J. Nicholas Hoover reports: The Department of Defense risks exposing personally identifiable information and other sensitive data because it isn’t consistently following proper procedures in preparing computer< equipment for disposal or reuse, the military's inspector general has found. In an evaluation of DoD internal controls and processes, the inspector general found that several military departments...
Category: Government Sector
VT: City posts taxpayer info online
Stephanie M. Peters reports: A file containing bank account information for 314 city residents [Rutland, Vermont] who participate in the city’s direct debit tax payment program was inadvertently uploaded to the city’s Web site for a seven-day period earlier this month. Those affected were notified by the Treasurer’s Office late last week. […] Statistics for…
Public disclosure disclosed a bit too much
Over on Sound Politics, Mark Griswold writes: While perusing the PDC’s website this morning I came across a major security breach. For obvious reasons I’m not going to post the information I have and like a good citizen I’ve reported it to the PDC. In short though, I am now in possession of the names,…
NM: Sensitive Files Found In Dumpster
An Albuquerque, New Mexico Housing Authority official expressed dismay over reports that over 100 files containing sensitive personal information on former tenants had been found intact in a dumpster behind an apartment complex. The files appear to date back to the late 90s and early 2000. Now the Housing Authority is concerned that the bulk…
Two exposure incidents
Karin Spaink, a Dutch blog that tracks breaches there, recently reported two breaches: In August, “Press agency GPD managed to allow Google to index its contact database stored on their intranet, thus releasing phone numbers of thousands of well-known Dutch people. Among those whose contact information was published, were the Dutch prime minister; politician Geert…
Civil servant jailed for accessing DWP systems for fraud
Tom Young reports: A civil servant was imprisoned on Friday for accessing 2,500 Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) records and diverting other people’s tax credit claims to his own bank accounts. John Brian Agdomar, 42, used his job at the DWP as a cover to illegally access records to obtain personal information on a…