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Archive for November, 2009
Friday, November 20th, 2009
A study released by the Ponemon Institute suggests that the number of reported data loss incidents in the UK is significantly higher than the 415 reported to the Information Commissioners’ Office.
According to the report, six out of 10 UK companies have data loss including sensitive information as a result of negligent employees, whilst 28% have experienced data loss of sensitive information held by a third party or cloud computing provider.
Friday, November 20th, 2009
A data breach in Spain has caused Visa and MasterCard to warn banks of possible fraudulent credit card transactions.
The breach likely affects people across Europe who may have had transactions processed in Spain. As a result, many German banks have opted to replace their customers’ cards, according to the Central Credit Committee, an organization that represents several German banking associations.
Banks in Austria, Sweden and Finland have also issued new cards, according to a report on Wednesday in the Stuttgarter Zeitung.
Thursday, November 19th, 2009
Health insurers may want to think twice before trusting hospitals with any sensitive data. According to new research released this week by HIMSS Analytics, business associates of health care organizations are largely unprepared to meet the new data breach-related obligations included in the HITECH Act.
Results of a national survey of hospitals and business associates to check the state of health care vulnerability to data breach revealed that 33% of business associates surveyed were not aware that they need to adhere to federal HIPAA privacy and security requirements, compared to 87% of health providers. Business associates are defined as groups that handle private patient information for health care organizations, including billing and credit bureaus, benefits management, legal services, claims processing, insurance brokers, data processing firms, pharmacy chains, accounting firms, temporary office personnel and offshore transcription vendors.
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
U.K. operations staff of wireless carrier T-Mobile have sold personal data of thousands of customers. Millions of records from customers were brokered to third parties, who then approached customers whose contracts were about to expire.
T-Mobile, the country’s fourth largest mobile phone company, told the BBC that its customers’ data was sold without the company’s knowledge. The breach is the biggest of its kind so far, according to Christopher Graham, U.K.’s Information Commissioner, whose office is preparing to prosecute the T-Mobile staff responsible for selling the personal data.
Friday, November 13th, 2009
Connecticut’s attorney general is investigating a data breach affecting providers for Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and a subsequent delay in reporting the matter he deemed “alarming and potentially illegal.”
Richard Blumenthal said he is investigating the loss of confidential information, including tax identification and some Social Security numbers, for all 18,817 individual health care providers doing business with Anthem.
The information was lost when a laptop was stolen from an employee with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Aug. 25, according to Blumenthal’s office, containing information on company providers nationwide. He added that Anthem and its affiliates may have violated Connecticut law by allowing the information to be lost and then failing to notify providers in a timely manner. His office said Anthem and Empire, an affiliate, failed to notify providers until late October.