AT&T management staff data on stolen laptop

[rchick <rchicker () etiolated org>]

June 04, 2008
http://www.scmagazineus.com/ATT-management-staff-data-on-stolen-laptop/article/110884/

An undisclosed number of management-level workers at AT&T have been
notified that their personal information was stored unencrypted on a
stolen laptop.

The laptop was stolen May 15 from the car of an employee, Walt Sharp,
a spokesman for AT&T, told SCMagazineUS.com on Wednesday. The data on
the computer was not encrypted -- a violation of company policy -- and
included names, Social Security numbers and in some cases, salary and
bonus information.

Sharp said the company would not disclose the number of affected
individuals, but there is no reason to believe any of the data was
being targeted when the machine was stolen.

"Usually these are property crimes in which the drive is wiped clean
and resold for profit," he said.

The employee who was in possession of the laptop when it was stolen
has been disciplined.

"There are a number of rules governing the handling of encrypted
material and the mobile devices handling that material that employees
must follow," Sharp said. "It is up to the employee to ensure that any
sensitive material is encrypted."

[...]
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