A police investigation is under way to find out how files containing details of more than 60 people who applied for jobs with the [Police Service of Northern Ireland] ended up in a skip. The documents were discovered by a contractor in Ann Street in Belfast this week and were handed over to DUP Upper…
Bits ‘n Pieces
In the justice system: Yes, another vehicle situation uncovers a credit card ring. This time, Philip Kevin Zilber Curtin was arrested after police investigated his car breaking down and then obtained evidence of hundreds of fraudulently obtained credit cards, a skimming device, laptop computers and thousands of dollars worth of legitimate gift cards. More. Joel…
ROTC computer files found in public domain
A file transfer program erroneously installed on a server in an Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) office at Boston University inadvertently exposed personal information about thousands of people affiliated with the program. University officials say the compromised computer was taken off-line when the breach was identified on July 28; they are working with the…
Computers stolen from Cal State L.A.
More than a dozen computers have been stolen from California State University, Los Angeles, sparking concerns over possible identity theft. Officials say on Aug. 1 someone broke a window in the office of the university’s Minority Opportunities in Research program and stole 14 computers, two desktops and 12 laptops. The computers contain the names, social…
HHS issues HITECH breach notification interim final rule
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued its interim final rule concerning notification of breaches of health information by HIPAA-covered entities. The rule was published in the Federal Register yesterday, and will become effective 30 days from then. The Federal Trade Commission recently issued a companion breach notification rule that covers vendors…
Lawsuit tries to get at hackers through the banks
A lawsuit filed on Wednesday against some of the most shadowy Internet criminals — gangs based in Eastern Europe that electronically break into business computers, steal banking passwords and transfer themselves money — is being used to pry information from a group that is nearly as reclusive as the hackers: banks whose computers have been…