thefts

The new byword in infosecurity: Don't embarrass the boss

Information security may be improving but embarrassing incidents involving data loss or identity theft at the Veterans' Administration and at TJX Companies, the operator of T.J. Maxx and Marshalls retail chains, suggest that the battle is a long way from victory.

Indeed, three-fourths of the information security professionals around the world surveyed by Frost & Sullivan say they now consider avoiding reputation damage to their organizations as a top priority.

That fits with the times. Increasingly, companies are elevating the prevention of high-profile data security breaches to the level of a strategic goal, if not competitive weapon.

Here's … Read more

Chase Visa accounts being hacked?

Am I the only one currently getting hammered for using a Chase Visa card? In the past three weeks, two of my Chase Visa (Marriott Rewards) cards have been compromised, despite the fact that a) my wife and I still have the cards in our possession and b) we don't use the cards on dodgy Internet sites (well, except for Arsenal.com :-).

Am I alone with the problem? It just seems to be too coincidental that both cards have been compromised in the past few weeks, especially since we don't use the two cards with the same … Read more

Understanding duplicate content: Outside view

Are you being outranked by you? Is "your" content showing up in searches, but on sites that aren't yours? Do you have multiple websites that compete against each other? Well this discussion on duplicate content from external sources should be right up your alley.

Earlier in the week, I started our discussion on duplicate content by trying to lay to rest the idea of a duplicate content penalty. Now we pick up that discussion with one aspect of duplicate content . . . content duplication from other sites.

While I'd love to start out our discussion with the idea … Read more

Hands-on with GTA IV multiplayer

We recently got a chance to sit down with the team behind Grand Theft Auto IV and sample a handful of the highly anticipated game's new multiplayer modes. Any GTA fan will tell you that adding online multiplayer is a major change for the series, but an essential one in the era of Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network, where every high-profile release is expected to offer more than just a linear single-player experience.

At Rockstar's New York headquarters, we tried four of the dozen-plus multiplayer modes over Xbox Live, playing against other journalists and the game's … Read more

Where BlackBerrys blink at 11:15

EPISODE 72

Fox is essentially the end of network TV; we wish Russian Roulette would return in the place of Moment of Truth. Plus, we're excited for GTA IV, and will we see a 3G iPhone within 60 days? Either way, as long as it plays Quake, we're fine with it.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Music downloads via 'Grand Theft Auto IV'

Why didn't anybody think of this before? Grand Theft Auto franchise developer Rockstar Games has teamed up with Amazon.com in an interesting joint promotion.

When GTA IV comes out on April 29 and you are cruising around inside doing whatever evil deeds come to mind, you might like a particular song playing on one of the radio stations in the game. Well, you will be able dial a number on your in-game virtual cellphone and receive a text message with artist and title information. And if you've signed up to be part of Rockstar's upcoming social … Read more

Memo to EA and Take-Two: Stop using the press to negotitate

Dear Take-Two and Electronic Arts: I'm not an arbitrator. And neither are my colleagues who cover video games.

I know it's nothing new in the fast-paced world of hostile takeovers, tender offers and other forms of mergers and acquisitions, but it's beyond obvious that both Take-Two and EA are using the press--and our outreach to the public--to try to negotiate the best terms in whatever marriage the two eventually end up in.

First they worked on a possible deal behind the scenes and when EA didn't hear what it wanted from Take-Two, they took their offer public. … Read more

Take-Two rejects EA's bid as 'inadequate'

To the surprise of probably no one, Take-Two Interactive Software has rejected Electronic Arts' hostile buyout offer.

In an announcement Wednesday morning, Take-Two said its board of directors and company officers have recommended that shareholders reject EA's bid of $26 a share. The board also said it's developing alternative strategies for possible alliances with third parties, including EA, that would kick in after the April 29 of release of Grand Theft Auto IV.

Take-Two's board noted that "substantive discussions" about possible alliances have yet to occur, although it did emphasize that the company is now … Read more

Laptop theft exposes patients' medical data

A government laptop housing the medical information of 2,500 patients enrolled in a National Institutes of Health study was stolen, potentially exposing personal data.

The computer was stolen in February from the trunk of a car driven by a lab chief of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, but officials did not notify the patients of the theft until Thursday, saying they didn't want to spread unnecessary alarm, according to The Washington Post.

The laptop contained seven years worth of clinical studies on the patients, including their names, ages, medical record numbers, and MRI reports. Social Security … Read more

Man gets four years for identity theft via P2P

A Seattle man has been sentenced to more than four years in prison in what prosecutors say was the first federal case against someone using file-sharing software to steal identities.

Gregory Kopiloff, 35, was sentenced Monday to 51 months in prison, according to a report in the Seattle Post Intelligencer.

Kopiloff pleaded guilty in November to mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, and accessing a protected computer without authorization to further fraud. Kopiloff used programs such as LimeWire to gain access to personal information in tax returns, credit reports, bank statements, and student financial-aid applications of more than 50 people, according … Read more