Tag Archive for: personal
Police officers’ personal information may be at risk after ransomware data hack
Thousands of Surete du Quebec (SQ) police officers and ex-police officers have found themselves the collateral victims of a data theft that occurred in the servers of Xpertdoc, a computer firm in Terrebonne.
The SQ confirmed, late Wednesday afternoon, to have opened an official investigation after receiving a formal complaint in the case.
According to information obtained from the Syndicat des policières et des police provinciales du Quebec (APPQ), the firm targeted in the hack is a former subcontractor in charge of data management for the union’s group insurance program.
The firm was targeted in a ransomware-type attack, where hackers swipe data and demand a ransom before giving access to its owner.
What upsets the union the most in the story is that business ties had been severed between the APPQ and Xpertdoc since 2008.
The union wants to understand how and why its members’ data could be kept 12 years after the firm stopped working with the SQ.
The APPQ said it is evaluating remedies and checking whether or not the contract insisted on personal date being destroyed at the end of the business relationship.
SQ spokesperson Hugo Fournier said the force recognizes that the situation is worrying for the largest police force in the province. Police officers’ and former police officers’ addresses, phone numbers and other personal information could have fallen into the wrong hands.
Xpertdoc had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publishing.
Local expert tells how to keep your computer and personal information safe
The bad guys may seem like they’re winning, but with time and effort you can protect yourself, your family, your money and your computer and smartphone from attack by hackers, scammers and other cybercriminals.
That was the message of Jim Rome, webmaster for several local nonprofit organizations who spent the latter part of his career at Oak Ridge National Laboratory providing computer security for classified systems. He delivered his message most recently to Friends of ORNL.
He mentioned that recently the city of Oak Ridge had been a victim of a “denial of services” malware attack, causing network issues and making its business side unable to process utility payments for days.
Malware, short for malicious software, is a set of computer programs created by cybercriminals that can steal data from and damage or destroy computers and computer systems. It includes viruses, spyware and ransomware – software designed to block access to an individual’s personal data or a company or organization’s computer system until a sum of money (ransom) is paid.
Rome said that the global cost of cybercrime was estimated at more than $7 trillion dollars in 2022. In the first half of 2022, more than 50 million Americans had been affected by cybercrimes, the highest rate of data breaches in the world. The nations that have the most dangerous cybercriminals include China, Russia, Taiwan, India, Brazil and the United States, according to one source.
Rome cited two recent computer attacks that have affected corporations and customers. One cyberattack disrupted operations of the cleaning products maker Clorox, reducing the availability of the company’s products and slashing its quarterly earnings and stock value by 20%.
In September, a cyberattack at MGM Resorts International, he added, caused widespread disruption on the Las Vegas Strip. The hotel and casino giant had to require manual check-ins and the use of physical key cards so guests could access their rooms.
Potential…
Clark County says October security breach was a cyberattack; no indication personal data was stolen
An investigation has determined that a computer system security breach detected by Clark County’s Information Technology staff in late October was a cyberattack.
According to a press release, the nature and scope of the attack, and any possible impacts to county data, are still being investigated.
“Clark County takes the security of our network and data very seriously,” County Manager Kathleen Otto said in the release. “As soon as we discovered the suspicious activity, we took steps to confirm the security of the county network and launched an investigation.”
The security breach was detected on Oct. 21. Days later, the county council approved hiring a forensic specialist to investigate. The county also worked with cybersecurity specialists to assist with the remediation, containment and investigation of the incident, the release said.
Some parts of the county website were unavailable immediately following the cyberattack. The Property Information Center and Geographic Information Systems departments were among the hardest hit. Online maps for zoning, land use, transportation systems, development and other areas were unavailable for several days. All maps are now available online.
Other departments struggling with computer issues immediately after the attack were the prosecuting attorney’s office, jail services and Superior Court.
David Shook, director of jail services, said his department coordinated efforts with its law and justice partners to ensure the jail could process new arrests and work through court processes.
Superior Court dockets also got off to a slow start after court staff found they did not have access to the court computer system, and there were issues connecting with defendants in the jail. Attorneys had to rely on printed paper copies for criminal histories and other documents rather than using a laptop. For some cases, court staff left the courtroom to print out documents for the judge to review, slowing court proceedings considerably.
“From my understanding, there were some initial glitches with access, but we have utilized backup and work-around systems to keep the processes going with our internal and external…