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RAIN 0309 Weekly Update: Privacy, Security and General Topics (22)



Government Computer News 03/04/02
Education statistics agency plays loose with privacy
By Robert Gellman
A traditional way to balance privacy and research needs is to allow personal data to be used only in aggregate form for statistical purposes. The Census Bureau offers a good example. The law prevents the bureau from sharing identifiable data with the FBI, IRS or other agencies for criminal investigations, tax collection or any other administrative purpose.
http://www.gcn.com/21_5/regulation/18064-1.html


Grimsby Telegraph 03/05/02
BEWARE NIGHTMARE OF 'IDENTITY THEFT'
VICTIMS of crime often react first by checking off their possessions, such as the TV, video and hi-fi.
Few of us would bother to check documents, such as bank statements and driving licence, yet their loss could lead to much longer-lasting problems. Thieves use them to apply for store cards, credit cards and even bank loans.
http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?no...displayContent&sourceNode=59359&contentPK=1199689



Associated Press 03/05/02
Employee Accused of Identity Theft
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - A former employee of Prudential Insurance Company stole a database containing 60,000 personnel records and sold some of the private information over the Internet, federal authorities said.
The employee was working in the tax department at Prudential in New York in 2000 at the time. A detective noticed a message the employee posted on an electronic bulletin board, announcing he had thousands of names and Social Security (news - web sites) numbers for sale, according to a criminal complaint.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020305/ap_on_re_us/brf_identity_theft_1


Florida Times-Union 03/06/02
ID arrest prompts probe at Blue Cross
Arrested man had information access
By Rich Tucker and Sarah Skidmore
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida is investigating whether the man accused of
stealing 60,000 Prudential Insurance Co. personnel files stole Blue Cross records
while he was employed there.
Donald Matthew McNeese had worked as a contractor for about a year in the information technology department of Blue Cross in Jacksonville when federal authorities arrested him Friday on identity theft charges. McNeese was fired as a result of his arrest.
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/030602/met_8796520.html



Sacramento Bee 03/06/02
Firms thrive on privacy laws
By TIM MORAN
BEE STAFF WRITER
Companies like Enron can give document shredding a sinister reputation, but for many companies, failure to destroy documents is against the law.
Hospitals and doctor's offices, banks and financial institutions are just some of the organizations that collect sensitive information, which could cause problems if it falls into the wrong hands.
http://www.modbee.com/workmoney/story/1776492p-1855734c.html



Daytona Beach News-Journal 03/05/02
Protection of computer networks a growing need
By JIM HAUG (jim.haug@news-jrnl.com)
Business Writer
DAYTONA BEACH -- Deth Veggie from the Cult of the Dead Cow is a hacker whose
threats are worse than his log-on name.
"Companies that are sloppy deserve whatever happens to them," the hacker has boasted
in chat rooms.
Security breaches, data deletion, system overloads and Website defacement are just some
of the disasters that can happen if companies do not protect their computers from the likes of Deth Veggie.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/2002/Mar/5/TECH1.htm



Las Vegas Sun 03/02/02
Med School Student Gets Extra Work
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - A University of South Dakota Medical School student who tossed psychiatric records in a gas station trash can will have to do some extra work before he graduates.
Fourth-year medical student Daniel G. Lustig can remain in school but will be given extra duties to help improve the way medical school students are instructed about handling confidential records, said Dr. Robert Talley, dean of the USD School of Medicine.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/thrive/2002/mar/02/030203636.html



Knoxville News-Sentinel 03/05/02
What you shred can hurt you
By A.J. COOK
Reports indicate employees of Arthur Andersen shredded thousands of documents about Enron's use of partnerships to mask company losses. This raises legal questions most Americans wouldn't think to ask.
Enron, in the throes of the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history, is being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, among many other entities. Both the SEC and the Justice Department are investigating Andersen, Enron's long-term auditor.
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/personal_finance/article/0,1406,KNS_327_1014736,00.html



Miami Herald 03/06/02
Audit: Schools data is at risk
By SONJI JACOBS
sajacobs@herald.com
Broward's school district -- the fifth largest in the nation and the county's largest employer -- doesn't have a full and integrated back-up computer  system to protect most of its vital files.
In the event of a severe disaster, payroll files and student academic records could
be wiped out.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/community/states/florida/counties/broward_county/2798554.htm


Houston Chronicle 03/06/02
Boss' order to shred defended
Andersen aide backs fired auditor
By TOM FOWLER
An assistant to the Arthur Andersen lead partner who handled the Enron account said she believes her boss was just following orders when he told workers to destroy Enron-related documents last fall.
In a deposition this week, Shannon Adlong testified she and other Andersen employees in Houston didn't agree with the company's Jan. 15 announcement that David Duncan and several other workers were being fired or demoted for unauthorized destruction of documents.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/printstory.hts/topstory/1285089


The Observer-Reporter 03/06/02
PENNDOT agrees to
clear some drivers'
records
WEST CHESTER (AP) - After a judge's rebuke, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said it will begin removing old criminal convictions from motorists' driving records, but only when given a direct court order.
PENNDOT officials have, until now, resisted all efforts to make the agency comply with a state law requiring them to expunge criminal charges from driver files if they complete a special program for first-time offenders.
http://www.observer-reporter.com/380360596390720.bsp



Warrington Guardian 03/07/02
Confidential patient records sent to woman by mistake
RANDOM medical records belonging to a deceased patient were discovered when a woman was sent reproductions of her own files from Warrington Hospital.
Val Nicholls, of Great Sankey received three volumes of her medical files and found amongst them documents belonging to two different patients.
http://www.thisiswarrington.co.uk/cheshire/warrington/news/WARRINGTON_NEWS2.html


ZDNET Australia 02/18/02
Optus database hacked by exemployee
By Rachel Lebihan, ZDNet Australia
A Sydney man has been arrested for hacking into a database of Australia’s second
largest telecommunications carrier, Optus.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/newstech/communications/story/0,2000024993,20263522,00.htm



The Republican-American 03/04/02
Waterbury vault gets an extra 78 years of life
New shelves enhance storage space for all of the city's vital statistics
By Alan Blagg
WATERBURY — City Hall retired a piece of its history last week when it replaced the nearly 100-year-old steel and brass shelves in the document storage vault of the Bureau of Vital Statistics.
http://www.rep-am.com/localnews/pyf.htm



Bizjournal.com 03/04/02
Protect your company's uncertain future
Scott Clark
http://www.bizjournals.com/extraedge/consultants/company_doctor/2002/03/04/column301.html


ZDNet Australia 3/01/02
Copyright buzz: They just don't get it
By Jeanne-Vida Douglas
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-848606.html



The Times of India 03/05/02
Plan disaster recovery for continuity, say CEOs
NEW DELHI: Disaster recovery holds the key to business continuity. This was the
common refrain from a panel of CEOs who converged at the Economictimes.cam
Power Breakfast business forum.
The panel discussed how disaster recovery systems need to become an essential
part of every company's infrastructure. The topic of discussion, attended by about
150 business leaders, was 'Disaster Recovery: Increase Your Business Survival
Quotient'.
http://globalarchive.ft.com/globalarchive/article.html?id=020305000369&query=disaster+continuity



AAP 03/05/02
Police records confirmed missing
POLICE records believed to have been used to convict prominent Melbourne lawyer Andrew Fraser have gone missing from a locked storage room in Victoria Police headquarters.
Police deputy media director Kevin Loomes today confirmed "documents" were unable to be located during a recent routine audit.
Mr Loomes said the documents had been used in a court hearing, but were only retained for public record requirements.
http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,3892080%255E421,00.html



Traffick
Which Search Engine is Really #1? Metrics Agencies Close in on Reality
By Andrew Goodman
http://www.traffick.com/story/searchengines/022802_searchmetrics.asp



The Oskaloosa Herald 03/04/02
Is your paperwork piling up?
By:Jennifer Swanson
How long to save tax returns, other records
You're ready to start your spring cleaning. You're getting records organized to do your
taxes. Or you're moving to a new home. You have shoeboxes or desk drawers full of old
bills and bank statements, and aren't sure what to keep and what to throw away.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=3445071&BRD=1623&PAG=461&dept_id=180614&rfi=6



WYFF 03/06/02
Pawnshop Paperwork Can Catch Thieves
Pawnshop owners can’t do anything to stop people from bringing in stolen merchandise, but the records they keep can help police identify thieves.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/wyff/20020306/lo/1110232_1.html


New York Times 03/08/02
Records Indicate a Lack of Direction for Executives in Deal-Approvals
By KURT EICHENWALD
he Enron Corporation (news/quote)'s approval process for deals involving partnerships controlled by the chief financial officer was so haphazard that important people involved in the procedures had limited grasp of their responsibilities, records of an investigation by Enron's outside law firm show.
The records include notes of interviews with Richard Causey, the former chief accounting officer and an executive with primary responsibility for reviewing partnership transactions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/08/business/08INQU.html





Peter A. Kurilecz CRM, CA
pakurilecz@aol.com
Richmond, Va