Jordan Robertson of Bloomberg News provides media attention to a problem I’ve noted previously on this blog – that Experian suffers a lot of data breaches* where a client’s login is compromised and misused by unauthorized individuals. His coverage will hopefully inform national conversations about transparency, consumer protection, and breach notification. First is the issue…
Category: Of Note
Experian Customers Unsafe as Hackers Steal Credit Report Data
Jordan Robertson reports: When hackers broke into computers at Abilene Telco Federal Credit Union last year, they gained access to sensitive financial information on people from far beyond the bank’s home in west-central Texas. The cyberthieves broke into an employee’s computer in September 2011 and stole the password for the bank’s online account with Experian Plc,…
FTC Finalizes Settlements with Two Businesses that Exposed Consumers Sensitive Information Over P2P Networks
From the FTC, a follow-up to a previously-reported action: Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has accepted as final settlements with two operations it charged with illegally exposing the sensitive personal information of thousands of consumers by allowing peer-to-peer file-sharing software to be installed on their corporate computer systems. Settlements with Utah-based debt…
SC: 3.6 million Social Security numbers stolen from state Department of Revenue (update 1)
Ouch. Tim Smith reports: A foreign hacker stole a vast database of the South Carolina Department of Revenue and investigators told GreenvilleOnline.com that 387,000 credit card numbers and 3.6 million Social Security numbers have been exposed. Read more on Greenville News. Update 1: The paper also has a later article on the review of state agencies’…
174 million records compromised in 855 data breach incidents last year, says report
Out-Law.com has a recap of some of the main findings in the 2012 Verizon DBIR: Verizon’s Data Breach Investigations Report (92-page / 3.47MB PDF) (DBIR) covering the year 2011 found that 174 million records were compromised in a total of 855 data breaches in what it called an “an all time low” for protection against data breaches….
Barnes & Noble discloses breach involving pin pads at dozens of stores (update2)
Remember when Michael’s Stores found that pin pads in some stores had been replaced? It looks like the same thing has happened to bookseller Barnes & Noble’s brick and mortar stores. According to the New York Times, the firm discovered the breach on September 14. As of now, it appears that pads at 63 stores…