Fox5 reports: The personal information for 2,000 homeless D.C. students was mistakenly published online and accessible for six months, school officials said. According to D.C. Public Schools, the accidental disclosure took place after a spreadsheet with the students’ information was provided to the D.C. Council. The spreadsheet was then posted on the council’s website. The information included…
Category: U.S.
Government transparency site revealed Social Security numbers, other personal info
Tal Kopan reports: A federal government transparency website made public dozens, if not hundreds, of Social Security numbers and other personal information in a design error during a system upgrade. The error, on a Freedom of Information Act request portal, was fixed after CNN alerted the government to the situation. For weeks prior, however, individuals’…
IL: Hoopeston Area School District website hacked, false emergency messages sent out
Jordan Crook reports: On Sept. 3, at approximately 3:15 a.m., the Hoopeston Area School District website was hacked with pictures and repeated emergency callout messages to district families. Superintendent Suzzette Hesser reports that the website is now secured and the website address of the person causing the disruption is being investigated. Read more on Hoopeston…
Premera Blue Cross accused of destroying evidence in data breach lawsuit
Catalin Cimpanu reports: The plaintiffs of a class-action lawsuit against health insurance provider Premera Blue Cross are accusing the organization of “willfully destroying” evidence that was crucial for establishing accurate details in a security breach incident. In court documents filed last week obtained by ZDNet, plaintiffs claim that Premera intentionally destroyed a computer that was…
Company’s ‘mailing error’ exposes health information of kids on Missouri
Andy Marso reports: A contractor that administers Missouri Medicaid plans says it accidentally exposed the personal health information of 19,570 children. A vice president for WellCare Health Plans Inc. said in a letter to The Star that the company learned on July 25 that a “mailing error” caused reminders about well-child visits for the company’s…
NY: Arc of Erie County fined $200,000 for online security breach
Jonathan D. Epstein has an update to a breach originally reported in March of this year. The Arc of Erie County – a nonprofit social services agency formally known as Heritage Centers – will pay a $200,000 fine to the state, review its policies and analyze its potential electronic security risks after a breach of…