A laptop with the Social Security numbers and credit card details of 68,000 YMCA members has been stolen from one of the organization’s offices. YMCA officials have stressed that the data was “behind two walls of security”, but would not elaborate. According to experts at InfoWatch, however, the YMCA would have told the press and those affected if the information had been encrypted. So, it seems likely that all 68,000 members now face the risk of identity theft.
A laptop computer containing the credit card and Social Security numbers and other personal details of approximately 68,000 YMCA members was stolen from one of the organization’s administrative offices in the city of Providence, Rhode Island, ComputerWorld reports.
The YMCA organization provides services such as social adaptation and healthcare for families and children. The stolen laptop also contained the names and addresses of members, as well as medical information on children involved in the organization’s day care programs.
The theft was discovered on May 24 when YMCA employees were looking for another laptop, which was also stolen. The laptop was brand new and being used for testing software, which is why the information was on it. The police are not sure about the motives behind the crime because there have been a series of similar incidents involving laptops in the area over the last few weeks.
The YMCA has started notifying all those affected, but appears to be in no hurry to offer free credit monitoring services, because, the organization stressed, the data was protected by two walls of security. A YMCA representative would not explain what exactly that meant, citing a police request not to reveal any details while the investigation was ongoing.
“I’m sure that if the information on the stolen computer had been encrypted, then the YMCA would definitely have used this argument to defend itself in the press. The organization is most likely playing for time and trying to save money by not providing assistance to the victims. To be fair, there were so many data breaches last week that the press and the public are more likely to be focusing on the larger incidents. All the same, the YMCA members affected by the leak are unlikely to forget how they were left to fend for themselves against the threat of identity theft,” says Denis Zenkin, marketing director at InfoWatch.
Source: ComputerWorld
