According to a USA Today story posted Saturday, more than 300 people were victimized when hackers tapped into the LexisNexis online database, using victims’ personal information fraudulently. It’s the same system which created a stir in Lawrence last month when it was discovered that a School Department employee was using the department’s LexisNexis account to run background checks on everyone from local politicians and personalities to high-profile names.
Were the names run in Lawrence compromised? An initial glance at the dates would suggest perhaps not. According to USA Today, the information was obtained between June 2004 and October 2007. The Eagle-Tribune reported the names that were run in Lawrence occurred between December 2007 and March 2009, after the alleged breach had already occurred. The U.S. Postal Service told USA Today that all those whose information had been used had been contacted.
Still, the news is not apt to sit well with those locally who remain concerned about how the data accessed by former Assistant to the Superintendent Mark Rivera was used (Rivera resigned shortly after the discovery).
Eagle-Tribune reporter Jill Harmacinski is working on the local angle. Look for a story tomorrow a.m.
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Noah R. Bombard is the new media editor for The Eagle-Tribune in North Andover. He is a former award-winning newspaper and magazine editor who has been covering news in Massachusetts since 1997.