HP Leak Case May End in Settlement -- Redmondmag.com

HP Leak Case May End in Settlement

Embattled former and current HP execs expected to settle state lawsuit over pretexting scandal

By The Associated Press
12/07/2006

(San Jose, Calif.) Attorney General Bill Lockyer will announce a settlement agreement Thursday with Hewlett-Packard Co. over the company's shady tactics to ferret out media leaks, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The person requested anonymity because the court paperwork hadn't been filed.

The settlement will be filed simultaneously with a lawsuit, marking the first civil case brought by authorities against Palo Alto-based HP for the scandal that erupted in September and led to criminal charges against the former chairwoman and four others.

No further details of the settlement were available. An HP spokeswoman declined to comment.

Prosecutors said the company hired outside detectives who tricked phone companies into disclosing the private phone records of directors, journalists and others so the company could track the source of news leaks.

Former Chairwoman Patricia Dunn, who was ousted over the incident, former ethics chief Kevin Hunsaker and three outside investigators, Ronald DeLia, Matthew DePante and Bryan Wagner, pleaded not guilty in Santa Clara County Superior Court to charges of identity theft and fraud for their roles.

Their next hearing is scheduled Jan. 17.

Featured

Cisco Warns of Brute Force Attacks Targeting VPNs and Firewalls

Cisco has revealed that a global increase in brute force attacks targeting Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and other devices is currently taking place.
What's Inside Microsoft 365's Security Toolbox?

Microsoft provides plenty of native tools to secure Microsoft 365. IT pros just have to know where to look.
Microsoft Kills 30-Day Data Retention Policy for Copilot in Fabric

Microsoft this week announced several usability improvements coming to Copilot in Fabric in preparation of its general availability release later this year.
Using Microsoft Office to Build a Network Diagram 2

Now that we've set up our process, let's dig in with the actual execution.
Microsoft Graph 'Activity Logs' Feature Goes Live

Microsoft announced the general availability of the "activity logs" capability in Microsoft Graph, giving administrators more options to track user activity and identify patterns of potential misuse.