Tag archive for ‘identity theft’
Tip of the Week: If You Don’t Want the Advice, Don’t Ask (or Pay) for It
The Wall Street Journal recently ran a very interesting article about Kevin Mitnick. Do you remember Kevin Mitnick? He’s a famous engineer. Not the sort your likely thinking of.
He’s a social engineer.
And no, that doesn’t mean he’s a really savvy developer for Facebook.
Mitnick caused an estimated $300 million in damage through the better part of [...]
Hack Case Study: You Talk Too Much
The Wall Street Journal gives very interesting look at a rather clever attack vector for cyber criminals. M.P. McQueen reports on a giant international cyber-theft ring bent on raiding bank and brokerage accounts. That’s nothing new. How they did it, however, is fodder for the latest discussion at the water cooler (for those types who [...]
Rip of the Week: 969 SSNs Breached by the Social Security Administration Itself
Thanks to kirniki over at DataLoss DB for a tip-off about a rather ironic breach. In this case, the Social Security Numbers of 969 people were breached by the Social Security Administration itself when an employee lost a presumably-unencrypted “computer disc” while traveling to Queens from the Bronx back in October.
The Queens Chronicle reports that [...]
Tip of the Week: Control Employee Websurfing ASAP
This weeks’ Tip is a bit of a misnomer. Of course most businesses want to control employee websurfing, for a number of reasons, only beginning with productivity.
Often the question is “how?”
Yet, as today’s Tip highlights, many businesses just don’t get around to putting any controls in place at all.
security curmudgeon over at DataLossDB gives a [...]
Rip of the Week: 10,000 Detroiters At Risk After Data Breaches
Happy New Year to all! My hope would be for a 2010 that’s way better than 2009 with respect to the flood of data breaches. We shall see. I cannot say I’m truly optimistic.
This weeks’ Rip of the Week concerns two devices stolen from the health department in Detroit. Thanks go to Redemtech for the [...]
Red Tape Chronicles: After Data Loss, ID Theft Soars
Bob Sullivan over at The Red Tape Chronicles has posted an excellent piece on “Dear John Data Letters,” a name he’s given to the all-too-common notification letters that breaching organizations send to their “victims” (their customers whose data they’ve lost).
He says, “I call them Dear John data letters, because of the bad news they bring [...]
Rip of the Week: 2,246 Madoff Victims Now Hit Again…By Laptop Theft
This week’s Rip of the Week was a bit of a shocker. Not only is the story a markedly sad one, but an usual personal twist caused me a double-take.
Newsday.com reports on the theft of 2,246 Bernie Madoff victims’ PII thanks to an unsecured laptop computer belonging to AlixPartners LLP, the consulting firm that had [...]
Rip of the Week: 12 Cal State U Laptops Stolen, Hundreds Now at Risk
This time, no less than a dozen unencrypted laptops (plus two desktops) were stolen from a research program at Cal State Los Angeles. CBS 2 reports that the theft occurred from the Minority Opportunities in Research (MORE) program on campus.
As a result, “hundreds” of former students and faculty members may be at risk for identity [...]
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