Data Theft

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- More than 100,000 customers of Wachovia Corp. and Bank of America Corp. have been notified that their financial records may have been stolen by bank employees and sold to collection agencies. In all, nearly 700,000 customers of four banks may be affected, according to police in Hackensack, N.J., where the investigation was centered. So far, Bank of America has alerted about 60,000 customers whose names were included on computer disks discovered by police, bank spokeswoman Alex Liftman said yesterday.

Utah's chief technology officer has resigned following the theft of hundreds of thousands of online medical records from state computers by unknown hackers. Gov. Gary Herbert on Tuesday announced a "comprehensive" response to the massive data breach, including the resignation of Stephen Fletcher, director of the state's Department of Technology Services. Herbert's office said the state also is hiring a public relations firm to handle crisis communications. Last month, hackers stole personal information of about 780,000 Medicaid recipients and participants in the Children's...

NEW YORK - The parent company of retailers T.J. Maxx and Marshall’s will pay $9.75 million in a settlement with several states related to a data theft that exposed tens of millions of payment card numbers. Framingham-based TJX Cos. said yesterday that it will pay $2.5 million to create a data security fund for states, plus a settlement amount of $5.5 million and $1.75 million to cover expenses related to the states’ investigations. But TJX stressed it “firmly believes’’ it did not violate any consumer-protection or data-security laws.

Scores of employees and customers of a supermarket chain have had their account information compromised after thieves tampered with debit and credit card readers in self-checkout lines in Northern California. Lucky Supermarkets, which disclosed the breach Monday, said some 300 customers were affected at 23 of its San Francisco Bay Area stores, and some had money stolen from their accounts. Lucky Supermarkets is part of Modesto-based Save Mart Supermarkets, which operates more than 233 stores in Northern California and Northern Nevada.

WASHINGTON -- The government said yesterday that it would provide free credit monitoring to millions of veterans whose personal information was stolen last month, acknowledging it was not close to catching the thieves. Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson said the agency would seek to protect millions of veterans and troops against identity theft after their names, Social Security numbers, and birthdates were taken from a VA data analyst's home May 3. Those eligible for one year of credit monitoring will be any of the 17.5 million people who are known to...

WASHINGTON - The Veterans Affairs Department agreed yesterday to pay $20 million to veterans for exposing them to possible identity theft in 2006 by losing their sensitive personal information. In court filings yesterday, lawyers for the VA and the veterans said they had reached agreement to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by five veterans groups alleging invasion of privacy. The money, which will come from the US Treasury, will be used to pay veterans who can show they suffered actual harm, such as emotional distress or expenses...

Scores of employees and customers of a supermarket chain have had their account information compromised after thieves tampered with debit and credit card readers in self-checkout lines in Northern California. Lucky Supermarkets, which disclosed the breach Monday, said some 300 customers were affected at 23 of its San Francisco Bay Area stores, and some had money stolen from their accounts. Lucky Supermarkets is part of Modesto-based Save Mart Supermarkets, which operates more than 233 stores in Northern California and Northern Nevada.

Data from Norway's oil and defense industries may have been stolen in what is feared to be one of the most extensive data espionage cases in the country's history, security officials said Thursday. Industrial secrets from companies were stolen and "sent out digitally from the country," the Norwegian National Security Authority said, though it did not name any companies or institutions that were targeted. At least 10 different attacks, mostly aimed at the oil, gas, energy and defense industries, were discovered in the past year, but the agency said it has to assume the number is much...

WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers from both parties called on the Bush administration yesterday for money and accountability in a widening data-security breach now encompassing nearly all active-duty military, Guard, and Reserve members. In the Senate, Democrats renewed their criticism of Veteran Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson and demanded his ouster following the agency's disclosure Tuesday that personal information for 2.2 million military personnel -- not just 50,000, as initially believed -- was stolen from a VA employee May 3. "It's amazing.

Utah's chief technology officer has resigned following the theft of hundreds of thousands of online medical records from state computers by unknown hackers. Gov. Gary Herbert on Tuesday announced a "comprehensive" response to the massive data breach, including the resignation of Stephen Fletcher, director of the state's Department of Technology Services. Herbert's office said the state also is hiring a public relations firm to handle crisis communications. Last month, hackers stole personal information of about 780,000 Medicaid recipients and...

Data from Norway's oil and defense industries may have been stolen in what is feared to be one of the most extensive data espionage cases in the country's history, security officials said Thursday. Industrial secrets from companies were stolen and "sent out digitally from the country," the Norwegian National Security Authority said, though it did not name any companies or institutions that were targeted. At least 10 different attacks, mostly aimed at the oil, gas, energy and defense industries, were discovered in the past year, but the agency said it has to assume the number is much...

In June, an American Superconductor Corp. field crew in China doing routine inspections of wind turbines for the company's biggest customer noticed something was not right. The blades were spinning on a turbine thought to be out of operation. Once they opened the machine, the team from the Devens-based company made a startling find. Someone had replicated American Superconductor's electrical control system software almost perfectly. Only an identification number was off. This discovery culminated last week with American Superconductor accusing its largest customer, wind turbine maker...

NEW YORK - The parent company of retailers T.J. Maxx and Marshall’s will pay $9.75 million in a settlement with several states related to a data theft that exposed tens of millions of payment card numbers. Framingham-based TJX Cos. said yesterday that it will pay $2.5 million to create a data security fund for states, plus a settlement amount of $5.5 million and $1.75 million to cover expenses related to the states’ investigations. But TJX stressed it “firmly believes’’ it did not violate any consumer-protection or data-security laws.

WASHINGTON - The Veterans Affairs Department agreed yesterday to pay $20 million to veterans for exposing them to possible identity theft in 2006 by losing their sensitive personal information. In court filings yesterday, lawyers for the VA and the veterans said they had reached agreement to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by five veterans groups alleging invasion of privacy. The money, which will come from the US Treasury, will be used to pay veterans who can show they suffered actual harm, such as emotional distress or expenses incurred for...

WASHINGTON -- The government said yesterday that it would provide free credit monitoring to millions of veterans whose personal information was stolen last month, acknowledging it was not close to catching the thieves. Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson said the agency would seek to protect millions of veterans and troops against identity theft after their names, Social Security numbers, and birthdates were taken from a VA data analyst's home May 3. Those eligible for one year of credit monitoring will be any of the 17.5 million...

WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers from both parties called on the Bush administration yesterday for money and accountability in a widening data-security breach now encompassing nearly all active-duty military, Guard, and Reserve members. In the Senate, Democrats renewed their criticism of Veteran Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson and demanded his ouster following the agency's disclosure Tuesday that personal information for 2.2 million military personnel -- not just 50,000, as initially believed -- was stolen from a VA employee May 3. "It's amazing.

In June, an American Superconductor Corp. field crew in China doing routine inspections of wind turbines for the company's biggest customer noticed something was not right. The blades were spinning on a turbine thought to be out of operation. Once they opened the machine, the team from the Devens-based company made a startling find. Someone had replicated American Superconductor's electrical control system software almost perfectly. Only an identification number was off. This discovery culminated last week with American Superconductor accusing its largest customer, wind turbine maker...

WASHINGTON - The bad news piled up quickly for Carol Keller late last year. She was informed in December that her personal and medical information had been stolen nearly four months earlier when a Pentagon contractor left 25 computer tapes in the back seat of a Honda Civic in Texas. That explained the fraudulent purchases from her debit account, the Revere woman contends. Keller, who is married to a disabled Air Force veteran and relies on the Pentagon-run health insurance program called TRICARE, is among 70,000 military personnel, retirees, and their families...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- More than 100,000 customers of Wachovia Corp. and Bank of America Corp. have been notified that their financial records may have been stolen by bank employees and sold to collection agencies. In all, nearly 700,000 customers of four banks may be affected, according to police in Hackensack, N.J., where the investigation was centered. So far, Bank of America has alerted about 60,000 customers whose names were included on computer disks discovered by police, bank spokeswoman Alex Liftman said yesterday.