A science centre in Ontario and a US accounting firm have both lost laptops containing private data in separate incidents. The latest data leaks have put over 400,000 people at risk of identity theft. According to experts at InfoWatch, the wave of laptop thefts leading to leaks of private information may well spread to other countries in the near future.
The Ontario Science Centre has apologized to its members after a laptop computer containing the private details of some of them was stolen from one of it offices. Those affected now face the threat of identity theft. The organization has recommended that they closely monitor their bank and credit accounts.
Police are currently investigating the theft, which occurred on September 18. The exact number of people affected is unknown. The centre has stated only that two types of personal information were on the computer: names and addresses and credit card numbers. The thieves could easily access the data if they wanted because the laptop’s only form of security was a password.
A similar incident has also occurred in the US. Thieves stole a laptop computer belonging to the accounting firm Hancock Askew that contained personal data on 401,000 employees and clients. The incident took place on October 5 during a trip to New York by a Hancock Askew member of staff. The Atlantis Plastics corporation is among the clients affected. The accounting firm notified the company about the theft on October 9.
According to a representative of Hancock Askew, the laptop had password protection and “other safeguards in place to prevent unauthorized users” from accessing information. The spokesman refused to disclose what exactly those safeguards were.
“These incidents happen all the time in the US and Europe and are likely to spread further afield. In a lot of countries companies will be under no obligation to publicize breaches of personal data, meaning that information about such incidents will rarely reach the press. However, on the level of system integrators and service providers there is definitely an interest in solutions to protect data on laptops,” says Denis Zenkin, marketing director at InfoWatch.
Source: The Star, Savannah Morning News
