'Information Security 101'

Recent headlines have reported a startling number of security breaches and information thefts. A major university notified 120,000 of its alumni after a computer containing fundraising information including addresses and Social Security numbers was hacked by an unknown intruder; a subsidiary of the Lexis Nexis group announced that the records of 32,000 individuals may have fallen into the hands of thieves using the passwords of legitimate subscribers; Bank of America reported the loss of backup tapes containing the financial records of up to 1.2 million federal employees; payroll outsourcer PayMaxx faced allegations that it had exposed 25,000 customer records, including W-2 information, online; and cell phone provider T-Mobile released information about a hacker who was able to exploit a security weakness in a commercial software package to access customer records, sensitive government documents, private e-mail and candid celebrity photos.

18 minute read May 25, 2005 at 10:38 AM

By

Jennifer Willcox