LexisNexis personal data hacked
p2pnet.news :- Confidence in the safety and security of confidential data stored on US commercial systems took another serious blow, yesterday, with news that the personal details of 32,000 US customers have been stolen from Reed Elsevier’s LexisNexis.
The US secret service and FBI are investigating the theft, says Britain’s Daily Telegraph, going on that the thefts were discovered when British-Dutch Reed Elsevier reviewed access procedures for Seisint, a personal data business it bought last July for $775,000,000.
And, “More thefts could be uncovered,” the report has the company saying.
"The announcement comes amid heightened scrutiny of data brokers and other companies that handle consumer information, after rival ChoicePoint Inc. said last month that thieves had gained access to at least 145,000 consumer profiles," says Reuters, continuing:
"The information accessed included names, addresses, Social Security and driver’s license numbers, but not credit histories, medical records or financial information."
The ChoicePoint disclosure last month was followed by revelations that Bank of America had lost computer tapes containing financial data on 1.2 million federal workers, including US senators, says the Washington Post, adding:
"Then late Tuesday, shoe retailer DSW Inc. revealed that credit card numbers of people who shopped at 103 of its 175 stores had been obtained by hackers."
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See:-
Daily Telegraph – FBI leads hunt into Reed database theft of 32,000 identities, March 10, 2005
Reuters – LexisNexis Says 32,000 Consumer Profiles Stolen, March 10, 2005
Bank of America – Bank of America ‘loses’ vital data, p2pnet, February 26, 2005
Washington Post – Data Under Siege, March 10, 2005
March 10th, 2005 at 2:40 pm
Consumers should have the ability to decide if these companies are allowed to store data about them. If a consumer decides he or she no longer wishes a company to store data about them, the company should be required to remove all data pertaining to the consumer.
This should not apply if the consumer is still in debt to the company. I personally do not like the fact that data about me can be bought and sold without my express authorization. I see cases at least once a month where private data in the hands of cartels are abused by unauthorized personne. l