Two laptops with the private data of 31,000 US Navy recruits have been stolen from military offices. A spokesman said the computers were password-protected and the risk of ID theft was “extremely low.” However, experts at InfoWatch point out that computer-savvy criminals can easily make money from unencrypted data.
Two laptop computers recently stolen from a US Navy office contain personal information on about 31,000 recruits from the New York and New Jersey areas.
The laptops were taken from Navy recruiting offices in Trenton and Jersey City in New Jersey, in June and July separately. The computers contained the names and Social Security numbers of the recruits, leaving them vulnerable to identity theft.
A US Navy spokesman said the computers were password-protected, and the risk of identity theft was "extremely low." There have so far been no reports of any illegal use of the information on the laptops.
It is the third data breach to affect the US Navy in the last six weeks. In mid-June it was revealed that the Social Security numbers and other personal data belonging to 28,000 sailors and their families were found on a civilian Web site. In July a similar incident affected 100,000 aviators and air crew personnel when their private details were found to be freely accessible on the Naval Safety Center site.
Source: English People’s Daily Online
