Lauren Stanforth reports: The town did not protect sensitive personal information when it used employee Social Security numbers on unsecured time sheets and unnecessarily kept credit card information of those who paid traffic fines, according to a state comptroller’s audit released Tuesday. The audit, which reviewed practices from January 2008 to March 2009, found that…
Category: Government Sector
OR: National Guard laptop stolen from car, sensitive personal information at risk
A federal laptop belonging to the Oregon National Guard has been reported stolen from a Guard member’s vehicle, and may contain sensitive personal information concerning military service members. National Guard information technology personnel and Portland Police are investigating the theft. The Guard member was using the computer to conduct work from home. Read more on…
Rogue tax workers snooped on ex-spouses, family members
Dean Beeby of the Canadian Press reports: OTTAWA—Dozens of workers at Canada’s tax agency have been caught snooping on their ex-spouses, mothers-in-law, creditors and others by reading confidential tax files. Internal reports at the Canada Revenue Agency show that rogue employees are improperly reviewing the private financial affairs of taxpayers without their knowledge. And some…
UK: Confidential papers stolen from policeman’s car
Police have fallen foul of the Data Protection Act after confidential paperwork was stolen from the boot of an officer’s car. The force has now been forced to take remedial action after it emerged the officer did not have a safe at his house and did not store the documents in his secure briefcase. A…
Interior loses CD with personal data for 7,500 federal employees
Alice Lipowicz reports: A compact disc that contains personally identifiable information for about 7,500 federal employees has been reported lost by the Interior Department’s shared services center. The incident occurred on or about May 26, when a procurement specialist at Interior’s National Business Center in Denver reported that the CD could not be located. The…
OH: Treasurer’s site exposes taxpayers’ information to hackers
Barbara Carmen reports: Franklin County property owners paying taxes online before Monday’s deadline might have innocently allowed thieves trolling cyberspace to snag checking-account or credit-card numbers. Computer experts installed safeguards in 2001 when the county adopted a second Web address, one thought to be more memorable. But many people were familiar with the old address,…