IT executive allegedly stole customer account information
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
A vice president of a Canadian direct marketing firm was recently accused of stealing a computer backup tape containing information on approximately 3.2 million customers.
The information allegedly taken by Nick Belmonte from C-W Agencies may be worth $10 million and also includes personal financial information on about 800,000 customers, the Vancouver Sun reports. Though the information is encrypted, the backup tape contained programs that a "knowledgeable user" could use to decrypt the data.
In an affidavit filed in British Columbia Supreme Court, chief executive of C-W Gloria Evans said if the data was sold, it could have a devastating effect on the company's business and on its clients, according to the article.
Evans responded to requests by the Sun with an email stating: "I can confirm C-W Agencies Inc. experienced a theft of data from its premises. We immediately launched a civil action and the matter has also been reported to the Vancouver police."
C-W CEO Brian Page's affidavit described Belmonte as a "problem employee" with irregular attendance and who charged lunches with friends to the company, the Sun reports. Belmonte had also apparently told employees he would be leaving soon.
Related News:
Password security a tall order for many web users - 1.22.2010
A recently released study from tech researcher Imperva showed that the most popular password among users whose accounts were compromised in the recent RockYou data breach was as follows: 123456.
Facebook fixes "wrong friends list" mobile network security glitch - 1.22.2010
CNET reports that social media network Facebook has repaired a problem in the mobile version of its service that caused some mobile users to have full access to the friends lists of unassociated users.
Automated phishing scam hits bank customers - 1.14.2010
Phishing attacks do not target victims exclusively via email, experts say, pointing to a recent rash of automated phone calls that attempted to convince victims to give up sensitive banking information.
Scammers ride aftershocks of Haiti catastrophe - 1.14.2010
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued a warning to those who want to contribute to earthquake relief efforts in Haiti, saying that cyber criminals and other types of scam artists are trying to take advantage of an outpouring of humanitarian support.
Banking Trojans finding new vector with fake Outlook alerts - 1.11.2010
A spurious alert purporting to come from Microsoft Outlook has cropped up in recent weeks, according to a maker of email filtering software.
|
