Justin Penrose reports: A jailed hacker shut down a prison’s entire computer system – after bosses gave him the job of programming it. Douglas Havard, 27, serving six years for stealing up to £6.5million using forged credit cards over the internet, was approached after governors wanted to create an internal TV station but needed a…
FBI: Virus suspected in school thefts
Brett Rowland and Kate Schott report: As much as $350,000 reported stolen from Crystal Lake District 47 bank accounts earlier this summer could be linked to cyberthefts at other suburban schools. The FBI’s Chicago office is investigating the cases, at least one of which involves a hard-to-detect computer virus. No arrests have been made or…
UK: Care trust reveals theft of patients' data
The personal data of patients from South Devon is in the hands of thieves after a laptop belonging to Torbay Care Trust was stolen, it has been revealed. The incident is just one of 30 occasions when personal data was lost or stolen collectively by Devon NHS staff in the last two years. The laptop…
Doctors mistakenly fax patients' data to Indiana company
Chris Echegaray reports: Doctors’ offices in Tennessee have been accidentally sending patient information, including Social Security numbers and medical histories, to an Indiana businessman’s fax machine for the past three years. The sensitive medical information was supposed to be sent to the Tennessee Department of Human Services, but Bill Keith, owner of SunRise Solar Inc….
Personal details of up to 3,500 people were on stolen Blackburn council computers
Seen on ThisIsLancashire.co.uk: The personal data of as many as 3,500 people was lost when 15 council computers were stolen, an official report has revealed. The laptops, used by social workers, were stolen from Jubilee House in Blackburn in June. Now the Information Commissioner will now carry out his own investigation as the theft meant…
Genetic disease patients may lose privacy rights to protect families
David Rose reports: New guidance for Britain’s 150,000 practising doctors could remove the right to confidentiality from patients with inherited diseases. When a patient is found to have a genetic disease, such as certain forms of cancer, doctors will be obliged to inform relatives about potential risks to their health, the General Medical Council (GMC)…