Fergie's Tech Blog

Justice Department Reveals Social Security Numbers

Props to Bruce Schneier for pointing out this article on his blog (Thanks, Bruce).

Larry Greenemeier writes in InformationWeek:

The federal government is responsible for issuing Social Security numbers, but it may not be doing enough to protect these critically personal pieces of information on its own Web sites. Acting on a tip, InformationWeek was able to access Web pages that include the names and Social Security numbers of people involved in Justice Department-related legal actions. It's a discomforting discovery at a time when identity theft and fraud are on the rise.

One document on the Justice Department Executive Office for Immigration Review's site listed the name and Social Security number of a woman involved in a 2003 immigration-review case. Another document from 2002 listed the name and Social Security number of a man who was being prosecuted for committing insurance fraud. Other searches of the Justice Department's site yielded more Social Security numbers and identifying information.

posted by Fergie @ 12/30/2005 06:46:00 AM