[Dataloss] Canada: Bell probes theft of personal information on 3.4 million Ont., Que. clients

[security curmudgeon]

: (Finally, stealing the equivalent of a phone book makes headlines.  It 
: was only a matter of time...)
: 
: http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jYxNzISSg8CH4MSvbfAo61t7ioVQ
: 
: Bell Canada (TSX:BCE) is trying to determine just who has seen a limited 
: amount personal information on some 3.4 million of its clients in Quebec 
: and Ontario after a Montreal man was arrested Tuesday and faces charges 
: of stealing the data.
: 
: The telecommunications company said Tuesday it had recovered the stolen 
: data at a Montreal home but that it was fairly limited and only included 
: names, addresses, telephone numbers and a list of Bell services the 
: client subscribed to.

This is where the telco needs to come clean. Name, address and phone 
number of listed customers is obviously not any real breach.

That information of *unlisted* customers begins to be more of a concern.

They also need to define "services" here. Does this include DSL service? 
Just POTS services like call waiting?

: "There was no identity material beyond name, address and phone number," 
: Langton added. "(The information is) similar to what you'd find in the 
: white pages or a phone directory."

*Similar*, which does not rule out the possibility of unlisted customers.