Security Nightmares Come True.

This article focuses on the incidents of computer security breach in the United States in the first part of 2005. Not a month has gone by this year without a far-reaching computer security breaking making the nightly news hour. Headlines compelled to walk the plank of shame include Bank of America -- the nation's second-largest bank -- Ameritrade, Polo Ralph Lauren and LexisNexis. Gone are the days when gross security breaches can be shielded from public scrutiny. The California Security Breach Information Act, for example, requires state agencies and businesses that collect personal information from Californians to promptly disclose certain security lapses or face severe penalties. Is it out of bounds to call it a sad state of affairs when politicians have to move in to protect what sterling IT outfits cannot seem to stay on top of? The speed the situation improves will depend largely upon how much IT can watch and learn from the mistakes of others. In the spirit of minimizing your company's risk and sparing you the awkwardness of pulling executives aside to darken their day, here are a few of the nastier moments in this year's computer security journal, and expert advice on what you have to do to get better night's sleep.