Outsourcing Aids Many Data Thefts, Verizon Says - October 3, 2008 Associated Press and SiliconValley.com October 2, 2008 "The reliance of restaurant chains and retail stores on outside companies to handle credit-card processing and other information-technology functions is partly to blame for a rash of consumer data breaches over the last few years, according to data sleuths at Verizon Communications Inc. [ ... ] "Verizon's unit investigates a quarter to a third of the big, publicly announced data breaches that occur each year, and hundreds of smaller cases. "In recent years, restaurant and retail businesses have accounted for more than half of Verizon's 230 to 250 cases per year, according to a report Verizon was set to issue [on Thursday, October 2, 2008]. It often finds that insiders at service vendors are part of the heists." To read the full article, click on the Title Line, above. NOTE: To read or download articles from SiliconValley.com web site (or from that of its parent San Jose Mercury News) you must register as a user. This process is free, and takes a few minutes to complete.