Twitter, RSS and Facebook logos

  Connect with Security Magazine!
     Follow us on Twitter and Facebook or subscribe to our newsletters or RSS feeds.

Security Newswire

Texas Comptroller Mistakenly Posts Public Records

The personal information of about 3.5 million Texans - including addresses and Social Security numbers - was mistakenly posted on public servers controlled by the state comptroller's office and remained there in some cases for more than a year.

Texas Comptroller Susan Combs said in a statement that the data inadvertently released even included dates of birth and driver's license numbers for some people, but that there was no indication any personal data had been misused.

"I deeply regret the exposure of the personal information that occurred and am angry that it happened," Combs said.

Agency spokesman R.J. DeSilva said people who were involved in the incident were dismissed but that he couldn't say how many because of human-resource rules.

The personal data was contained within folders on a comptroller FTP site separate from its main page - one that contained hundreds of folders, DeSilva said. Some of those folders were security-protected and could only be accessed by state agencies, while others were open to the public. The personal information was "on a portion of the page where anyone could look," he said.

The comptroller's office will begin issuing letters Wednesday notifying those people whose personal information was mistakenly made accessible to the public.

You must register or login in order to post comments.

Multimedia

Videos

Image Galleries

Stanley Customer Appreciation Event at ASIS 2011

Customers enjoyed the annual Stanley customer appreciation event during ASIS 2011 in Orlando.

Podcasts

The New Age of Video Surveillance
In this podcast, Bill Lawrence, director of Service Solutions and Platforms for ADT Security Services, explains the growing interest in video surveillance by both government agencies as well as businesses of every stripe. He discusses what any organization should consider before investing heavily in the technology. Lawrence is a 25-year veteran of both the information technology and physical security industries, with extensive experience in network video surveillance and physical security convergence.
More Podcasts

Your Time

On a daily basis, how much work time do you estimate that you spend addressing an emergency or crisis within your organization?
See Poll Results Poll Archive

THE SECURITY STORE

comptiahighriseproductphoto
CompTIA Security+ Certification Study Guide
CompTIA's Security+ certification is a globally-recognized, vendor neutral exam that has helped over 60,000 IT professionals reach further and higher in their careers. The current Security+ exam (SY0-201) focuses more on being able to deal with security issues rather than just identifying them.
More Products

Clear Seas Research

Clear Seas ResearchWith access to over one million professionals and more than 60 industry-specific publications,Clear Seas Research offers relevant insights from those who know your industry best. Let us customize a market research solution that exceeds your marketing goals.

Vertical Sector Focus: Critical Infrastructures

criticalhomepagethumbFrom terrorism to vandalism, it’s preparedness, response, training and partnerships. Learn about some of the critical security issues facing this sector.

Visit the Critical Infrastructure page to read more.  

STAY CONNECTED

facebooklogo twitterlogo  linkedinlogo  YouTube icon