[Dataloss] Howard Rice Data on Stolen Laptop

[Dissent]

As many as 500 current and former employees of San Francisco's 
Howard, Rice, Nemerovski, Canady, Falk & Rabkin may be at risk of 
identity theft after a laptop computer containing confidential 
employee pension plan information was stolen from an auditor.

The firm sent a notice to current and former partners, associates and 
staff in mid-August alerting them of the security breach.

"Given the circumstances of the theft, we think it is highly unlikely 
that the laptop was purloined because the thief knew that Howard, 
Rice employee names and Social Security numbers were resident on the 
computer," the letter stated. "Nonetheless, we want to treat this 
potential information breach with utmost caution."

California law requires all businesses to notify customers and 
employees if there is a danger that their personal data might have 
been compromised.

The laptop, owned by an employee of accounting firm Morris, Davis & 
Chan in Oakland, contained thousands of documents, including three 
spreadsheets with the name and Social Security number of all active 
and terminated Howard, Rice employees with a remaining balance in the 
firm's pension plans, as well as 401(k) and profit-sharing account 
information.

The computer was taken from the trunk of the auditor's car, parked in 
a public lot.

Howard, Rice executive director Michelle Johnson said the firm sent 
the notice to everyone as soon as the firm found out about the theft 
and has offered free credit reporting for anyone whose information 
had been on the stolen computer.

"This wasn't a theft of our property. All we know is that the 
computer was stolen, and so far we are not aware of anybody having 
their information compromised," Johnson said.

On Aug. 28, the firm sent an update saying that the information on 
the computer had not been encrypted but had been password protected.


[...]

http://www.law.com/jsp/legaltechnology/pubArticleLT.jsp?id=1158311123646


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