Mensa data spillage was due to 'unauthorised internal download'
- Reference: 1623748508
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/06/15/mensa_data_breach/
- Source link:
The society instead suggested that the personal data leakage – which is still under investigation by police – may be an inside job.
[1]A number of cyberattacks in January and February left security folk scratching their heads as they tried to figure out the problem that exposed some members' personal details and led to a website snafu.
[2]
In response, Mensa launched a series of investigations by its IT contractors, which showed there was “no external breach”. This was followed up by a wholesale review of systems security and procedures.
[3]
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Keeping its members up-to-date about events, Chris Leek, Chairman of British Mensa, said in an email posted last Friday and seen by us:
Reports at the time appeared to be designed to discredit Mensa by suggesting that we had been ‘hacked’ i.e. there had been a breach of data through our website. [I] am pleased to report that our systems were found to be robust and at no immediate risk of a breach from external sources.
However, I can now also confirm that during initial investigations by our IT contractors, it was discovered that an unauthorised internal download of the database had taken place. The police are continuing to investigate that incident.
A spokesperson for Mensa declined to elaborate or comment further while the matter was under active police investigation.
Although their systems were given a clean bill of health, Mensa reports it has implemented a series of changes to beef up security, such as forcing all users to reset passwords and urging people to make them trickier to break.
[5]Amazon exec's husband jailed for two years for insider trading. Yes, with Amazon stock
[6]UK Special Forces soldiers' personal data was floating around WhatsApp in a leaked Army spreadsheet
[7]Indonesia’s national health insurance scheme leaks at least a million citizens' records
[8]Hate speech row: Fine or jail anyone who calls people boffins, geeks or eggheads, psychology nerd demands
Apologising for any inconvenience or anxiety caused by the incident, Leek added: “I can reassure members that our systems are secure and additional measures have been put in place to ‘future proof’ them. I would also like to reiterate that we do not keep credit card or payment details on the database.”
Late in January, two board members at British Mensa, Eugene Hopkinson and Emily Shovlar, told the [9]FT they had quit due to their concern over cybersecurity practices at the outfit.
Hopkinson, who until he resigned was the UK arm's technology officer, alleged at the time that member passwords were not hashed. Another member claimed to the paper that their password had been emailed to them in plain text.
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A spokesperson for Mensa retorted at the time that passwords "were encrypted; were never sent out or stored as plain text; [and] that additional work on hashing passwords was 'being completed'."
No one from West Midlands Police or the ICO was available for comment to the Reg at the time of writing. ®
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[1] https://www.theregister.com/2021/02/07/in_brief_security/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YMh6PkCZn1CXGKMeV@xMvAAAAA8&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YMh6PkCZn1CXGKMeV@xMvAAAAA8&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YMh6PkCZn1CXGKMeV@xMvAAAAA8&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/11/amazon_insider_trading/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/02/uk_special_forces_data_breach_whatsapp/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/24/indonesia_health_data_breach/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2019/12/18/nerds_hate_speech/
[9] https://www.ft.com/content/7e00a348-d768-4618-b1c9-eb040b2c54e1
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YMh6PkCZn1CXGKMeV@xMvAAAAA8&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[11] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Wow
Mensa members are so smart that they can't figure out a better way to spend their free time.
Re: Wow
Like many things, it should be taken as nothing more than an indicator of someone's abilities and focus, just like a degree in any discipline. You have to look at the individual.
Re: Wow
No. It really shouldn't.
Re: Wow
You're free to have your opinion. I don't agree with it, but that's life.
Re: You have to look at the individual
I can't, there's a gigantic ego in the way.
Re: You have to look at the individual
It's a shame that you let your gigantic ego get in the way of potentially hiring someone. But that's life I guess. ;-)
“I can reassure members that our systems are secure..."
But " an unauthorised internal download of the database had taken place ". So systems secure but staff untrustworthy? IMHO worse than an externally perpetrated data breach, so not that "reassuring"" really.
A bit bonkers
I had an e-mail from them in late February asking to reset my password. Being an ex-member, I didn't bother.
It made no reference to being hacked or anything. I've had no communication from them that my details have been exposed or at risk... nothing of that nature whatsoever.
This doesn't surprise me. While the majority of the people I've corresponded and dealt with have been good folks with a heart of gold, there has been the occasional individual who have egos that are so over inflated, it makes me wonder what their skin is made of, that it is able to put up with the internal pressures. So that someone would do this isn't a total surprise.
Re: A bit bonkers
As an ex-member perhaps you could tell me: what's the point of being a member?
Re: A bit bonkers
Differs in many cases. In my case, I was going through a bad patch in life, with little self worth. Passing the test gave me a light at the end of the tunnel that I could achieve things.
As for beyond the test, the organisation has a number of Special Interest Groups that cover all sorts of subjects and there are also small meet ups that happen and those can be a great way of meeting people, especially when you've just moved to a new area and don't know people.
There are larger gatherings which are more, "organisation," orientated and I steered clear of those. That's where a chunk of the politics could be found.
It's Mensa
They'll figure it out.
Re: It's Mensa
Good one! Have an upvote!
Just another exclusive society with a secret handshake
See title...
yes, my coat to protect me from the deluge of downvotes!
Wow
I'm amazed Mensa is still a thing. It always struck me as the Resume / CV version of a personalized number plate - W4NKR