IP: Fw: More Online Security Woes For FBI's Data Firm

[David Farber <dfarber () earthlink net>]

-----Original Message-----
From: Brian McWilliams <brian () pc-radio com>
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 15:46:20 
To: dave () farber net
Subject: More Online Security Woes For FBI's Data Firm

http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/174003.html

More Online Security Woes For FBI's Data Firm
ALPHARETTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A.,
28 Jan 2002, 2:29 PM CST

A week after plugging a severe security hole at its main Web site, database 
firm ChoicePoint has been stung with the discovery of major vulnerabilities 
at another of its Internet properties.

According to security experts, the latest flaw potentially enabled remote 
attackers to take complete control of The LienGuard System, a ChoicePoint 
service for banks and other customers in the financial services industry.

ChoicePoint, which had year 2000 sales of $593.5 million, provides 
information about individuals and companies to the FBI, Department of 
Justice, insurance firms and other clients, according to its Web site.

[...]

The report of new Internet security flaws at ChoicePoint follows the 
discovery last week by Kitetoa of a security vulnerability at the data 
firm's main Web site, Choicepoint.net. That flaw in ChoicePoint's 
configuration of the Lotus Domino Web server enabled unauthorized intruders 
to view internal company documents such as marketing reports and 
work-in-progress reports.

[...]

According to a spokesperson for the Electronic Privacy Information Center 
(EPIC), the recent security flaws at ChoicePoint illustrate the security 
risks of having "profilers" like ChoicePoint maintain sensitive data on 
behalf of the government.

"The risks to personal privacy include not only illegal or inappropriate 
employee access to the information, but also outsiders who wish to collect 
profiling information," said Chris Hoofnagle, EPIC legislative counsel.

[snip]

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