Four high-profile breaches of personal data were reported last week as a result of laptop thefts. The BHHC medical group, Sovereign Bank and the US Departments for Education and Transportation are all likely to be the subject of criticism from both clients and the general public in the near future. According to experts at InfoWatch, the repercussions of those leaks will come back to haunt those organizations in the long term.
Perhaps the most unpleasant incident was the leak of medical and other private records from Beaumont Hospital Home Care (BHHC). A laptop belonging to a home care nurse was stolen from the employee’s car. It contained personal data on 28,000 patients. The incident took place on August 5. The thief made off with enough information to commit identity theft, as well as the patients’ medical details. More than 200 Beaumont Home Care nurses carry laptops when they care for patients at their homes, and all have access to the network of patients. The hospital has already informed all those affected by the breach and announced a reward of $2,500 for the return of the laptop.
It is well known that the most vulnerable to data leaks are medical and financial organizations. Therefore, after the BHHC leak we move on to a breach at Sovereign Bank where thousands of clients now face the threat of identity theft following the theft of three corporate laptops. Bank representatives have refused to state exactly how many clients were affected by the leaks. The bank, ranked 18th in terms of size in the US, is currently notifying those affected. It is known that at least 30,000 letters have been sent out. According to other sources, the thefts have resulted in the private data of about 1% of the bank’s clients being compromised.
Another major data leak occurred at the US Department of Education. Private data on 43 grant reviewers were on two computers stolen from the agency. The theft took place on August 11, and it is still unclear whether the Social Security Numbers of the 43 specialists were on the computers. However, even the names of those people are supposed to be secret so that illegal methods can be used to apply pressure on their decisions.
Continuing the series of government breaches, the latest incident to affect the US Department of Transportation cannot be ignored. On August 22 the agency lost yet another laptop in Baltimore. The stolen computer contained the personal data of 193 US citizens from 14 states. The department has already notified 40 transport companies where the individuals work about the incident.
“Most companies and government bodies in the US are irresponsible when it comes to the threat of leaking confidential and private information. This is a big mistake, however. I’m certain that the long-term effects of these latest incidents will force those organizations to change their opinion about data breaches,” says Denis Zenkin, marketing director at InfoWatch.
Source: ComputerWorld and others
