Zha Minjie reports: Shanghai police said today that they have bust a criminal ring that sold personal information to businesses for illegal gains. Police detained 50 suspects and found nearly 200 million pieces of personal information, such as cellphone numbers and home addresses, in their computers. One suspect surnamed Zhang took advantage of his assignment…
Category: Government Sector
CabinCr3w member sentenced to 27 months in prison (updated)
Steven Kreytak reports that a Galveston man was sentenced by a federal judge to 27 months in federal prison for hacking into computers of the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Alabama Department of Public Safety, Houston County, Alabama and the West Virginia Chiefs of Police Association. Higinio O. Ochoa III, who pleaded guilty in…
CA: Clerk arrested for allegedly leaking confidential, sealed federal files
Rina Palta reports: An FBI undercover officer allegedly bought sealed documents from the court clerk’s husband. Nune Gevorkyan was caught in a sting for allegedly leaking files. According to the FBI, an undercover agent approached Gevorkyan’s husband, Oganes Koshkaryan, about purchasing information from confidential, sealed federal files. Koshkaryan later returned with information on pending arrest…
UK: Essex council security breach exposes 400 to identity theft
A major security breach at Essex County Council has exposed 400 vulnerable people to identity theft and led to the dismissal of an employee. Names, addresses and financial information about people in “substantial” and “critical” need of care were sent from the Adults Health and Community Wellbeing Department to a computer outside of County Hall….
D.C.: Metro website security breach made personal data accessible to public
Kris Van Cleave reports a breach involving the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority web site: Metro officials say that they’re working diligently to fix a security breach on their website that potentially allowed a person to access the personal information of anyone who has applied for a job with WMATA. That data could be accessed…
Council reassures staff following data breach
Here come another fine. Southern Reporter reports a council has been given notice of a fine after 676 employee records were improperly disposed of in September 2011: SCOTTISH BORDERS COUNCIL is facing a major fine for data breaches after hundreds of pension records were sent for recycling. However, the council has reassured staff it is…