[ISN] Regina police recover missing hard drive

From: InfoSec News (isnat_private)
Date: Tue Feb 04 2003 - 23:13:27 PST

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    http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/front/RTGAM/20030204/wdriv24a2a/Front/homeBN/breakingnews
    
    By PAUL WALDIE
    Wednesday's Globe and Mail
    Tuesday, February 4, 2003 
    Online Edition, 
    
    Regina police have recovered a computer hard-disk drive that had been
    missing from ISM Canada Inc. and contains confidential information for
    more than one million people.
    
    The disk contained a variety of data including account information for
    customers of Saskatchewan Power Corp., Saskatchewan
    Telecommunications, the provincial workers' compensation plan, a unit
    of Co-operators Group Ltd. of Guelph, Ont., Winnipeg-based Investors
    Group Inc. and thousands of Manitoba businesses.
    
    "Late [Monday] our people recovered the hard drive," said Sergeant
    Rick Bourassa of the Regina police department. "Charges are pending
    against a single individual."
    
    Sgt. Bourassa would not say where the disk was recovered or who will
    be charged. He added that investigators are examining the disk to see
    if any of the information on it was used.
    
    "There is nothing to indicate at all through the whole course of the
    investigation that the information was targeted or that it was used at
    all," he said. "However, we have people looking at it to confirm
    that."
    
    Anne Mowat, a spokeswoman for ISM, declined to comment on the recovery
    of the disk other than to say the company is co-operating with the
    police. She also declined to say whether an ISM employee is the target
    of police.
    
    The disk, about the size of a videocassette, went missing on Jan. 16
    from ISM's Regina office. ISM, a subsidiary of Markham, Ont.-based IBM
    Canada Ltd., is one of the largest providers of information system
    services in Canada and its clients include dozens of government
    agencies and private businesses.
    
    On Monday, Investors began sending letters to its one million clients
    to ease their concerns about the missing information (clients of
    Mackenzie Financial, a unit of Investors Group, are not affected).
    
    "We're very encouraged that Regina police have the hard drive in their
    possession," said Ron Arnst, a spokesman for Investors Group.  
    "Obviously we are watching what's going on, and we are going to wait
    to learn more before making any more detailed comment."
    
    Also on Monday, the Manitoba government revealed that some tax
    information for 43,000 businesses was on the disk.
    
    "This is extremely good news for our clients," said Brian Forbes,
    director of the administration section for the Manitoba government
    taxation division. "We understand that there is a forensic
    investigation going on and we are optimistic with good results from
    that, that the information is secure. I will certainly sleep a little
    easier when I know the information wasn't used."
    
    A Regina law firm has launched a class-action lawsuit against ISM and
    several of its clients, including Co-operators and Investors Group, on
    behalf of people whose information was on the disk. The suit alleges
    the companies failed to properly protect the information and did not
    promptly inform those affected. ISM did not announce that the disk had
    gone missing until last week.
    
    ISM, Co-operators and Investors Group have declined to comment on the
    suit. Investors Group said it was not told about the extent of its
    client information on the disk until Jan. 29.
    
    Investors Group and the Saskatchewan government have said they will no
    longer use ISM until the company can provide assurances about the
    security of its data. Co-operators has also said it is reviewing its
    relationship with ISM. Furthermore, the Saskatchewan government is
    considering suing ISM.
    
    Experts say the lost disk is the largest privacy mishap in Canada.
    
    
    
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