Biggest customer information theft ever
45 Million Card Numbers Stolen From Retailer
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/technology/AP-TJX-Security-Breach.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
(if this link disappears, search the title phrase in the database: LexisNexis)
Nothing that hasn't happened before, but the scale of this is enormous - theoretically this could affect 1 in every 8 people in the United States. How can we protect ourselves from this type of breach? Should we rely on businesses and/or the government, or do we have to do it ourselves?
Comments
I don't think it's possible to prevent those things from happening, unless people will be willing to reverse to cash transactions. Every bit of information about us is computerized in one way or the other - social security, employee data, medical information, tax refund, banking - you name it. I think the companies that handle this private data for their business purposes, should be liable before law for mis-handling it or not providing sufficient restrictions that will ensure that this data is safely stored. If the corporations are too gready to invest enough into this matter, they should be required by law to do so. Until that we really cannot defend ourselves against it. Plus hackers shoudl be punished really severely so there will not be sufficient number of people willing to enter htis "business".
Posted by: Irina Holden | April 5, 2007 4:29 PM