WRAL reports that North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services is notifying 1,615 Medicaid patients that a breach of security protocol may have compromised their confidential health information. The breach occurred Aug. 19, when an email with an attached spreadsheet was emailed without encryption to the Granville County Health Department. Although the email was…
The cost of a cyber breach, in 5 different industries
Rosalie F. Donlon reports: Travelers’ cybersecurity experts have developed common cyber claims scenarios across five industries, as shown in the following pages. The costs add up quickly, often reaching more than $1 million. For each of the scenarios/industries, Donlon reports estimates based on the NetDiligence® Data Breach Cost Calculator and then factors in estimates from Ponemon’s Ponemon’s…
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Says Hack Linked to China
James Eng reports: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, a private, nonprofit facility that does scientific research on the world’s oceans, says it was the target of an “aggressive” cyberattack it believes to have originated in China. The hackers gained access to Woods Hole data and email, WHOI President and Director Mark Abbott told staff in a…
1,182 clients of Community Catalysts of California notified of theft of their personal information
From their counsel’s notification to the California Attorney General’s Office: Community Catalysts of California works with developmentally disabled clients and veterans to attain their employment, daily living, and social goals. On or about August 31, 2015, the residence of an employee of Community Catalysts of California was burglarized and items were stolen including a flash…
Changing ID numbers in wake of Japan Pension Service breach resulted in payment errors
The Japan Pension Service breach was a huge deal in Japan this summer, and it’s still having an impact as attempts to secure pensioners’ information by changing their ID numbers seems to have resulted in some people being overpaid while others were underpaid. Kyodo News reports: The Japan Pension Service mistakenly underpaid and overpaid about…
Veterans Administration September report includes four breaches, each affecting multiple veterans
Okay, so maybe I jinxed things when I reported how well the Veterans Administration had done in August in reducing the number of breaches involving personal information. By September, it was back to same old, same old. Here’s a brief rundown on the breaches involving personal information of multiple individuals reported by the VA to Congress for the month of…