Privacy on the Line: Security lapse exposes some Lifeline phone customers to ID theft risk
May 23, 2013
More than 170,000 records from two Lifeline participating companies -- Oklahoma City-based TerraCom Inc. and its affiliate, YourTel America Inc. -- were posted online.
The records, from residents of at least 26 states, include Social Security numbers, dates of birth and information about participation in other government-assistance programs. Of those records, 343 were viewed by unknown, and potentially unauthorized, individuals, an official for both companies acknowledged. Scripps unearthed the documents through a simple Google search and alerted TerraCom and YourTel of its findings on April 26. Within hours, the records no longer were publicly accessible.
Privacy on the Line: Security lapse exposes some Lifeline phone customers to ID theft risk Reporters use Google, find breach, get branded as “hackers” (ars technica – reporters branded hackers) Journalists Find Massive Data Security Lapse, Get Threats Instead of Thanks (Slate – journalists threatened)