Monday Morning News Kick Off: Data Breach at Philly Hospital, FBI and Cybersecurity and Much More

Welcome to the Monday Morning News Kick Off post from the ITAC blog. As always, we like to pull together the latest identity theft, data breach, privacy and cybersecurity news to help you jump start your week. Though, please be sure to make this blog a part of your regular reading this week. We will be hosting an exclusive podcast with Wade Baker, Director of Risk Intelligence for Verizon Business, about the 2010 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, as well as featuring a podcast Anne Wallace, ITAC President, from BankInfoSecurity.com.

Data Breach at Philly Hospital Impacts Thousands
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia this week became the latest hospital forced to notify thousands of patients that some of their most sensitive financial and medical information was compromised following a laptop theft. Hospital officials said the names, birth dates, social security numbers, insurance information and other internal and administrative coding data, for approximately 21,000 patients was exposed after a laptop was stolen from an office in the hospital. The theft covers those who received inpatient care at the hospital between March and November of 2008. Read the full eSecurity Planet article here.

US Law Enforcement Holds Meeting on Cyber Security
As the world becomes increasingly dependent on the Internet and computer technology to conduct its business, its social and international relationships and its wars, the threat to those networks from terrorists and criminals becomes more dire. A three day FBI-sponsored conference on cyber-security was attended by leaders in law enforcement, industry, government, and the military and reports on some of the issues involved and strategies proposed. In the 20 seconds it will take to listen to this paragraph, the world will conduct 680,000 Google searches and send 88 million emails. The world’s half billion Facebook users will post 140,000 status updates, and the “Automated Clearing House” computer network that connects all American financial institutions will process 12,000 electronic payments. Read the full VOA article here.

GAO Stresses International Cybersecurity Challenges
Congressional investigators identified a host of challenges facing the United States when it comes to producing and carrying out international cybersecurity plans and policies, detailing them in a report released last Monday. The report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted that the interconnected nature of cyberspace made it unlikely the US federal government could protect its information networks unilaterally, as evidenced by a rash of high-profile cyber attacks from foreign countries in recent times. To tackle these challenges, the White House cybersecurity coordinator must lead the development of a global cybersecurity strategy for US agencies to follow, the GAO recommended in its report, Cyberspace: United States Faces Challenges in Addressing Global Cybersecurity and Governance. The White House generally agreed with the GAO’s advice and further responded that many activities recommended by the agency were presently underway. Read the full HS Today article here.

Opposing View on Internet Privacy: Don’t Fear Internet Tracking
A wild debate is on about websites using “tracking tools” to “spy” on American Internet users. Don’t fall for it. The controversy is led by activists who want to obstruct essential Internet technologies and return the U.S. to a world of limited consumer choice in news, entertainment, products and services. They have rebranded as “surveillance technology” various devices — cookies, beacons and IP addresses — that fuel the Internet. Without them, Web programming and advertising can’t make its way to your laptop, phone or PC. At risk are $300 billion in U.S. economic activity and 3.1 million jobs generated by the advertising-supported Internet, according to Harvard professors John Deighton and John Quelch. Read the full USA Today article here.

GAO Sting Shows Passport Fraud Remains a Problem
Earlier this year, undercover investigators from the Government Accountability Office applied for and obtained three of seven passports they sought using common identity theft techniques. State Department officials issued five of the seven passports, but retrieved two from the mail before they were delivered — after employees discovered the GAO sting. “Despite multiple indicators of fraud and identity theft in each application, State identified only two as fraudulent during its adjudication process, and mailed five genuine U.S. passports to undercover GAO mailboxes,” Gregory Kutz, GAO’s managing director of forensic audits and investigations told members of a Senate Judiciary Committee panel Thursday. Read the full Government Executive article here.