EDIT: …because identity theft is usually so peachy…? Just go with it.
File this under “unbelievable screwups.”
A friend alerted me to a security flaw on the Georgia Secretary of State website that has many business owners in the Peach State furious… and rightfully so.
The Fox affiliate out of Atlanta broke the story (video).
Secretary of State Brian Kemp was recently appointed by Governor Perdue. He defensively explained to Fox reporter Dale Russell that the object of the website’s interface was to be user-friendly in order to make it “easy for corporations to register.” Just one problem: it was also outrageously simple for criminals to hack in and steal corporate identities. And with around 700,000 businesses registered with the State through the website, that is no small problem.
Kemp isn’t solely responsible—two previous Secretaries were apparently aware of the loophole—but his office wholly failed to resolve the festering issue until it gained media attention.
SoS candidate Doug MacGinnitie is among the growing number of Georgians outraged by this business-killing quagmire:
The Secretary of State’s office is a $35 million, 300 person executive office. If this debacle had occurred in the private sector, we would be facing a major lawsuit at best and shareholders would be looking for a new CEO. Georgia’s taxpayers and business owners deserve better.
The fix Kemp’s office put in place yesterday appears to have successfully patched the security breach, but the extent of the damage is still unknown.
Tags: Georgia, Identity Theft
