There’s a follow-up to a case that had puzzled me when I first noted it in September last year as it involved the fraudulent creation of ID theft victim reports to get Equifax to forgive debts. People had no idea that victim reports were being created in their names. Rod Overton reports: United States Attorney Bill…
Category: U.S.
LA: Student Hacker Changes Dozens of Grades
John Johnson reports: At Beau Chene High School in Louisiana this year, you could study diligently to raise your grades—or else just know a hacker described by a classmate as “a cool dude.” The cool dude, an unidentified senior, managed to get into the school’s computer system to change dozens of grades, reports the Daily World….
Data breach bill moves forward in the House
Elise Viebeck reports: Legislation to create a national data security and breach notification standard moved forward Wednesday over objections from Democratic lawmakers. The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Trade approved the bill by voice vote after a markup that saw five Democratic amendments rejected along party lines. The bill from Reps. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.)…
NJ: Swedesboro-Woolwich School District Hacked, Ransom Demanded
Walt Hunter reports: The FBI, New Jersey State Police, county and local investigators are on the trail of hackers who hijacked a Gloucester County school’s district’s computer network, demanding a ransom payment to make it usable again. The Superintendent of the Swedesboro-Woolwich School District says the unidentified hackers are demanding a payment of 500 bitcoins,…
KY: Former Health Care Worker Arrested For Identity Theft
LEX18 reports: On Friday, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office served an arrest warrant on a Lee County woman, following an investigation by the Kentucky State Police. The initial investigation alleges that Marsha Cook, 51 years old of Beattyville, stole the identities of two elderly females and received student loans totaling more than $50,000. Cook, who…
Report Says Former IRS Employees–Think Lois Lerner–Can Still Peruse Your Tax Returns
Robert W. Wood translates a GAO report that was recently reported on this site: Could Lois Lerner still take a look at your tax returns on IRS computers? It sounds preposterous, but a new watchdog report says former IRS employees still have access to IRS computer systems long after they have no official business with the information. The report is by the U.S….