Laptop Theft Connecticut
A laptop containing the names and Social Security numbers of more than 10000 Uconn applicants was stolen from their West Hartford campus. The laptop was kept in the storage cabinet of their Information Technology Department.
UConn officials said they have started investigating the theft which was discovered on 3rd August. The university is in the process of contacting; in writing, everyone whose name was on the computer, and offering those individuals credit monitoring coverage for a period of two years at the University’s expense. Data from 2004 up to 2010 was stored on the laptop.
Meanwhile, the UConn police is continuing their investigation. “We deeply regret this incident. The University takes security of personal data seriously and is continuing its investigation to determine whether any University policies were not followed.” says Jason Pufahl, interim chief information security officer at the University. “The University will take corrective steps and, if warranted, disciplinary action”, he added.
Also, the Connecticut Attorney General’s office is also investigating the incident. “My office is investigating to determine the cause of this security breach – putting more than 10,000 applicants at risk for identity theft,” Richard Blumenthal said. “While there has been no evidence of financial fraud at this time, misuse of private financial information remains a threat and must be prevented. I am pleased that UConn officials have pledged two years of identity theft protection for individuals. Our investigation will also seek to ensure that measures are immediately implemented to prevent future breaches.”
Our Take: Possibly, the use of Computer protection software or Laptop encryption software like Alertsec Express would have prevented all this chaos. The theft would have simply been reduced to an insurance matter and the cost of laptop.
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