Notice that the numbers in security breaches are low-balled in the initial news release – at least it seems that way to me.
VA Update on Missing Hard Drive in Birmingham, Ala.
Last Edited: Sunday, 11 Feb 2007, 5:37 PM CST Created: Sunday, 11 Feb 2007, 5:37 PM CST FOX6 News (graphic, WBRC-TV)
WASHINGTON -- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on Sunday issued an update on the information potentially contained on a missing government-owned, portable hard drive used by a VA employee at a Department facility in Birmingham, Ala.
... “VA will continue working around the clock to determine every possible detail we can,” Nicholson said.
VA and VA’s Office of Inspector General have learned that data files the employee was working with may have included sensitive VA-related information on approximately 535,000 individuals.[Up an order of magnitude from the initial report or 48,000. Bob] The investigation has also determined that information on approximately 1.3 million non-VA physicians — both living and deceased— could have been stored on the missing hard drive. It is believed though, that most of the physician information is readily available to the public. Some of the files, however, may contain sensitive information.
VA continues to examine data on the employee’s work computer. The employee has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. VA has no information the data has been misused. Birmingham Update 2/2/2/2
The non-VA physician data is used by VA to enhance the quality of care for veterans by analyzing and comparing information about the health care received from VA and non-VA providers.
Next week, VA will begin making notifications to individuals whose sensitive information may have been on the hard drive. [Again begging the question: What timing of notification is proper. Bob] VA is also making arrangements to provide one year of free credit monitoring to those whose information proves compromised.
... On January 22, the employee, who works at the Birmingham (Ala.) VA Medical Center, reported the external hard drive was missing. On January 23, VA’s IG was notified. The OIG opened a criminal investigation, sent special agents to the medical center, and notified the FBI. VA’s Office of Information & Technology in Washington, D.C. also dispatched an incident response team to investigate.
Something hinky here...
http://www.nbc4.com/news/10983140/detail.html
Data Breech Could Affect 2,000 Police Officers
POSTED: 1:21 pm EST February 11, 2007 UPDATED: 1:30 pm EST February 11, 2007
WASHINGTON -- Personal information has been accidentally released about some D.C. police officers, including their Social Security numbers.
A letter has gone out from the D.C. Chief Financial Officer to notify nearly 2,000 members of the Metropolitan Police Department who may be affected. It said the information was inadvertently released to two Advisory Neighborhood Commission officials who had requested information about police overtime. [How detailed? Bob]
The letter said officials are taking the issue seriously but believe the risk of identity theft or other problems is minimal. It said the Social Security numbers have been erased from the computers of those who were given the information. [What remains? Bob]
Still, police union officials said the release of personal data is troubling. They want the city to make sure it doesn't happen again. The city is offering a year of free credit monitoring for those who were affected.
Another resource!
http://www.cerias.purdue.edu/news_and_events/events/security_seminar/
The Security Seminar at CERIAS - CS591S (formerly 590E)
... The seminar is open to everyone, on-campus or off. See the logistics page for information on place and time of seminars, and information on how to get on the mailing list for weekly reminders.
If you are off-campus, downloadable video (h.264/mp4) and streaming video (RealVideo) versions of the seminars are posted a few days after each session in the archive.
You can also subscribe to our video podcast feed.
Attention e-discovery people!
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_07/b4021070.htm?campaign_id=rss_tech
FEBRUARY 12, 2007
Google Steps Into Microsoft's Office
Google Apps, which lets companies offload their e-mail systems, is beefing up
... After months of dancing around with Web versions of e-mail, group calendars, and the like, Google Inc. (GOOG ) is finally about to take a big leap onto Microsoft's turf. Since last August, the search leader has offered a test version of an online office productivity software suite, called Google Apps for Your Domain, that lets companies offload e-mail systems to Google while keeping their own e-mail addresses.
... For now, Microsoft has little to fear. Many large corporations are wary of having an e-mail system run outside their own walls, where they can't be sure it's secure from hackers and spies. And even Google concedes its services don't have all the bells and whistles of Microsoft's products, such as centralized e-mail backups that help them comply with regulatory rules.
You must be joking? Doesn't language like this require a lawsuit?
OscarTorrents
OscarTorrents is the Oscars as it should be -- everyone can download the year's nominations using the popular BitTorrent service, watch the movies, then use our rating system to choose their favourites. Why restrict the voting to a few bought-off jurors when the whole world can have their say?
... 'Legal' Note
To those worried about downloading in case they get sued: by our calculations, your chances of getting nailed are way less than your chances of winning the lottery. Don't think twice about it.
To all intellectual property landlords: we are aware that OscarTorrents might annoy you -- but contain your righteous indignation for a while, and think: we're only linking to torrents that already exist. Face it: your membrane has burst, and it wasn't us who burst it. Your precious bodily fluids are escaping.
Not the first instance.
http://techdirt.com/articles/20070209/082302.shtml
Stuffy Economist Magazine Experiments With Social Media
from the Sir, dept
One of the mistakes many companies make when trying to embrace social networking or social media is to think that they should just build their own version of MySpace, or clone of some other popular site. For various reasons, these attempts almost always end up as failures. Jane Galt, who writes for The Economist, points to a nice example of how her magazine is turning letters to the editor into a form of social media that makes sense for the publication. Basically, they've decided to publish, in the form of a blog, all of the letters they receive (excluding ones that are patently offensive). There's also a comments section for each one, so that the letters they receive don't just serve as static items, but as conversation starters. Already, within a few days of launching, plenty of people are commenting on each other's letters. It helps, of course, that The Economist has a rather intelligent readership, so there are plenty of good letters that they don't have space to publish in the print version. It's obviously not a radical step, but it's an interesting experiment that shows how publications should be thinking about social media.
Next: “Any grade less than an 'A' requires the student to wear a 10lb Ball & Chain!”
http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=598&sid=1059513
Md. Bill Would Put GPS Devices on Truant Students
Feb 11th – 12:04pm Derek Williams, WTOP Radio
WASHINGTON -- Kids in Prince George's County might want to think twice before skipping school.
Lawmakers in the county are proposing that children who skip school be fitted with a GPS tracking devices.
... He says truants might also be ordered to attend counseling or take remedial courses.
A “How to” guide?
http://www.bookcatcher.com/bookreleases/Article/CONVICT-REVEALS-ALL-ON-IDENTITY-THEFT/128
CONVICT REVEALS ALL ON IDENTITY THEFT
By T. Carter
BRIATE BOOKS in connection with Lulu Press, proudly announces the release of a new non-fiction book titled: Insider’s Secrets to Identity Theft & Fraud: What They Don’t Want You To Know by ex-Federal and State offender, author T. Carter.
... Available online at:
www.lulu.com/identitysecrets Amazon.com Barnes&Noble.com Booksamillion.com
Reaction to an over-reach?
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/005109.php
Unfairly Caught in Viacom's Dragnet? Let Us Know!
February 08, 2007
As an RIAA spokesperson famously put it when asked about the spectacle of file-sharing lawsuits against innocent grandparents, "when you go fishing with a driftnet, sometimes you catch a dolphin."
Well, with its 100,000 DMCA takedown notices aimed at YouTube users, now it's Viacom that is netting its share of dolphins. Among the 100,000 videos targeted for takedowns was a home movie shot in a BBQ joint, a film trailer by a documentarian, and a music video (previously here) about karaoke in Singapore. None of these contained anything owned by Viacom. For its part, Viacom has admitted to "no more than" 60 mistakes, so far. Yet each mistake impacts free speech, both of the author of the video and of the viewing public.
If they are making these kinds of blatant mistakes, who can tell how many fair uses of Viacom content they also targeted in their 100,000 takedowns? Hundreds? Thousands? If Viacom made a clear mistake and your clip contains no content from Viacom-owned copyrighted works, sending a simple DMCA counter-notice to YouTube may be enough to do the job. But if you're attempting to make a fair use of Viacom's works, it may make more sense to go to court to assert your rights. More information about your options is available at the Fair Use Network.
Has your video been removed from YouTube based on a bogus Viacom takedown? If so, contact information@eff.org --we may be able to help you directly or help find another lawyer who can. In this situation, as in so many others, EFF will work to make sure that copyright claims don't squelch free speech.
We've put together a video version of this post on YouTube, which you can embed on your website or blog. Check it out, Digg it and spread the word -- the more it rises in YouTube's listings, the more likely it will be seen by users who have received takedowns:
Take that, Al Gore!
http://digg.com/world_news/Cosmic_Rays_Blamed_For_Global_Warming
Cosmic Rays Blamed For Global Warming
Scientists say that cosmic rays from outer space play a far greater role in changing the Earth's climate than global warming experts previously thought.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/11/warm11.xml
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