IT Security Stories to Watch: Independence Blue Cross Gets Breached

Pennsylvania-based health insurer Independence Blue Cross (IBC) last week said several of its members’ Social Security numbers might have been compromised in a data breach. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported the data breach occurred last October after maintenance workers discarded member records that were supposed to be moved from one floor to another at IBC’s offices.

And as a result, IBC’s recent data breach puts the health insurer at the top of this week’s list of IT security newsmakers, followed by Sony‘s (SNE’s) PlayStation Network (PSN), JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and the Internet Systems Consortium (ISC).

What can managed service providers (MSPs) and their customers learn from these newsmakers? Find out in this week’s IT security stories to watch:

1. IBC provides details about its recent data breach

For many people, the day after Christmas is typically spent recovering from holiday celebrations.

IBC, however, was busy after Christmas, as the health insurer last Friday released details about a data breach it suffered earlier this year.

Nearly 9,000 of its members’ Social Security numbers might have been compromised due to the incident, according to IBC, and the health insurer is offering free credit monitoring services to members who may have been affected.

2. Cybercriminals force the PlayStation Network, XBox Live offline

Fox News reported a hacker group called “Lizard Squad” caused PSN and Microsoft (MSFT) XBox Live service disruptions on Christmas.

“The video game industry has been experiencing high levels of traffic designed to disrupt connectivity and online gameplay. Multiple networks, including PSN, have been affected over the last 48 hours,” Catherine Jensen, Sony Computer Entertainment’s vice president of consumer experience, wrote in a blog post this past Saturday. “PSN engineers are working hard to restore full network access and online gameplay as quickly as possible.”

Both PSN and XBox Live services have been fully restored.

3. Could the JPMorgan Chase data breach have been prevented?

This year’s JPMorgan Chase data breach might have been prevented if the bank had installed “a simple security fix,” according to The New York Times.

JPMorgan’s security team allegedly neglected to incorporate two-factor authentication into one of its network servers, which may have made it easier for hackers to infiltrate the bank’s systems earlier this year.

Patricia Wexler, a JPMorgan spokesperson, said cybercriminals were able to view customers’ contact information but did not access customers’ account information.

4. Hackers attack ISC.org

The official website of nonprofit organization ISC may have been hacked.

ISC.org last week was replaced by a placeholder page that warned visitors about a cyber attack, The Register reported.

As of 3 p.m. ET Monday, ISC.org was unavailable, and website officials said they believed the site may have been infected by malware.

What do you think will be the biggest IT security stories for MSPs this week? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below, via Twitter @dkobialka or email me at [email protected].