Usually only a very small percentage of those offered free credit monitoring after a breach sign up for it. I was therefore surprised to see almost a third of those affected by one breach in Alaska earlier this year sign up. Pat Forgey reports: More than 25,000 anxious public employees and retirees have signed up…
Category: Government Sector
FL: Citizens Property Insurance didn’t get its mail, warns of fraud
Jeff Harrington reports: Someone filled out a change-of-address form for Citizens Property Insurance. But it wasn’t Citizens. Now the state-run insurer is warning policyholders that mail sent to its headquarters in late June, including payment checks, may have been fraudulently misdirected to a Hialeah apartment. The insurer of last resort, which has more than 1…
Information Security: Governmentwide Guidance Needed to Assist Agencies in Implementing Cloud Computing
From Information Security: Governmentwide Guidance Needed to Assist Agencies in Implementing Cloud Computing GAO-10-855T (pdf), July 1, 2010 Summary Cloud computing, an emerging form of computing where users have access to scalable, on-demand capabilities that are provided through Internet-based technologies, reportedly has the potential to provide information technology services more quickly and at a lower…
MA: State’s error unveiled Social Security numbers
Todd Wallack reports that the Massachusetts secretary of state’s office goofed when it responded to an information request from IA Week, an investment industry publication. Instead of sending the requested list of registered investment companies, it sent a list of 139,000 investment advisers registered with the state, complete with their information: In addition to their…
UK: Council will not face censure for Data Protection error
A council which wrongly included national insurance numbers on post will not face action over the blunder. Northumberland County Council has been told by the Information Commissioner that it will not be censured over the mistake. The Journal reported in April how, due to “human error”, the authority failed to remove national insurance numbers from…
AU: Patients’ privacy put under threat
Anna Caldwell reports: The private details of Queensland Health patients are at risk of being lost or stolen and there are inadequate plans to deal with a major security breach. But the troubled department is racing to implement computerised medical records. The Auditor-General’s report into information systems governance and control has identified gaps in protocol…