[Dataloss] AT&T laptop theft exposes employee data

[lyger]

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=networking_and_internet&articleId=9033813&taxonomyId=16

AT&T and Maryland's Department of the Environment have become the latest 
organizations to find out first hand 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 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 employees of the former AT&T Corp. acquired by SBC 
Communications Inc. in 2005. No data involving employees of SBC, Bell 
South or Cingular was affected, the spokesman said.

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