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1 million UK identities sold on eBay
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by Tina Kells | August 26, 2008 at 09:28 pm
362 views | 13 Recommendations | 6 comments
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The computer contained account numbers, passwords, cell phone numbers and signatures. It belonged to MailSource UK -- an arm of Graphic Data, an archiving company that holds financial information for Royal Bank of Scotland, NatWest and American Express.
The security breach became known when the computer's buyer found the information and contacted authorities.
Britain's Information Commissioner's Office has launched an investigation into the incident. Banks in Britain are obligated under the Data Protection Act to secure personal information. But banking and other highly sensitive information is being lost with increasing frequency.
In the past year several companies and government departments in the UK have lost sensitive personal information that was stored on computer hard drives or data storage devices. In answer to growing concerns over lax corporate security practices, last year a UK court levied a fine of almost £1 million against the Nationwide Building Society when a laptop containing private customer data was stolen from the home of an employee.
Other recent scandals in the UK include; a storage device with the personal information of inmates lost by an independent contractor working for the prisons, government files on terrorist tactics left on a commuter train, and a computer with the personal data of potential military recruits stolen from a Navy recruiter's car.
Perhaps the most grievous of the identity losses came last November when tax officials in the UK admitted to losing computer discs containing the personal tax and banking information of 25 million people, putting nearly half the country's population at risk.
In answer to the latest scandal the Royal Bank was quick to reassure customers that it was launching an investigation to learn exactly how the security breach occurred. American Express is also investigating whether or not its customers have been affected by the eBay sale.
In this case the identity information fell in to safe hands; the eBay user who bought the computer alerted both the Royal Bank and eBay to the situation, however, it could have just as easily ended up in criminal hands.
Ebay spokesperson Jenny Thomas stated that the item should never have been put up for auction, while Graphic Data is looking in to how an employee was able to take the computer from the storage facility.
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Tina Kells
Vancouver, Canada
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (6)
at 21:48 on August 26th, 2008
Tina Kells, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 22:27 on August 26th, 2008
Tina Kells, I like this story. It's good stuff.
Where is our privacy gone???
at 22:33 on August 26th, 2008
Tina Kells, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 04:16 on August 27th, 2008
Tina Kells, I like this story. It's the British disease again! Everyone who knows something about computers knows:
1) if you trash a computer, MAKE SURE nothing is on the hard disc, ESPECIALLY if it has sensitive material!
2) if you send data (PLEASE NOT THE POST) make sure it is encripted. Somehow we Brits dont seem to know these basics!
at 07:53 on August 27th, 2008
I'd be very suprised, Gerry, if this machine was not encrypted ... the article does not seem to say one way or the other ...
at 07:47 on August 27th, 2008
Yet more proof that mostly stupid people are in positions of authority. Not necessarily a worldwide phenomenon but definitly a problem here in the uk. Maybe its the rain, maybe its gangsters stealing stuff.