[ by Melanie Gretchen ]

Leading off is manipulating data in a system network.

Data breaches know no boundaries, in terms of the people affected and/or potential damage.  Whether through carelessness or lack of oversight, there's a reason these breaches made Bloomberg's list of "10 Head-Slapping Data Breaches."  Compiled from the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse's data breach records from the past 6 months, these illustrate how easily data can turn up in the wrong hands.

Case in point: Last year, state prison inmates in New Hampshire hacked into the prison computer system, thus gaining access to records and possibly the ability to alter parole dates and obtain home addresses of prison guards, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader.  The state's Department of Corrections wouldn't offer more than the fact that a computer was breached (who can blame them?), but potential vulnerability to changes or access of sensitive data – by those whose actions led them to prison, no less – doesn't give us at Compliance-Insights much cause for great confidence.

For the full Top 10, go to [Bloomberg, 2/11/13].