Hands-On Projects Project 1-1: Examine Data Breaches

The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (PRC) is a nonprofit organization whose goals are to raise consumers awareness of how technology affects personal privacy and empower consumers to take action to control their own personal information. The PRC maintains a searchable database of security breaches that impact consumers privacy. In this project you will gather information from the PRC website.

1. Open a web browser and enter the URL www.privacyrights.org/ data-breach.
2. The location of content on the Internet may change without warning. If you are no longer able to access the site through the above web address, use a search engine to search for Privacy Rights Clearinghouse data breach.
3. First spend time reading about the PRC. Click About Us in the toolbar.
4. Scroll down to the content under Mission and Goals and also under
5. Services. Spend a few minutes reading about the PRC.
6. Click your browsers Back button to return to the previous page.
7. On the Chronology of Data Breaches page scroll down and observe the different breaches listed in chronological order.
8. Now create a customized list of the data that will only list data breaches of educational institutions. Scroll back to the top of the page.
9. Under Select organization type(s), uncheck all organizations except EDU- Educational Institutions.
10. Click GO!.
11. Scroll down to Breach Subtotal if necessary. How many breaches that were made public pertain to educational institutions?(Include screen shot)
12. Scroll down and observe the breaches for educational institutions.
13. Scroll back to the top of the page. Click New Search, located beneath the GO! button.
14. Now search for breaches that were a result of lost, discarded, or stolen equipment that belonged to the government and military. Under Choose the type of breaches to display, uncheck all types except Portable device (PORT) - Lost, discarded or stolen laptop, PDA, smartphone, portable memory device, CD, hard drive, data tape, etc.
15. Under Select organization type(s), uncheck all organizations except GOV Government and Military.
16. Click GO!.
17. Scroll down to Breach Subtotal, if necessary. How many breaches that were made public pertain to this type? (Include screen shot)
18. Scroll down and observe the breaches for governmental institutions.
19. Scroll back to the top of the page.
20. Now create a search based on criteria that you are interested in, such as the Payment Card Fraud against Retail/Merchants during the current year. Take a screen shot.
21. When finished, close all windows.