NYT/AP: Thief Takes Laptop With Berkeley Data

[DeepModem Mom]

Thief Takes Laptop With Berkeley Data
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: March 29, 2005


SAN FRANCISCO, March 28 (AP) - A thief has stolen a laptop computer containing personal information about nearly 100,000 alumni, graduate students and past applicants at the University of California, Berkeley, university officials said Monday.

The incident is the latest in a string of security breakdowns that have illustrated society's growing vulnerability to identity theft.

University officials announced the theft under a state law requiring that consumers be notified whenever the confidentiality of their Social Security numbers or other private information has been breached. The computer was taken on March 11.

Notifying all of the 98,369 people affected by the Berkeley theft could prove difficult because some of the people received their degrees nearly 30 years ago, the officials said....


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/29/national/29data.html

[tanyev]

1. Anyone else starting to wonder if these are not isolated events?

If they are being perpetrated by some organization with goals more complicated than scamming a few bucks off of identity theft?

[Boomer]

12. It's a dunce hat...

... not a tin-foil cap.

These aren't isolated events because computer STUPIDITY is rampant throughout our culture and spreading fast. Too many people with spam for brains have access to tons of data, because it's easy to pass around. Just burn it onto a CD, or hook up to your company's network.

IT security procedures are waaay behind the technology. Systems are configured for ease of use by staff, which oftens undermines control over sensitive data.

[EFerrari]

2. Make that 98,368

and I'm not worried.

It's most likely just someone who needs a quick buck.

The larger issue may be, if you can discourage people from using the internets, then it's easier to control the information they can access.
:tinfoilhat:

[wryter2000]

6. Yeah, but

What will the person who buys the laptop from him do? And now, the thief knows he has something very valuable. He can go right out and sell it to the highest bidder.

[ret5hd]

3. i wonder why 30 yr old data was on a laptop

[EFerrari]

4. Christmas cards? n/t

[wryter2000]

7. More like

More like asking me for a contribution.

[Boomer]

11. Because someone....

...was a FRIGGIN' IDIOT!!

[wryter2000]

5. I'm in there

Damn. Anyone know what I should do?

[fudge stripe cookays]

8. Get some copies of your credit reports, ASAP.

Maybe see if your credit cards will send you some in between copies of your statements so you can monitor any activity between now and your next one...

Put out a fraud alert on your SSN, and any cards you have out now.

FSC

[wryter2000]

14. Thanks

How do I put out a fraud alert?

I think I'm going to call all the credit card companies and alert them and ask for advice.

[UCLA Dem]

10. most of the time they just strip the laptop and sell it.

they don't want the infomation, nor do they know what to do with it.

[wryter2000]

13. They do?

Why would they bother to strip the computer? I'm not contradicting you, I just need to understand.

Thanks.

[UCLA Dem]

16. They don't want the data, they just want the computer.

This has been a wide spread problem in the UC system and no far breaches of confidentiality have been slime to none.

If its anything like most of these thefts, they won't realize what they have.

[Arugula Latte]

15. I'm in there too.

Crap. Another thing to worry about.

[UCLA Dem]

9. I have to work with this every day. That'll break down to about $10/person

in cost to notify all those people.

[EFerrari]

17. While I'm sure the risk is real re I.D. theft, these stories for some

reason seemed meant to scare people from using the net.

There's so many ways for people to get my information. Heck, up to the mid nineties, we all used our SS#s for ID and pretended we didn't.

Should I mail Cal ten bucks? :)