Fox
10 TV in Pensacola, Florida released a story yesterday that is of concern
to nearly 40,000 patients of the Naval Hospital in Pensacola. An out-of-use
laptop containing the names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers of
patients has gone missing from a secure storage area inside the hospital
pharmacy department. The last date the laptop can be accounted for is August 18th.
Representatives
of the hospital believe that the computer may have been disposed of due to
its damaged condition and that there is a low chance for criminal use of the
information. However, the Navy is still contacting patients whose information
may have been compromised, as they still can’t account for the computer.
An investigation is being conducted as to whether or not the
laptop was stolen, as only staff should have been able to access the secure
area where it was housed. However, according to Fox 10 TV, there is currently
no evidence that any of the SSNs have been used.
If you’re a business owner or have access to your business’s
important financial information, situations like this one could possibly put
your business at risk for identity fraud. You can protect yourself and your business by integrating
comprehensive id verification and id
authentication solutions into your existing information security plans.