Skip the navigation Computerworld * Subscribe to a Newsletter * Solution Centers + Cray - The Way to Better Science + CITRIX^® Virtual Computing Perspective + Delphix: Virtualize Databases For Your Cloud + Iron Mountain Solving Information Management Challenges + Riverbed WAN Optimization + Trend Micro Securing Your Journey to the Cloud + View all Solution Centers * Events * Magazine + Latest Issue + Subscribe + Subscriber Services * Twitter * Facebook * RSS ____________________ Submit * Topics + Operating Systems + Networking + Mobile and Wireless + Security + Storage + Data Center + Hardware + Applications + Internet + Management and Careers + Government/Industries + All Topics * News * In Depth * Reviews * Blogs + Featured Blogs + IT Blogwatch + Jonny Evans + JR Raphael + Michael Horowitz + Preston Gralla + Richi Jennings + Robert L. Mitchell + All Bloggers * Opinion * Shark Tank * IT Jobs * White Papers * Webcasts * More + Enterprise IT + Hot Topics + IDGE CEO Interviews + Insider Articles + IT Finance + IT Government + IT Health Care + QuickPoll Center + Shark Bait + Video Security * App Security| * Business Continuity| * Cybercrime and Hacking| * DRM and Legal Issues| * Data Security| * Malware and Vulnerabilities| * Privacy| * Security Hardware and Software [;tile=8;pos=sidecar;sz=60x55] Home > Security News AT&T laptop theft exposes employee data The Maryland Department of the Environment also had a laptop stolen By Jaikumar Vijayan August 30, 2007 12:00 PM ET IFRAME: http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http://www.computerworld.com/s /article/9033813/AT_T_laptop_theft_exposes_employee_data&layout=button_count &show_faces=false&width=90&action=like&font&colorscheme=light&height=21 Computerworld - AT&T Inc. and Maryland's Department of the Environment have become the latest organizations to find out firsthand why security analysts for some time now have advocated the use of encryption to protect sensitive data on laptops and other mobile devices. A laptop containing unencrypted personal data on current and former employees of the former AT&T Corp. was stolen recently from the car of an employee of a professional services firm doing work for the company. That theft prompted the company to notify an unspecified number of individuals about the potential compromise of their Social Security numbers, names and other personal details. A spokesman for AT&T today confirmed the July 27 incident and said it affected only people who were employees of AT&T before it was acquired by SBC Communications Inc. in 2005 and became AT&T Inc. No data involving employees of SBC, BellSouth or Cingular was affected, the spokesman said. According to the spokesman, the stolen laptop contained information about AT&T Corp.'s benefits plans and was password-protected. He did not say whether the person from whom the laptop was stolen was authorized to carry the information on the device. But he did note that the data "was not stored in a way that was consistent with AT&T policies." Those policies call for encryption of sensitive data as well as "physical security measures." He declined to elaborate. AT&T learned of the theft on July 31 but did not begin notifying affected employees until Aug 20. The company needed that time to identify exactly whose information was involved and locate their contact information, he said. "The various files that were stored on the laptop were in a variety of formats -- none of which contained up-to-date addresses," the spokesman said. All the individuals affected are being offered a year's worth of free credit monitoring services, he said. Tony Walton, a former AT&T Corp. employee based in Gosport, Ind., was one of those who got a notification letter from Dorothy Attwood, the company's chief privacy officer. "I'm kind of pissed off about it," said Walton, who expressed frustration at what he claimed was AT&T's refusal to divulge more details about the incident. The letter described the theft as a random incident. But Walton said he would have liked to know more about the circumstances under which the laptop was stolen to gain a better understanding of the risk to his personal data. Walton said he called a toll-free number provided by AT&T and was told that the data on the laptop had been encrypted and he had nothing to worry about. "I just don't like the way they are handling it. They just won't tell us anything," he said. 1 2 Next page Comments () Print IFRAME: http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http://www.computerworld.com/s /article/9033813/AT_T_laptop_theft_exposes_employee_data&layout=button_count &show_faces=false&width=90&action=like&font&colorscheme=light&height=21 [clear.gif] From CIO.com * Office 365: It's Not Just for SMBs * How to Address Failure in a Job Interview * Five New Android Apps You Don't Want to Miss * Cloud Computing's Present and Future: What You Need to Know Additional Resources Options for Protecting against Web Threats WHITE PAPER Options for Protecting against Web Threats This independent paper from senior analyst Jon Collins at FreeForm Dynamics considers how Web-based security threats are evolving, within the context of IT trends including mobile, home computing and other forms of remote access that could potentially increase the attack surface of the companies. 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