Anonymous ‘FFF’ Attack Schedule

Oh, for crying out loud.  Why don’t these guys just go away?   According to Wired, Anonymous is giving itself a weekly deadline now, a new attack every Friday.  How entertaining.  Following the Tuesday compromise of tear gas maker Combined Systems’ website, Antisec attacked a Federal Trade Commission webserver which hosts 3 FTC websites.  They claim this hack was in opposition of the controversial international ACTA copyright treaty, widely protested around the world for its potential impact on freedom of expression.

Those responsible for this week’s attacks spoke with Wired, and claimed that the attacks renewed a promise, previously noted in the defacement of CSI, and reiterated on the FTC websites, “every Friday will bring a new attack against government and corporate sites under the theme of #FFF” (‘F’ the Feds Friday).

They’ve decided try to balance between protest defacements like these two most recent ones, and posting material that can damage firms and agencies.   Jerry Irvine of the National Cyber Security Task Force told the New York Times last week that attacks would become more frequent, describing the collective as “unstoppable,” because of the poor state of online security.

-=[ Busted ]=- Six Trillion In Fake Bonds

On the other side of the pond, a record $6 trillion of fake US Treasury bonds were seized by Italian anti-mafia prosecutors.  The bonds were uncovered in hidden compartments in three safety deposit boxes in Zurich.  Bloomberg reports that Italian authorities arrested eight people in connection with the probe, dubbed Operation Vulcanica.

The Italian authorities also uncovered fraudulent checks issued through HSBC Holdings in London, and another $2 billion of fake bonds in Rome.  Those involved in the financial fraud case were apparently planning to buy plutonium from Nigeria, according to police monitored phone conversations.

Good work guys.  I hope they round up all involved, especially those with the plutonium.  You know that stuff isn’t going to be used to power wind up toys.

North American Medical Records At Risk

While you are sitting patiently during your typical 5-6 hour emergency room visit, ever wonder just how safe your records are at the doctor’s office?  Are ya ready to puke?

91% of small healthcare practices (less than 250 employees) in North America say they have suffered a data breach in the past 12 months.

The Ponemon Institute recently conducted a survey, commissioned by MegaPath, asking more than 700 healthcare organizations’ IT and administrative staff about breaches.  Among the findings:

• 70% say their organizations either don’t have or are unsure if they have, sufficient budget to meet governance, risk, and compliance requirements.
• 55% of respondents had to notify patients of a data breach in the previous 12 months.
• 52% of respondents rated their security technology plans as “ineffective”.
• 43% of respondents had experienced medical identity theft in their organizations.
• 31% say management considers data security and privacy a top priority.  (69% not so much?)
• 29% say breaches have resulted in medical identity theft.
• More than a third have not assigned responsibility for patient data protection to anyone in particular.
• Approximately half say less than 10% of IT’s budget goes to data security tools.

Data breaches of patient information cost healthcare organizations nearly $6 billion annually, and many breaches go undetected.  Protecting patient data appears to remain a low priority for hospitals and doctors’ offices, and these organizations have little confidence in their ability to secure patient records.  They are putting individuals at increased risk for medical identity theft, financial theft, and exposure of private information.

Are ya feeling warm and fuzzy yet?  Read the whole report.