Cornell probes theft of school computer with personal information; thousands could be affected

October 4th, 2009 Cybersecurity starts at home and in the officeWASHINGTON — When swine flu broke out, the government revved up a massive information campaign centered on three words: Wash your hands. The Obama administration now wants to convey similarly clear and concise guidance about one of the biggest national security threats in your home and office — the computer.

August 18th, 2009 Prosecutors say man stole 130M credit card numbersWASHINGTON — A former government informant known online as "soupnazi" stole information from 130 million credit and debit card accounts in what federal prosecutors are calling the largest case of identity theft yet. Prosecutors said Monday that Albert Gonzalez, 28, of Miami broke his own record for identity theft, though his exploits ended when he went to jail on charges stemming from an earlier case involving 40 million accounts.

August 13th, 2009 Australian charged with infecting 3,000 computersADELAIDE, Australia — A 20-year-old Australian man has been charged with infecting more than 3,000 computers around the world with a virus designed to capture banking and credit card data, police said Thursday. The man, whose name will not be released until he appears in an Adelaide court on Sept.

August 6th, 2009 Soldiers warned about ID theft after laptop stolenMADISON, Wis. — The Army National Guard is investigating why a contractor had data including Social Security numbers for 131,000 current and former soldiers on an unsecured personal laptop that was stolen, a spokesman said Thursday.

July 16th, 2009 LexisNexis warns 13,000 of possible data breachDAYTON, Ohio — Electronic publisher LexisNexis has told more than 13,000 people that a Florida man accused of helping run a racket for an organized-crime family may have gained access to their personal information through a former customer of a LexisNexis subsidiary. LexisNexis, based in suburban Dayton, sent out 13,329 letters on June 19 to make people aware of the possibility that personal information may have been accessed, spokesman Nick Ludlum said Wednesday.

July 13th, 2009 South Korea lowers cyberattack alertSEOUL, South Korea — South Korea's spy agency lowered the country's cyberattack alert Monday as affected Web sites returned to normal after suffering outages in a series of assaults that have cast suspicion on North Korea. Dozens of South Korean and U.S.

July 13th, 2009 South Korea's spy agency lowers cyberattack alertSEOUL, South Korea — South Korea's spy agency lowered the country's cyberattack alert Monday as affected Web sites returned to normal after suffering outages in a series of assaults that have cast suspicion on North Korea. Dozens of South Korean and U.S.

June 26th, 2009 Unclear what happens to personal info with ClearNEW YORK — More than a quarter million people are wondering what will happen to their fingerprints, social security numbers, home addresses and other personal information now that a company that sped them through airport security is out of business. Government officials are wondering too.

June 19th, 2009 Cornell student returning to face NY murder countITHACA, N.Y. — A Cornell University student charged with killing his wife along a park trail in New York has waived extradition in Pennsylvania.

June 5th, 2009 Cornell grad student charged with killing wifeSYRACUSE, N.Y. — A Cornell University graduate student from New Zealand has been charged with murdering his wife, whose body was found along a wooded trail in a state park with her throat slashed.

June 4th, 2009 Cornell U. researcher found dead in NY parkA Cornell University researcher was found dead in a New York state park from massive cuts to her throat and her husband was hospitalized under guard after a police chase, state police said Thursday. Troopers identified the woman found Wednesday morning in Taughannock Falls State Park as Caroline Coffey, 28, a post-doctoral researcher in bio-medicine at Cornell.

May 9th, 2009 Hackers breach UC Berkeley computer databaseSAN FRANCISCO — University of California, Berkeley, officials said Friday that hackers infiltrated restricted computer databases, putting at risk health and other personal information on 160,000 students, alumni and others. The university said data include Social Security numbers, birth dates, health insurance information and some medical records dating back to 1999.

May 2nd, 2009 LexisNexis warns 32,000 people about data breachNEW YORK — The LexisNexis online information service told 32,000 people on Friday that their personal information may have been improperly accessed by former customers in a credit card fraud scheme that postal officials said had bilked hundreds. "I am writing to inform you that sensitive, personally identifiable information about you may have been viewed by a few individuals who should not have access to such information," said the letter mailed Friday to people whose information is in LexisNexis databases.

April 22nd, 2009 NY tax worker accused of stealing taxpayers' IDsTROY, N.Y. — A former New York state tax department worker was accused of stealing the identities of thousands of taxpayers and running up more than $200,000 in fraudulent charges.

April 21st, 2009 Lawmakers to re-examine Internet-sharing softwareWASHINGTON — A House committee is reopening its investigation of Internet services that let computer users distribute music and movies online amid reports the same software was exploited to gain unauthorized access to government and private data. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee sent letters Monday to the Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission and The Lime Group, which runs LimeWire, a popular file-sharing service.