[Dataloss] (update) Hartford Financial misplaces back-up tapes with personal data on policy holders

[lyger]

(additional information including an updated number of total affected)

From: security curmudgeon <jericho at attrition.org>
Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2007 10:37:37 +0000 (UTC)


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: InfoSec News <alerts at infosecnews.org>

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=security&articleId=9044801

By Jaikumar Vijayan
October 30, 2007
Computerworld

The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. has notified about 237,000 
policy holders of a potential compromise of their personal data.

The warning followed the loss of three backup tapes containing the names, 
addresses, Social Security numbers and driver's license numbers of 
customers of
the company's personnel lines claims center. The tapes were discovered to 
be missing on Sept. 27.

So far, there is no evidence that the tapes were stolen or that the 
information has been misused, a company spokeswoman said. Hartford 
Financial Services
has no idea if the tapes were misplaced while in transit to another 
location or if they went missing inside the company. But the information 
contained on
them could only be read with "the use of sophisticated and expensive 
equipment," she added.

[..]