Web Headlines

Headlines from around the Web for Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2008

Compiled by Melanie Bender

Online Records May Aid ID Theft

Washington Post

In an era when government officials from President Bush to local sheriffs warn of the growing dangers of identity theft, the full Social Security numbers of untold numbers of Americans can be found -- ironically enough -- in file rooms and on Web sites run by governments.

Security Dominates 2008 IT Agenda

NetworkWorld

Experts say security concerns will dominate the network landscape in 2008 whether we like it or not. But it won't be all gloom and doom. Faster wireless LANs are on the way and enterprise-class open source applications are multiplying.

Record Number Of Data Breaches Reported In 2007

InformationWeek

The number of publicly reported data breaches in the U.S. rose by more than 40% in 2007, compared to the previous year, according to statistics compiled by the Identity Theft Resource Center, a consumer rights advocacy group.

NYC Taxi Commission Defends Touch-Screens In Cabs

InformationWeek

The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission on Monday refuted recent claims by a New York City software engineer that hackers can access sensitive information through touch-screen displays in taxicabs.

Voter-Database Law Could Disenfranchise Thousands

USA Today

Five years after passage of a federal law to create electronic registration databases to deter voter fraud, the new technology is posing hurdles that could disenfranchise thousands of legal voters, a USA Today examination finds.

Lawmakers, Experts Chide NASA for Airline Data Release

Federal Times

Aviation safety experts and lawmakers lambasted NASA this week for the agency’s release of a massive airline safety database in a format that makes it difficult to analyze. The data consists of interviews of more than 30,000 pilots from 2001 through 2004.

FBI Utilizing Digital Billboards to Spread Message

eWeek

The FBI's most wanted murderers, cop killers, bank robbers and terrorists have one more force aligned against them: digital billboards. The billboards will be used throughout the United States to display pictures of each area's most wanted fugitives as well as high priority security messages.

Phone Activity a Hazard for Firms

Chicago Tribune

Smart phones are poised to become the next major security challenge for businesses. Security experts say, in general, business-oriented smart phones come with decent built-in safeguards, but consumer-oriented mobile phones, which have far fewer safety features, often take on such PC-like characteristics that make them attractive to people who want to use them for work.

DHS Begins Collecting 10 Fingerprints from International Visitors at Dulles International

Government Technology

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is now collecting additional fingerprints from international visitors arriving at Washington Dulles International Airport. The change is part of the Department's upgrade from two- to 10-fingerprint collection in order to enhance security and fingerprint-matching accuracy.