[ISN] Laptop with workers' personal information stolen from auditors

From: InfoSec News (alerts@private)
Date: Sun Nov 18 2007 - 23:21:01 PST


http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/11/16/ddn111707battelle.html

By Kelly Baker
Staff Writer
November 17, 2007 

SPRINGFIELD — A laptop stolen from a Kettering auditing firm contained 
personal information on employees of up to 10 businesses, including 
Springfield-based Ohio Masonic Home, officials said Friday.

Battelle & Battelle LLC would not disclose the number of individuals 
affected by the theft but Masonic Home officials said 600 of its 
employees' information was stored in the laptop.

Battelle was conducting the home's pension plan audit when the laptop 
was stolen last month from an employee's vehicle.

Ohio Masonic Home, which learned of the theft on Wednesday, notified its 
employees in person and by letter, and will provide for them a 
credit-monitoring service, said CEO David Bannerman. There did not 
appear to be incidents of identity theft as of Friday, he said.

The stolen laptop requires "multiple levels of authentication to access 
the data on the machine," Battelle stated in a letter to Masonic Home. 
"We feel that the chance of your data being accessed by an outside party 
is quite slim."

This summer, personal information on 439 injured workers was stolen from 
an Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation laptop. Weeks before, a 
state-owned back-up data tape, with personal information on more than 
400,000 Ohioans, was stolen from an intern's car.

This is the first such incident for Battelle, which protects its 
security "very carefully," said spokeswoman Michelle Kaye. The company 
has met "confidentially" with each of its clients to discuss how any 
losses would be handled, she said.

Suspicious activity on a credit report should be reported to the local 
police department. A complaint should be filed with the Federal Trade 
Commission at www.ftc.gov/idtheft or at (877) 438-4338.



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