From "California leads way on ID theft legislation "
http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/hacking/story/0,10801,76721,00.html""But Alan Paller, director of research at the Bethesda, Md.-based SANS Institute, said the California law is probably necessary because of the kinds of crime that are occurring. A group in Russia and Ukraine has been acquiring customer data, extorting money to prevent its release and then selling it anyway. Paller believes some companies are paying off the extortionists in an attempt to contain the damage.""
COMPANIES ARE PAYING OFF FOREIGN DATA HACKERS RATHER THAN DISCLOSE TO U.S. CONSUMERS ! No wonder the banks are putting t.v. ads extolling the virtues of their Identity Theft assistance...You're going to need it !!!!!!
First Science Applications International in San Diego is hacked...then ChoicePoint is hacked...then BofA's federal employees are potentially hacked. Are federal employees, specifically intelligence (as with the SAIC) employees ? Houston, and Washington DC, we have a problem !!!!!