Breaches Update – July 2015

by Jim Bulling and Julia Baldi

U.S. Office of Personal Management (OPM)
The U.S. government has confirmed a second cyber attack on the OPM database. Hackers are confirmed to have stolen the personal information in relation to former, current and prospective federal government employees effecting at least 21.5-mllion people (almost 7% of the entire U.S. population).

See the ABC report here, CNN report here and Guardian report here.

OPM’s website, sets out how person’s may have been affected by the breach and what OPM is doing to assist those affected. OPM has sent notifications to those affected by the incident and is offering free identity theft monitoring and restoration services including identity theft insurance and credit monitoring.

OPM has also outlined a cybersecurity action report, available here.

Cars engine turned off as it drive
Two cybersecurity researchers have used the internet to turn off a car’s engine as it drives.

See the ABC report here.

Hacking Team
Hacking Team, an Italian cyber-security firm which makes surveillance software that allows law enforcement and intelligence agencies to tap into the phones and computers of suspects, was subject to a cyber breach with 400GB of the firm’s data being copied.

See the Reuters report here.