascoutah man stationed at Scott Air Force Base and hired to ensure the security of Department of Defense computers was being investigated for hacking before he took his own life, according to recently unsealed federal court records. FBI Agent Christopher Trifiletti showed up to question Jamie Magers, 33, who worked as…
School board to hire lawyer to investigate leak
Gretchen Phillips reports: The St. Mary’s County Board of Education is hiring independent counsel to investigate an alleged leak of confidential personnel information involving a school system employee. The investigation comes at a cost of $300 an hour. Sal Raspa, school board chair, explained Thursday that after board members discussed investigating the disclosure of information…