Vodafone orders security review after gross breach of customer data
The personal details of millions of Vodafone customers have been available on the web in what is described as an “unbelievable” lapse in security by the mobile phone giant.
The details include names, home addresses, driver’s licence numbers and credit card details.
Fairfax newspapers say criminal groups have paid for the private details of some Vodafone customers to blackmail them.
Other people have obtained logins to check their spouse’s communications.
The personal details, accessible from any computer because they are kept on an Internet site rather than Vodafone’s internal system, include numbers dialled or texted, plus the time and location of calls or texts.
The full extent of the privacy breach is unknown, but it is possible that thousands of people have logins that can be passed around and used to gain access to the accounts of about four million Vodafone clients.
Michael Fraser, head of the Australian Communications Law Centre at the University of Technology Sydney, said it seems to be a major breach of the company’s privacy obligations and “unbelievably slack security”.
“The fact you can look up anybody as easily as that seems to be a gross breach of privacy and resulting in an almost negligent exposure to criminal activity,” said Professor Fraser, who is also head of the Australian Communication Consumer Action Network.
A Vodafone spokesman said on Saturday the company has ordered an immediate investigation and review of its security.
Vodafone retailers say each store has a system username and password, and access is shared among staff and changed every three months.
Full access means you can look up a customer’s bills and make alterations to accounts.
Article source: http://interopsgroup.com/vodafone-investigating-alleged-security-breaches/
Oracle vs Hewlett-Packard in Espionage Accusations
It happens to the biggest and the best!
Apparently, Larry Ellison recently accused HP’s new CEO, Leo Apotheker, of overseeing an industrial espionage scheme centering on the repeated theft of massive amounts of Oracle’s software. It is alleged that a major portion of this theft occurred while Mr. Apotheker was CEO of SAP.
My Ray Lane, HP’s Chairman stated, ” If HP keeps Leo Apotheker far from HP headquarters we cannot subpoena him to testify at a trial. I don’t think Ray Lane wants to risk Leo Apotheker testifying under oath as to why he allowed the theft of Oracle property to continue for 8 months after he was made sole CEO of SAP”.
In 2010, Larry Ellison was listed as the sixth richest person in the world, with a personal wealth of $27 billion. We think he may have just cause to protect his intellectual property.
The matter is beng presented in court today. We’ll keep you posted on any developments.
Have you been the target of espionage?
We’d love to hear your stories of espionage. Has your company been affected? If so, what were the circumstances and outcomes? Did you catch the perpetrator(s)?