Notebook Theft May Expose Personal Data
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Thieves stole a laptop that contained social security number for thousands of blood donors.
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"How can laptops holding details of customer accounts be used away from the office without strong encryption?" Richard Thomas scolds.
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Think shredding a device is enough? Wrong. A determined expert can get data off of even a small piece of a chip. And, as an estimated 50 million or more PCs, notebooks and servers are disposed of each year. New portable storage devices, such as USB flash drives and portable music players, can store gigabytes of data and make it easier for a disgruntled insider to download and walk out the door with sensitive information. Handheld computing and communications devices such as Blackberries and PDAs, through email, can funnel sensitive data out of the organization, or let virus or other malware in.
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The state of California has warned residents that their personal data may have been stolen from computers at the University of California, Berkeley, after a database used by researchers there was compromised by hackers.
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Computer thefts at Kaiser Permanente and at an Indiana health center may have exposed sensitive data on more than 45,000 people.
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More than 1,100 Commerce Department   laptop computers were lost, stolen or missing in the last five   years, and some contained personal data from the U.S. Census   Bureau, the department said.
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By BRIAN BERGSTEIN BOSTON - A potentially devastating hole in Google Inc.'s prevalent desktop search product could have exposed personal files on users' computers to data thieves.
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(InfoWorld) - The U.S. Commerce Department reported that 1,137 laptops have been lost or stolen since 2001, with 249 of them containing some degree of personal data. The department couldn't determine whose data may have been on the machines, of which 672 belonged to the Census Bureau. It wasn't aware of any data having being used improperly, it said Thursday. The findings are from a Commerce Department review covering 15 agencies that use a total of 30,000 laptops. It comes as businesses and governments try to tighten their control over mobile devices after several high-profile incidents concerning theÂ loss of sensitive data. The Census Bureau's laptops -- used for collecting census data in the field -- rarely contain data on more than 100 households, and the data can't be accessed by the surveyors, many of whom are temporary, hourly employees. the department said. However, the Census Bureau also lost 15 handheld computers used to gather survey data. As a result, the department is contacting 558 households. The risk of the data being misused was "extremely low," it said, since the data is encrypted and two passwords are required for access. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which falls under the Commerce Department, lost 325 laptops, three of which had personal data. One of the laptops was stolen after a fire at one of its buildings in Seattle, Washington. The machine contained addresses, birth dates and Social Security numbers for 146 employees, the department said. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez said the agency plans toÂ strengthen accountability standards, encrypt data on all department laptops and implement two-factor authentication. U.S. government agencies have been stung by hardware losses in recent months. In May, aÂ laptop and external hard drive was stolenÂ from the home of a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs employee containingÂ data on 26.5 million veteransÂ and active-duty military personnel. The laptop was recovered, and two teenagers were arrested in June. Â
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For a lot of people these days, the data they create and store on their computers is worth more than the hardware itself -- especially if you factor in the sentimental value of years of collected e-mail and photos.-The Washington Post
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Leaving personal information on cell phones and computers before you sell, donate or recycle them can expose you to identity thieves. Here's how to protect yourself.
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Laptop with employee information stolen from Home Depot manager's car.
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A portable hard drive that may contain the personal information of up to 48,000 veterans may have been stolen, the Department of Veterans Affairs and a lawmaker said Friday.
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Dell says that millions of notebook power adapters could put users at risk. Also: Office flaw could allow attacks.
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Attackers could use hole in small-business software to trick personal information out of people.
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Handling of images could allow an attacker to take over your PC.
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The loss or theft of personal data such as credit card and Social Security numbers soared to unprecedented levels in 2007
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A laptop containing confidential information linked to the inquiry into the murder of loyalist Billy Wright, is stolen.