Data Security

Three men have been arrested in Tallahasee, Fla., in connection with the Heartland data breach.

A forensic exam has confirmed Kaspersky Lab's initial findings that Romanian hackers did not compromise any personal data when they launched an SQL injection attack against the anti-virus company's U.S. support site. David Litchfield of Next Generation Security Software said in a Thursday report that other attackers, upon learning of the vulnerable site at usa.kaspersky.com, attempted to access data but also were unable. — DK

The deadline to comply with the stringent Massachusetts data security regulations, which mandate the encryption of all portable devices, such as laptops, has been extended from May 1 until Jan. 1, 2010.

At least 69 computers are missing from the Los Alamos National Laboratory, a national security research institution in New Mexico.

A group of technology providers have created a new protocol designed to streamline encryption and key management systems across an enterprise. The companies, including IBM, Seagate and RSA, on Thursday announced the Key Management Interoperability Protocol (KIMP) and plan to submit it to nonprofit OASIS, which drives the development of security standards. KIMP seeks to increase encryption adoption, while helping organizations reduce costs and risks. — DK

F-Secure joins Kaspersky Lab and a partner site of BitDefender as the latest security firm to have its website tampered with by a Romanian hacker group. F-Secure's site succumbed to an SQL injection attack after hackers found a vulnerable page that did not properly validate input. The hackers said the database leaked malware statistics but no personal information. F-Secure said the incident was a learning experience but "not the end of the world." — DK

The risk of patient information disclosures on peer-to-peer networks is much higher than if a health care worker loses a laptop or removable storage device, according to new Dartmouth College research.

Hackers breached a computer server belonging to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), exposing 48 files, which included the personal information of more than 45,000 employees and retirees, the agency announced Monday. The FAA has taken steps to prevent future attacks and is working with law enforcement to catch the culprits, who did not access any systems related to air traffic control. — DK