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Big Data Hacks Expose Personal Information of North Carolinians

WUNC | By Laura Pellicer,
Frank Stasio
Published December 12, 2017 at 12:20 PM EST
Two major data breaches in North Carolina have come to light in the past week.
Joffi
/
Pixabay Creative Commons
Two major data breaches in North Carolina have come to light in the past week.

Two major data breaches in North Carolina have come to light in the past week. 

On Tuesday, Dec. 5, Mecklenburg County revealed hackers broke into 48 county servers and encrypted data, effectively freezing that information. According to county manager DenaDiorio, hackers demanded two bitcoin, which is equivalent to approximately $23,000 dollars to de-encrypt and release the files.

Also on Dec. 5, a Duke Energy spokesperson revealed that it, too, had been hacked through a payment processor calledTIONetworks. More than 370,000 Duke Energy customers who pay their utility bills in cash or check may have been affected.

 Host Frank Stasio speaks with David Levine, professor of law, about the responsibilities of government and corporations to protect data and other cyber crimes.

Host FrankStasiospeaks with David Levine, professor of law atElonUniversity and a scholar with the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School, about the responsibilities of government and corporations to protect data. They also discuss how bitcoin andcryptocurrencyfacilitateransomwareattacks like the one in Mecklenburg County. 

Copyright 2017 North Carolina Public Radio
Laura Pellicer
Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.
See stories by Laura Pellicer
Frank Stasio
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
See stories by Frank Stasio