I’ve been noting updates on the Benesse data theft, which was first disclosed in July 2014. Here’s the latest development, from the Japan Times: More than 1,700 people filed a group lawsuit on Thursday against major education service provider Benesse Corp. over last year’s massive theft of customer data. They are demanding ¥55,000 [$464.24 USD…
Privacy breach of patient records in Prince Albert health region
David Giles reports: A privacy breach of patient records is being investigated in Prince Albert, Sask. Officials with the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region (PAPHR) say an employee accessed the personal health information of a “small number of patients.” Those patients affected have been notified by the region about the specific details of the privacy…
Courts Address the Level of Security Banks Must Provide to Business Accounts
Angel Diaz writes: Big or small, all bank accounts are susceptible to hijacking and fraudulent wire transfers. Banks ordinarily bear the risk of loss for unauthorized wire transfers. Two independent frameworks exist to govern these transfers: the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (“EFTA”) for consumer accounts, and Article 4A of the Uniform Commercial Code (“UCC”) for…
Lawmakers re-introduce bipartisan data security bill
Cory Bennett reports that Reps. Joe Barton and Bobby Rush have re-introduced the Data Accountability and Trust Act (DATA) in the House – a bill this blog has been reporting on since 2009. The measure: would deputize the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to set nationwide data security standards for companies handling sensitive data, such as full…
No jail time for cop who stole and shared suspects’ nudes
Miles Klee reports a less-than-impressive sentence in a privacy breach case involving a police officer: Weeks after the state secured its first conviction under a new revenge porn law, a California Highway Patrol officer pled no contest to felony charges over duplicating and sharing intimate photos found on the phones of women in his custody—and got three years’ probation. Sean Harrington,…
Quinn Norton: We Should All Step Back from Security Journalism. I’ll Go First.
Last week, Quinn Norton wrote a disturbing and thoughtful essay. Those of us who conduct research or investigate and report on breaches generally share her concerns, if not her decision to withdraw from security journalism. The Barrett Brown case, and the prosecution’s attempt to criminalize linking to publicly available data may lead others, too, to…