Nyack Hospital Warns Staff on Possible Data and Identity Theft after Loss of Hard Drive
Data breach incidents have become a regular feature in the recent months. Cyber-attacks on different organizations have resulted in the exposure of confidential personal data related to millions of individuals. However, cyber-intrusions are not the only cause for data breach incidents. Employee initiated theft and loss of equipment may also result in compromise of sensitive data. Recently, New York based Nyack Hospital reportedly lost a computer hard drive posing risk of loss of sensitive personal data related to past and present employees as well as their family members. According to online news site of The Journal News, the stolen hard drive contained sensitive data such as names, date of births, addresses and social security numbers. The hard drive reportedly went missing from the Human Resource Department of the organization. A flash flood in the region necessitated relocation of the department for a temporary period. Employees could not find the device after their return to their original location for work. However, the computer remained intact.
While the actual number of affected individuals is not clear, the hospital has around 1400 employees. Offenders may use the extracted information for identity theft and fraud. Affected individuals must immediately request respective credit agencies to place a fraud alert on their accounts.
The company has reportedly notified the affected employees and has offered one-year free credit monitoring services. Law enforcement agencies are investigating the incident. Organizations must place high emphasis on data security. They must have adequate monitoring mechanisms in place to check physical intrusions. IT professionals may take advantage of webinars, video training programs and online university degree programs to gain insights on new monitoring mechanisms.
In the latest case, the computer was reportedly under video surveillance. As natural disasters may fail even best of the security systems, they must place computers and devices containing privileged information at secured locations. Access to such devices must be restricted to authorized employees. Professionals qualified in computer science degree programs may help organizations in devising appropriate disaster management and business continuity plans. Rather than having a single disaster management plan, organizations must have different plans to tackle different scenarios such as fire incidents, floods, terrorist attack and cyber-intrusions.
Organizations may also conduct mock tests to examine the effectiveness of various plans and the implementation of such plans by the employees. E-learning and online degree programs may help employees in understanding and implementing incident management procedures.
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