personal data

Security
January 16, 2012
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Hackers steal data from 24 million Zappos accounts

By on January 16, 2012 at 11:15 AM.

Hackers steal data from 24 million Zappos accounts

Zappos on Sunday confirmed that hackers breached the company’s servers and accessed personal data belonging to many of its customers. The Amazon-owned shoe retailer known for top-notch service and surprising customers with express shipping at no extra cost confirmed that personal data from 24 million accounts was accessed during a recent security breach. The hackers gained access to range of sensitive data including user names, encrypted passwords, customer names, email addresses, phone numbers and the last four digits of credit card numbers. The company stated that full credit card numbers were not compromised. As a security measure, Zappos reset the passwords of all affected customers and sent out emails alerting them to the situation. The company’s full email to customers follows below. More →

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Internet
August 2, 2011
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How to remove your private info from all background check sites

By on August 2, 2011 at 3:15 PM.

How to remove your private info from all background check sites

We live in a digital age where it seems nearly impossible to maintain your privacy. There are some measures that can be taken to limit your exposure, however. While numerous companies make money by collecting data from public records and selling it to people looking to perform quick and easy background checks, there are ways to stop these companies from tossing around your personal information willy nilly. Reddit user “pibbman” has compiled a list of all the major background check sites that hand out your data to anyone with a credit card, and he has included instructions and links on how to opt out of their services and have your information removed from each site. Of course, be sure to search your name before opting out of any service — you’ll be required to prove your identity to these companies in order to opt out, and there’s no reason to hand over your information if they don’t already have it. Pibbman notes that once you have your personal information removed from each of the major sites he lists, you should also disappear from smaller sites as they seem to pull in data from the “big boys.” Hit the break for the start of this how-to guide, and hit the read link for the rest. More →

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Legal
July 7, 2011
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Second hacker indicted over stolen AT&T iPad data

By on July 7, 2011 at 2:30 PM.

Second hacker indicted over stolen AT&T iPad data

An Arkansas man has been indicted for carrying out a cyberattack on AT&T servers that resulted in the theft of personal data from more than 100,000 iPad users. Andrew Auernheimer has been charged by a New Jersey grand jury with one count of conspiracy to gain unauthorized access to computers and one count of identity theft, Reuters reports. Auernheimer’s codefendant Daniel Spitler entered a guilty plea after being charged with the same crimes late last month. Court documents recount several conversations Auernheimer allegedly had surrounding the AT&T breach, and the evidence appears to be damning. “If we get 1 reporters address with this somehow we instantly have a story,” he wrote to Spitler on June 6, 2010, according to the indictment. “HI I STOLE YOUR EMAIL FROM AT&&T WANT TO KNOW HOW?” Auernheimer later continued, “The more email addresses we get … the more of a freakout we can cause.” Both Auernheimer and Spitler are said to be associated with “Goatse Security,” a hacker group reportedly focused on disrupting online content and services. More →

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mobile
July 7, 2011
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Apple to patch iPhone, iPad security hole

By on July 7, 2011 at 9:40 AM.

Apple to patch iPhone, iPad security hole

Apple has promised to patch a security hole found in the iPhone and iPad following a report published by Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security. Reportedly, a PDF security hole could allow hackers to gain unauthorized access to personal data — such as messages and passwords — stored on an iPhone or iPad and could “infect the mobile device with malware without the user’s knowledge.” Apple’s PR team was quick to respond to the allegations. “[Apple is] aware of this reported issue and developing a fix that will be available to customers in an upcoming software update,” Bethan Lloyd, an Apple spokesperson told AFP on Thursday. Apple has not yet confirmed when it will push out the security update. More →

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General
June 20, 2011
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Hackers strike Sega, steal personal data from 1.3 million accounts

By on June 20, 2011 at 8:40 AM.

Hackers strike Sega, steal personal data from 1.3 million accounts

Sega has confirmed that personal data from 1.3 million user accounts was stolen during a recent security breach, according to Reuters. Hackers obtained email addresses, encrypted passwords, birth dates, and names of Sega Pass network users. Unlike Sony’s recent security breach, however, the hackers did not access credit card data. As a result of the attack, Sony has pulled its Sega Pass network offline. “We are deeply sorry for causing trouble to our customers. We want to work on strengthening security,” Yoko Nagasawa, a Sega spokeswoman, said. Lulzsec, the hacker group behind Sony’s attack, has not taken credit for the Sega breach. More →

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Security
June 3, 2011
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Sony Pictures breach confirmed to be authentic; Sony launches investigation

By on June 3, 2011 at 9:15 AM.

Sony Pictures breach confirmed to be authentic; Sony launches investigation

A small group of hackers calling themselves LulzSec on Thursday claimed to have breached a Sony website and gained access to personal information belonging to over 1 million Sony customers. The group posted a statement claiming it did not have the resources to download the massive database tied to SonyPictures.com, but it provided samples of the data accessed in order to prove the breach was real. The Associated Press contacted several of the purported victims using phone numbers posted by LulzSec, and it was able to confirm with multiple victims that the data, which included account passwords, was authentic and accurate. Sony has not yet confirmed the breach, though a company spokesperson did say Sony is currently investigating the claims. This new breach is the latest in a string of hacks on various Sony networks that have compromised personal data belonging to over 100 million Sony customers. More →

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Security
May 24, 2011
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Sony suffers another cyberattack

By on May 24, 2011 at 9:00 AM.

Sony suffers another cyberattack

Sony’s ongoing battle with cyberattacks has already left the personal data of over 100 million customers exposed, and now the company has fallen victim to yet another attack. Details are slim for the time being, but Reuters cites a report from Jiji news service in stating that roughly 8,500 people across three countries have been affected by this latest breach. Their personal information has been leaked as a result of an attack on Sony’s Greek website on Tuesday, though it is unclear exactly what data the hackers gained access to. Sony has not yet confirmed the attacks, but its Greek website, sony.gr, was back online at the time of this writing. More →

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Gaming
May 10, 2011
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Capcom exec says Sony breach cost his company ‘hundreds of thousands, if not millions’ of dollars

By on May 10, 2011 at 10:50 AM.

Capcom exec says Sony breach cost his company ‘hundreds of thousands, if not millions’ of dollars

Capcom senior vice president Christian Svensson has voiced his opinion over the Sony’s massive security breach on the Capcom forums. “As an executive responsible for running a business, the resulting outage [is] obviously costing us hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars in revenue that were planned for within our budget,” Svensson said in a public forum response. “These are funds we rely on to bring new games to market for our fans.” Capcom has a storefront that offers users the option to purchase extra game content on the PlayStation Network. Svenesson clarified in another post and added that he — and perhaps Capcom, too — is more frustrated with the hackers than with Sony, which he views as the victim. More →

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Gaming
May 9, 2011
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Sony to restore access to PlayStation Network by May 31st

By on May 9, 2011 at 4:31 PM.

Sony to restore access to PlayStation Network by May 31st

Sony will access to its PlayStation Network and Qriocity services by May 31st, Bloomberg is reporting. Sony took its networks offline after a confirmed 101 million accounts were compromised and 12.3 million credit card numbers were stolen by hackers. Sony’s president, chairman, and CEO, Howard Stringer, has said Sony is “absolutely dedicated to restoring full and safe service as soon as possible,” and has promised users a “Welcome Back” package that includes a free month of its PlayStation Plus service, as well as credit for the downtime. More →

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Security
May 3, 2011
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Sony confirms SOE security breach, 25 million accounts compromised

By on May 3, 2011 at 10:44 AM.

Sony confirms SOE security breach, 25 million accounts compromised

Following preliminary news of another major security breach, Sony confirmed late on Monday that its Sony Online Entertainment portal has been hacked and the personal data of its users has been compromised. Sony said the cyberattack took place on Sunday, and its online gaming portal was taken offline as an initial countermeasure. The company is currently working with the FBI to investigate the breach, which the company has confirmed may have exposed personal data associated with 25 million online accounts. Sony has also confirmed that 10,700 non-U.S. debit card numbers and 12,700 non-U.S. credit card numbers may have been stolen, though the company said its main credit card database was not compromised. Sony Online Entertainment, or SOE, is a portal that hosts several popular Massively Multiplayer Online PC games such as EverQuest and DC Universe Online. Hit the break for Sony’s letter to SOE users. More →

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