AmeriCorps notifies participants and applicants of security breach

[Christine Fulgham <christine () opensecurityfoundation org>]

http://www.databreaches.net/?p=14518

The government has mailed out letters to AmeriCorps participants and
applicants informing them that personal information may have been breached
due to flaws in the program’s website, federal officials announced on
Friday. The security weaknesses date back to 2006, they said.
Each year, the federal AmeriCorps program offers more than 70,000 citizens
opportunities to volunteer at government agencies, nonprofits and other
community organizations.

The corporation did not indicate exactly how many people were being
notified, nor how they first became aware of the problem.


The Corporation for National and Community Service has a statement posted on
AmeriCorps’ website<http://www.americorps.gov/pdf/10_1008_acportal_statement.pdf>today:

Today, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) announced
that is has discovered and corrected access vulnerabilities in the
MyAmeriCorps portal website that may have created the potential for others
to view personal information of program applicants and participants. The
vulnerabilities, which date back to 2006, would not have caused personal
information to be exposed in the normal operation of the portal.

To ensure the highest degree of care and caution, CNCS is notifying all
AmeriCorps applicants and participants with records in the portal system and
providing them a full range of support services, including membership in a
credit monitoring and identity theft insurance program. Following is the
letter of notification.

Notification Letter

Dear [Name]:

I am writing to inform you that the Corporation for National and Community
Service has discovered and corrected access vulnerabilities in the
MyAmeriCorps portal website that may have created the potential for others
to view personal information of program applicants and participants. We
value the privacy of your personal information and are implementing measures
to ensure this does not happen again.

The vulnerabilities would not have caused your personal information to be
exposed in the normal operation of the portal. Rather, someone would have
had to manipulate the web URL, or know your unique log-in name and use a
specific technique to bypass the required password. If this occurred,
personal information that you entered into the system potentially could have
been seen. For example, your name, address, and last four digits of your
social security number, or full social security number if you received a W2
or 1099, may have been viewed. Please log into your MyAmeriCorps portal
account if you want to review the information you previously provided.

[...]

_______________________________________________
Dataloss Mailing List (dataloss () datalossdb org)
Archived at http://seclists.org/dataloss/

Take CREDANT Technologies short survey on cloud usage and security.
Take the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TXDR7WT
Respond by October 12, 2010.
Enter to win a $500(US) Amazon Gift Card.