Fish Report

      San Diego - Data theft poses huge risks to business and government.  Wednesday, May 23, 2014 e-commerce website, e-Bay revealed hackers had broken into its database last February and March.  February 2013, saw phishing hackers steal customers' names, encrypted passwords, and dates of birth.  Also, this week, Target, the nations third largest retailer, announced its first quarter earnings fell 16 percent; a loss attributed, in part, to a massive 2013 data breach.  These stories tell us about the enormous cost of lost privacy.  Most of this lost privacy comes from phishing ( a form of internet identity theft).  Phishers (con artists) send fraudulent e-mail messages, with links to fraudulent websites that look like they came from websites the recipient can trust, like a bank or a credit card company.  The phishing hackers then request that you provide personal information.  A corporation or government that collects and holds consumer and client data is responsible for keeping that data secure.  Business people who have the luxury of a secretary, personal assistant, or office clerk, have to now focus on the secure-computer issue. 
     Data theft has serious consequences.  Online shopping monster e-Bay (second only to Amazon) has only recently disclosed its problem, but e-Bay, now has three states - Connecticut, Florida, and Illinois - joining forces to investigate its computer system security in those states.  If analyst's estimate are correct, Target could lose $500 million to $1 billion above and beyond what the bank insures.  Target's 2013 pre-Christmas data breach compromised the sensitive data of millions of target customers, drove away shoppers during the important holiday retain season, and helped topple Target's CEO.  "There is definitely a climate shift," Jamie Court, president of the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog, told Reuters.  "The departure of the Target CEO over the problem signals inside the boardroom, and the halls of government, that these are betrayals of customers and that they won't be tolerated.  See also, www.popularmechanics.com.