H-P Probe Is Spurring Efforts To Tighten Phone Protections

HP-PROBE IS SPURRING EFFORTS TO TIGHTEN PHONE PROTECTIONS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Amy Schatz Amy.Schatz@wsj.com]
In the wake of disclosures that Hewlett-Packard Co. investigators obtained private phone records of board members, federal regulators are redoubling efforts to toughen rules requiring phone companies to protect customer information. By the end of October, the Federal Communications Commission plans to propose rules that will require phone companies to strengthen security procedures and close loopholes that have allowed private investigators and others to access private records. The agency sent a "letter of inquiry" Thursday to AT&T Inc., asking for information about records H-P investigators obtained in an investigation of boardroom leaks. The letter is part of a broader probe by the FCC into the practice of pretexting, or obtaining information by disguising one's identity. In response to dozens of such letters to phone carriers, the FCC has received hundreds of thousands of pages detailing how the companies try to safeguard customer information but have failed to stop pretexters from tricking employees into providing records. The commission appears to be focusing on two main areas: the ability of pretexters to set up dummy accounts online that give them access to customer accounts and the lack of industry standards for protecting customer records. Both issues are likely to be addressed in its proposed rules.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115794012440959112.html?mod=todays_us_marketplace
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