Database error causes $8.1M budget shortfall

Software security expert Bruce Schneier reports on a database error in nearby Porter County, Ind., that has cost the county millions of dollars, and what that means to software design:

A house erroneously valued at $400 million is being blamed for budget shortfalls and possible layoffs in municipalities and school districts in northwest Indiana.

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County Treasurer Jim Murphy said the home usually carried about $1,500 in property taxes; this year, it was billed $8 million.