[ISN] Hackers May Have Hit 265,000 State Workers

From: InfoSec News (isnat_private)
Date: Tue May 28 2002 - 01:36:27 PDT

  • Next message: InfoSec News: "[ISN] In New Era, Corporate Security Looks Beyond Guns and Badges"

    Forwarde from: Aj Effin Reznor <ajat_private>
    
    http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/2873199p-3687577c.html
    
    Hackers may have hit 265,000 state workers
    By Sam Stanton -- Bee Staff Writer
    Published 1:37 p.m. PDT Friday, May 24, 2002
    
    Computer hackers gained access to the California state government's 
    computer systems in April and sensitive financial and personal 
    information about as many as 265,000 state workers, officials said 
    Friday. 
    
    The electronic assault on payroll and other records was discovered by 
    the Sacramento Valley Hi Tech Task Force, which determined that none 
    of the information has been used illegally so far. 
    
    Despite that, agents with the task force, which includes the 
    Sacramento Sheriff's Department and the FBI, have launched an 
    investigation into the security breach and are searching for the 
    hackers, The Bee has learned. 
    
    Sources said the hacking involved the state's Stephen P. Teale Data 
    Center, which is based in Rancho Cordova and provides technical 
    computer assistance to many state departments. Authorities also 
    believe the state Department of Education computer system may have 
    been accessed illegally. 
    
    The security breaches have gone on for the past several months, 
    officials said, and gave the hackers access to Social Security 
    numbers, last names and first and middle initials of 265,000 state 
    workers ranging from judges and politicians to clerical workers. 
    
    However, authorities said there was no indication yet that the 
    information had been used by the hackers. 
    
    Despite that, authorities said there is grave concern over the ease 
    with which the hackers entered the computer systems, and that work by 
    the task force found that few of the security procedures that are 
    supposed to be in place actually are used. 
    
    
    
    -
    ISN is currently hosted by Attrition.org
    
    To unsubscribe email majordomoat_private with 'unsubscribe isn'
    in the BODY of the mail.
    



    This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Tue May 28 2002 - 06:06:11 PDT