The rising popularity in the use of health apps could be undermining the confidential nature of our medical details and conditions, experts have said. A survey conducted by BMJ put 24 health apps under the microscope to find that 19 of those chosen relayed user data with companies and heavyweight data giants such as Facebook, […]
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Nokia data breach prompts regulator probe in Finland
Nokia may be in breach of data laws after a software “glitch” inadvertently directed user data to China without consumer knowledge, reports reveal. According to Reuters, an investigation was announced on Thursday into whether the data handling of Nokia smartphones, which are developed by Finnish firm, HMD Global, has violated official rules. HMD Global maintains […]
Millions of Facebook users hit by passwords storage error
Facebook has confirmed that a “glitch” in its networks led to the passwords of millions of account holders being open to up to 20,000 employees. Around 600 million passwords were stored in plain text and unprotected with no encryption, according to Brian Krebs, in an exposure that the security researcher believes may reach back […]
US continues to suffer data breaches in healthcare sector
Two further healthcare organisations in the States have been hit by data breaches, leading to the exposure of over 72,000 records. Email service faults plaguing Vermont’s Rutland Regional Medical Centre resulted in numerous employee accounts being put at risk. Zoll, a company that produces healthcare products also reported a potential exposure of patient information following […]
‘Severe’ hack halts production in global aluminium factory
One of the biggest aluminium producers in the world has been forced to revert to manual practices at a number of its outlets following a ransomware attack that experts have categorised as ‘severe’. Spokespeople at Hydro – the company under attack – say that the intrusion which began on Monday is still continuing. A number […]
12 years of music lost by Myspace
The social networking site Myspace had revealed it has lost up to 50 million songs – adding up to over a decade’s worth of music. Users of Myspace, for many the forerunner to Facebook, first realised a problem with the site when they were unable to play or download music. This was followed by news […]
ICO fines Vote Leave Limited £40,000 for sending unlawful text messages
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has fined Vote Leave Limited £40,000 for sending out thousands of unsolicited text messages in the run up to the 2016 EU referendum. An ICO investigation found that Vote Leave sent 196,154 text messages promoting the aims of the Leave campaign with the majority containing a link to its website. The investigation […]
Blood donors’ data put at risk in Singapore data breach
A database vulnerability has left the personal details of over 800,000 Singapore-based blood donors open to access over the internet. The exposure was active for nine weeks, beginning at the start of January 2019, say the Health Sciences Authority (HAS). The bungle was uncovered by computer technicians who duly notified Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Commission […]
‘Ethical’ hack compromises data of countless online shoppers
Hundreds of thousands of online shoppers have had their personal data exposed in a recent ‘ethical’ hack. An attack considered ‘ethical’ when it is carried out by tech experts in order to expose flaws in networks, systems and databases that malicious parties could exploit, if those flaws are not addressed. Customers of Chinese online shopping […]
Malaysia reviews data protection laws
Malaysia is in the process of updating its data protection laws to bring them in line with current standards. Minister Gobind Singh Deo said that the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia through the Personal Data Protection Department is now assessing the nation’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). Gobind has stressed the need for a refresh […]