data breach

Is the only way to protect old hard drives the smash and destroy method? That is what one computer publication is advocating:
“The only way to stop fraudsters stealing information from old computer hard drives is by destroying them completely, a study has found.
Computing magazine Which? recovered 22,000 “deleted” files from eight computers purchased [...]

Every day, there are news reports of security breaches and identity theft. Apparently, the severity of identity theft problem has not reached the Canadian passport offices. If these government officials who administer the passport offices indeed are aware of the preponderance of identity theft crime, then the security protocol is even more baffling:
“A [...]

This may be added incentive for President-elect Obama to give up his Blackberry, laptop and any other civilian communication devices which he may have used. Security is simply not adequate. Not only are there external threats but security breaches can come from within:
“Most large organizations take strong measures to keep outsiders from accessing [...]

It’s supply and demand. With the constant data breaches, personal identity information can be obtained for a price. And it is available online:
“Internet fraudsters sell complete financial identities for just £80, according to an online safety group.
The details packaged and sold online include names, addresses, passport numbers and confidential financial data such as [...]

In another incident of a government data breach, possibly 1.7 million people may have had their personal information exposed by the British Ministry of Defence:
“…In some cases this would include data such as bank details, passport, National Insurance and National Health Service numbers, driver’s licence information and details of next of kin.”
link: Missing British [...]

It is a data breach of staggering proportions. In one incident, 30 million personal files have been compromised:
“Confidential data on 30 million German phone users could be consulted on the Internet as a result of an error until the phone company locked access, a spokesman for Deutsche Telekom said Saturday.”
link: Error puts data [...]

Staff details are on a stolen Health and Safety Executive (HSE) laptop. It exposes thousands of staff members to the risk of identity theft:
“…Staff were not told for 13 days that an unencrypted laptop containing all their personal details had been stolen from HSE offices at the Carnegie Centre in Dublin’s Lord Edward Street. [...]

There is a new federal law enacted to address the consequences of an identity theft:
“President Bush last week signed into law a bill that seeks to make it easier for prosecutors to go after cybercrooks, while ensuring that identity theft victims are compensated for their time and trouble when convicted identity thieves are forced to [...]

The study examines the amount of electronic gear that is forgotten in black cabs. This is a taxi service in London, England which promotes itself as having the finest service in the world. The cabs accumulate a staggering amount of forgotten electronic equipment:
“London taxi passengers have left more than 60,000 hand-held devices in [...]

Millions of Countrywide customers may be at risk for identity theft:
“…In early August, the FBI arrested 36-year-old Rene Rebello, a former Countrywide employee in Pasadena and another man who is said to be involved in an alleged scheme to steal and sell sensitive personal information, including security numbers, of as many as two million mortgage [...]