Healthcare Providers: Customer Security is Good Marketing

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Consumers are on red alert about sharing personal data with businesses, thanks to the widespread publicity of major data breaches. As a result, many consumers feel trapped when they know they must reveal personal information just to get basic quotes for healthcare services.

2PTo get a quote, the potential customer must fork over a Social Security number and birthdate—enough information for a thief to use to commit fraud and identity theft.

Consumers feel as if there’s no escape: Data can be stolen at any point: over the landline phone or smartphone, on “trusted” websites, in servers … thieves are just waiting to pounce. So even though a potential (or current) customer has faith in an organization, the customer may be afraid of the pathways they must use to interact with the organization.

Stolen healthcare information is a goldmine for cyber criminals. It’s big business. This means that protecting it is big business.

A way for healthcare organizations to set themselves apart from their competition is to put a big premium on caring about the customer’s data security. You can’t be nonchalant. You must create a striking impression of sincere concern.

Consumers need a lot more than just hearing how well you’ll reduce employee negligence, enforce HIPAA compliance and create methods of foiling cyber attacks.

Of course, consumers need assurance you’re doing the aforementioned tasks, but consumers also want to know what the healthcare organization will do in the event of a breach.

AllClear ID outlines the key strategies that will make a big impression on current and potential enrollees in a healthcare plan:

  1. The most state-of-the-art IT practices must be brought on board so that all facets are secured, such as cloud services, computers and smartphones.
  2. All levels of personnel must receive training to minimize errors and be able to comfortably discuss data security with customers
  3. A stronger security system must be set in place for the business’s computers and the employees’ personal devices.
  4. Adherence to HIPAA policies must be improved.
  5. Potential customers must be made aware that the company offers an identity protection plan—as this will ease apprehension in the potential consumer.

Robert Siciliano is an Identity Theft Expert to AllClear ID. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Identity Was Stolen See him knock’em dead in this identity theft prevention video. Disclosures.

Healthcare Firm pays Big Bucks for Breach

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A data breach can slug below the belt and knock a healthcare business flat on its back, as was the case with Columbia University and the New York and Presbyterian Hospital.

3DThey paid a $4.8 million settlement (the biggest HIPAA settlement to date) after the electronic records of 6,800 patients (including vital stats, medications and even lab results) were accidentally leaked into cyberspace.

The leak was caused when a Columbia University doctor (who developed applications for CU as well as NYP) attempted to deactivate a computer server that was personally owned; the server was on the network that contained patient data.

The server lacked technical safeguards, and there’s evidence that neither organization had made any efforts, prior to the data breach, to ensure that the server was properly protected.

In fact, not even any risk analyses had been conducted; there was no risk management plan of substance, and there was a failure on both parties to put in place the policies and procedures for allowing access to databases, among other issues that were failed.

The leak was unveiled when someone discovered and then complained of details of a deceased partner (a former NYP patient) online.

Neither NYP nor CU had taken measures to ensure server integrity.

“When entities participate in joint compliance arrangements,” says Christina Heide, “they share the burden of addressing the risks to protected health information.” Heide is Acting Deputy Director of Health Information Privacy for OCR. She goes on to point out that this disaster should be a wakeup call to healthcare organizations that protection of patient data should be paramount.

Part of the judgment is that both organizations will have to overhaul security measures, a major corrective action undertaking that includes developing a risk management plan and providing progress reports.

Find more information about this breach here:

http://insurancenewsnet.com/oarticle/2014/05/08/data-breach-results-in-$48-million-hipaa-settlements-a-500992.html

Robert Siciliano is an Identity Theft Expert to AllClearID. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Identity Was Stolen See him knock’em dead in this identity theft prevention video. Disclosures.

HHS provides Healthcare Providers Risk Assessment Tools

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The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule requires that covered entities conduct a risk assessment of their healthcare organization.

4HA risk assessment helps your organization ensure it is compliant with HIPAA’s administrative, physical, and technical safeguards. A risk assessment also helps reveal areas where your organization’s protected health information (PHI) could be at risk. Watch the Security Risk Analysis video to learn more about the assessment process and how it benefits your organization, or visit the Office for Civil Rights’ official guidance.

HHS (Health and Human Services) is now providing health care providers in small to medium sized offices a new security risk assessment tool that will guide them in conducting risk assessments of their organizations.

The security risk assessment (SRA) tool comes from a combined effort between the Office for Civil Rights and the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

Organizations, with the guidance of the tool, will be able to carry out and document risk assessments with efficacy; the practices will be able to assess information security risks under the HIPAA Security Rule. The application for the tool can be downloaded from www.HealthIT.gov/security-risk-assessment.

HIPAA requires such organizations to routinely evaluate their physical, technical and administrative safeguards to preserve information security.

Deploying the risk assessments will enable health care providers to unveil possible loopholes in their systems and security policies, plus address susceptibilities—all of this will help stave off health data breaches and other security mishaps.

The HIPAA Security Rule requires conduction of the security risk assessment by health care providers that seek payment via the Medicaid and Medicare HER Incentive Program.

A user guide and tutorial video are available on the SRA tool’s website.

Additionally, the site provides videos on risk analysis.

Robert Siciliano is an Identity Theft Expert to AllClearID. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Identity Was Stolen See him knock’em dead in this identity theft prevention video. Disclosures.

Healthcare Data under Attack

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Crooks want your health information. Why?

2PIt’s called medical identity theft, and it’s not going away too soon. In fact, the ACA (Affordable Care Act) has only fueled the situation, says the Ponemon Institute, a security research firm.

This latest of Ponemon’s four annual Patient Privacy and Data Security studies reveals that sloppy behavior, like losing a laptop that has unencrypted data, is a primary cause of data breaches.

A crook would love this information because, “in the world of black market information, a medical record is considered more valuable than everything else,” says Larry Ponemon, the Institute’s founder.

The study was sponsored by ID Experts, and its founder, Rick Kam, says that the “black market is being flooded with payment card data.” Health care data includes a Social Security number and personal health record—data that sticks around for a long time, versus a credit card number.

Breaches can also result from unsecured mobile devices, employee negligence and third-party contractors who can get their hands on the data.

But by and large, says Ponemon, health care employees are good people who sometimes just “do stupid things.” And the rushed nature of their jobs can compromise attention to security.

One hospital visit can net six to 10 companies having access to your data, says Kam. This includes the ambulance company, hospital, extraneous labs and the health insurance company.

If someone snatches your medical records, you’ll be in a major jam. For instance, the thief who claims to be you can get medical treatment for an STD—and that will go on your record. Worse, the thief may have a different blood type. What if you’re in an accident and need blood transfusions, and you end up getting the wrong blood type?

The proliferation of mobile devices makes it even easier for criminals to steal data.

The study showed that 88 percent of medical facilities permit employees to access patient data via their own mobiles (and what percentage of these employees do you really believe have encryption and other security measures in place?).

Robert Siciliano is an Identity Theft Expert to AllClearID. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Identity Was Stolen See him knock’em dead in this identity theft prevention video. Disclosures.

Healthcare Records vulnerable to Criminals

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Just about every kind of healthcare related entity—hospitals, rehab centers, pharma companies, insurance carriers and more—have been and continue to be compromised by cyber criminals.

2PThough your doctor can boost your resistance to heart attack, the hospital he works at remains prone to hack attacks by crooks wanting access to all sorts of data and other sensitive information.

This isn’t just a leak of patients’ personal health information, but the institutions’ billing systems and intellectual property get in the hands of crooks.

Once the hackers are in, they’re in a position to launch more attacks on other networks and commit billions of dollars worth of fraudulent transactions.

Here are some bitter pills to swallow:

  • Compromised devices include radiology imaging software, Web cameras, firewalls and mail servers.
  • Quite a few compromises occur due to simple issues like failing to change default credentials on firewalls.
  • Tens of thousands of malicious events can occur within a healthcare IT environment during the time that intelligence is gathered.
  • Not only can cyber criminals get ahold of patient addresses, SSNs and medical condition data, but they can manipulate medical equipment.
  • Healthcare providers accounted for 72 percent of malicious traffic according to the SANS-Norse Healthcare Cyberthreat Report. In addition, healthcare business associates: 9.0 percent; health plans: 6.1 percent; pharmaceutical: 2.9 percent; healthcare clearinghouses: 0.5 percent; miscellaneous healthcare related entities: 8.5 percent.

This all means that patients are getting a big burden financially in that healthcare costs rise in response. For instance, the cost that was related to compromised medical insurance records and files in 2013 was $12 billion. This gets trickled down to patients.

Many healthcare related organizations cannot adequately protect sensitive data; the cyber attacks are like a relentless virus, overtaking its host.

Robert Siciliano is an Identity Theft Expert to AllClearID. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Identity Was Stolen See him knock’em dead in this identity theft prevention video. Disclosures.

Identity Theft Expert and MyLaptopGPS: Computer Security Breaches Reported within Days of Each Other Involve Nearly 40,000 Unique Data Records

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(BOSTON, Mass. – Feb. 13, 2009 – IDTheftSecurity.com) News this past week of data breaches at just two healthcare organizations apparently involved nearly 40,000 unique data records. One was the theft of a laptop computer hospital near Dallas, Texas. Widely televised and quoted personal security and identity theft expert Robert Siciliano advised healthcare organizations to avoid such incidents by investing in laptop tracking and data retrieval technology from MyLaptopGPS.

"Depending on the data stored on it, a laptop computer is worth much more than what the machine costs to purchase," said Siciliano. "When a laptop is stolen, the idea that it is in fact worth the cost of the data on it becomes painfully clear. On average, that cost is nearly $170,000. But laptop tracking security can cost as little as a miniscule fraction of this. Smart organizations opt for the latter."

CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com and a member of the Bank Fraud & IT Security Report‘s editorial board, Siciliano leads Fortune 500 companies and their clients through presentations that explore security solutions for businesses and individuals. Author of "The Safety Minute: 01" and a longtime identity theft speaker, he has discussed data security and consumer protection on CNBC, NBC’s "Today Show," FOX News Network, and elsewhere.

Healthcare organizations suffered security breaches this past week that possibly exposed thousands of employees’ unique data records to thieves.

  • San Ramon, Calif. police uncovered a computer file containing sensitive, identifying data on nearly 30,000 employees of the Oakland, Calif.–based HMO Kaiser Permanente.
  • A laptop computer stolen from Parkland Memorial Hospital, near Dallas, Texas, contained names, birthdates and Social Security numbers on 9,300 employees, according to a Feb. 9th report in The Dallas Morning News, which went on to note that the mobile computing device was valued at $1,862.

"A laptop computer’s worth is much more than the cost of its hardware and software," said MyLaptopGPS’ chief technology officer, Dan Yost, who invited readers to visit the MyLaptopGPS blog. "Each unique data record is worth to the person it identifies much more, and when thousands upon thousands of such records reside on one mobile computing device’s hard drive, that cost rises ever upward. The smart thing to do is to make sure the machine is never lost."

The theft rate for laptop computers equipped with MyLaptopGPS is just 0.4 percent, or 32 times lower than the average. Additionally, Yost pointed to SafeRegistry™, a comprehensive system from MyLaptopGPS for inventorying entire fleets of mobile computers, as well as a full line of highly renowned SafeTags™, which are police-traceable property tags designed to secure iPods™, cell phones, BlackBerry™ devices and other mobile property.

Yost’s expertise has been featured twice in CXO Europe. Furthermore, in December of 2008, he and Siciliano co-delivered a presentation titled "Information in the Modern Age: Maintaining Privacy in an Era of Medical Record Identity Theft" at the 4th Annual World Healthcare Innovation & Technology Congress in Washington, D.C., where Former U.S. Congressman Newt Gingrich delivered the keynote address.

Readers who belong to LinkedIn® are encouraged to join the MyLaptopGPS group there. Featured in Inc. Magazine and TechRepublic, MyLaptopGPS maintains the Realtime Estimated Damage Index (REDI™), a running tally of highly publicized laptop and desktop computer thefts and losses and these losses’ associated costs. A log of these high-profile laptop thefts is available at MyLaptopGPS’ website.

Readers may download a demo of MyLaptopGPS. They also have the opportunity to read one of two reports tailored to the type of organization they run.

MyLaptopGPS combines Internet-based GPS tracking with other functionalities to secure mobile computing devices. A user launches MyLaptopGPS’ features remotely, protecting data even while the machine is in a criminal’s hands. Once connected to the Internet, the software silently retrieves and then deletes files from machines as it tracks the stolen or missing hardware — at once returning the data to its rightful owner and removing it from the lost mobile computing device.

The YouTube video below shows Siciliano on a local FOX News affiliate discussing the importance of securing mobile computing devices on college campuses, where laptop theft can run rampant. To learn more about identity theft, a major concern for anyone who’s lost a laptop computer or other mobile computing device to thieves, readers may go to video of Siciliano at VideoJug.

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About MyLaptopGPS

Celebrating 25 years in business, Tri-8, Inc. (DBA MyLaptopGPS.com) has specialized in complete system integration since its founding in 1984. From real-time electronic payment processing software to renowned mid-market ERP implementations, the executive team at MyLaptopGPS has been serving leading enterprises and implementing world-class data systems that simply work. With MyLaptopGPS™, Tri-8, Inc. brings a level of expertise, dedication, knowledge and service that is unmatched. MyLaptopGPS™’s rock-solid performance, security, and reliability flow directly from the company’s commitment to top-notch software products and services.

About IDTheftSecurity.com

Identity theft affects us all, and Robert Siciliano, CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com and member of the Bank Fraud & IT Security Report‘s editorial board, makes it his mission to educate Fortune 500 companies and their clients. A leader of personal safety and security seminars nationwide, Siciliano has been featured on "The Today Show," CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, "FOX News," "The Suze Orman Show," "The Montel Williams Show," "Maury Povich," "Sally Jesse Raphael," "The Howard Stern Show," and "Inside Edition." Numerous magazines, print news outlets, and wire services have turned to him, as well, for expert commentary on personal security and identity theft. These include Forbes, USA Today, Entrepreneur, Woman’s Day, Mademoiselle, Good Housekeeping, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, United Press International, Reuters, and others. For more information, visit Siciliano’s Web site, blog, and YouTube page.

The media are encouraged to get in touch with any of the following individuals:

John Dunivan
MyLaptopGPS Media Relations
PHONE: (405) 747-6654 (direct line)
jd@MyLaptopGPS.com
www.MyLaptopGPS.com

Robert Siciliano, Personal Security Expert
CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com
PHONE: 888-SICILIANO (742-4542)
FAX: 877-2-FAX-NOW (232-9669)
Robert@IDTheftSecurity.com
www.idtheftsecurity.com

Brent Skinner
President & CEO of STETrevisions
PHONE: 617-875-4859
FAX: 866-663-6557
BrentSkinner@STETrevisions.com
http://www.STETrevisions.com
http://www.brentskinner.blogspot.com

Identity Theft Expert and MyLaptopGPS:Costs in 2008 Attributable to Laptop Theft Projected to Exceed $1 Billion by End of Year

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(BOSTON, Mass. – June 30, 2008 – IDTheftSecurity.com) The costs in 2008 attributable to laptop theft and its consequences are on track to exceed $1 billion by the end of the year, a running tally by laptop tracking firm MyLaptopGPS strongly suggested. In the face of these mounting costs, according to widely televised and quoted personal security and identity theft expert Robert Siciliano, affordable, simple-to-use technology designed to deter laptop theft and protect the information on them gives smart organizations the advantage.

"The pace of laptop theft continues unabated, threatening at any time to cripple governments or the system of commerce with just one large enough theft," said Siciliano. "Meanwhile, the accumulated costs in identity theft and other crimes attributable to countless smaller-scale laptop thefts leave the public already questioning the security of worldwide databases and financial systems. Smart organizations understand this and take measures to prevent laptop theft and mitigate its fallout when it does happen."

CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com and a member of the Bank Fraud & IT Security Report‘s editorial board, Siciliano leads Fortune 500 companies and their clients through consumer education workshops that explore security solutions for businesses and individuals. A longtime identity theft speaker and author of "The Safety Minute: 01," he has discussed data security and consumer protection on CNBC, NBC’s "Today Show," FOX News Network, and elsewhere.

At its website, MyLaptopGPS keeps a running tally of highly publicized laptop and desktop computer thefts and losses. The Realtime Estimated Damage Index (REDI) also assesses those losses’ associated costs by drawing on estimates from the FBI and other sources that reflect the likelihood that identity theft and other crimes will occur whenever a computer is misplaced or stolen.

On June 30, the REDI had recorded the loss of nearly 500 machines to date, with an associated cost attributable to just these few hundred machines on track to easily surpass $500 million by the end of 2008. Taking into account the countless unpublicized laptop thefts that the REDI does not record, the total cost attributable to laptop theft in 2008 was likely on pace to exceed $1 billion.

"The thefts of laptops just continue to pile up," said MyLaptopGPS’ chief technology officer, Dan Yost, who directed readers to a log of high-profile laptop thefts that the company records at its website. "With no end in sight, the potential of millions of stolen identities as a result, and the prospect of class-action lawsuits and voter backlash against institutions responsible for these lost laptops, the alternative of a less-than-ten-dollars-per-month preventative measure against laptop theft starts to make a lot of sense."

According to Siciliano, the state of laptop computer security is woeful. He pointed to a report in June of another several thousand data records gone missing to laptop thieves. He also noted a high-profile laptop theft that threw into question basic assumptions about the security of machines in the hands of national defense officials:

  • The theft of seven laptops belonging to the U.K.’s National Health Service exposed about 30,000 patients to untold crimes, reported Contractor UK Limited on June 20.
  • On June 13, the Daily Mail reported on the theft of a laptop computer belonging to a high-level anti-terror police officer in the U.K. Because of the officer’s preference of using his own laptop in place of one issued by the government, the information now probably in thieves’ hands was not encrypted.

"The apparently gaping holes in laptop security are in fact a cause for alarm," said Siciliano. "They throw into question safety protocols at the highest levels of government and law enforcement."

Siciliano encouraged readers to consider anti-laptop theft technology such as MyLaptopGPS’, which combines Internet-based GPS tracking — more effective than other forms of GPS for tracking and retrieving stolen laptops — with other functionalities to secure mobile computing devices. Users launch MyLaptopGPS’ features remotely, protecting data even while the machine is in a criminal’s hands. Once connected to the Internet, the software silently retrieves, and then deletes, files from machines as it tracks the stolen or missing hardware — at once returning the data to its rightful owner and removing it from the lost computer.

"Our laptop fleet was certainly worth protecting," said Jim Sullivan, the network, systems and security administrator for FastForms, Inc. "We have procedures in place to help secure the machines, but we realized that we needed some key additional layers of security, such as covert tracking and remote-controlled data recovery and destruction. MyLaptopGPS’ solution is very easy to use, and we are quite satisfied. We would recommend MyLaptopGPS to any business seeking a simple solution to secure their laptops and data."

Additionally, MyLaptopGPS offers SafeRegistry™, a comprehensive system for inventorying entire fleets of mobile computers, as well as a full line of highly renowned SafeTags™, which are police-traceable property tags designed to secure iPods, cell phones, BlackBerry devices, and other mobile property.

Readers may download a demo of MyLaptopGPS. A white paper is also available.

The YouTube video below shows Siciliano on "FOX Newschannel," where he discussed this year’s data security breach at Hannaford Bros. and provided consumers affected by the theft with the tips they needed to avoid paying for fraudulent charges to their bank accounts and credit accounts. To learn more about identity theft, a major concern for anyone who’s lost a laptop computer to thieves, readers may go to video of Siciliano at VideoJug.

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About MyLaptopGPS

Since 1984, Tri-8, Inc. (DBA MyLaptopGPS.com) has specialized in complete system integration. From real-time electronic payment processing software to renowned mid-market ERP implementations, the executive team at MyLaptopGPS has been serving leading enterprises and implementing world-class data systems that simply work. With MyLaptopGPS™, Tri-8, Inc. brings a level of expertise, dedication, knowledge and service that is unmatched. MyLaptopGPS™’s rock-solid performance, security, and reliability flow directly from the company’s commitment to top-notch software products and services for almost 25 years.

About IDTheftSecurity.com

Identity theft affects us all, and Robert Siciliano, CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com and member of the Bank Fraud & IT Security Report‘s editorial board, makes it his mission to provide consumer education solutions on identity theft to Fortune 500 companies and their clients. A leader of personal safety and security seminars nationwide, Siciliano has been featured on "The Today Show," CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, "FOX News," "The Suze Orman Show," "The Montel Williams Show," "Maury Povich," "Sally Jesse Raphael," "The Howard Stern Show," and "Inside Edition." Numerous magazines, print news outlets, and wire services have turned to him, as well, for expert commentary on personal security and identity theft. These include Forbes, USA Today, Entrepreneur, Woman’s Day, Mademoiselle, Good Housekeeping, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, United Press International, Reuters, and others. For more information, visit Siciliano’s Web site, blog, and YouTube page.

The media are encouraged to get in touch with any of the following individuals:

John Dunivan
MyLaptopGPS Media Relations
PHONE: (405) 747-6654 (direct line)
jd@MyLaptopGPS.com
www.MyLaptopGPS.com

Robert Siciliano, Personal Security Expert
CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com
PHONE: 888-SICILIANO (742-4542)
FAX: 877-2-FAX-NOW (232-9669)
Robert@IDTheftSecurity.com
www.idtheftsecurity.com

Brent W. Skinner
President & CEO of STETrevisions
PHONE: 617-875-4859
FAX: 866-663-6557
BrentSkinner@STETrevisions.com
http://www.STETrevisions.com
http://www.brentskinner.blogspot.com

MyLaptopGPS and Identity Theft Expert: Loss of Laptops Belonging to Health Insurers Have Placed Hundreds of Thousands at Risk of Medical Identity Theft

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(BOSTON, Mass. – Feb. 7, 2008 – IDTheftSecurity.com) News reports over the past month indicated that the loss of laptop computers from just three health insurance organizations placed hundreds of thousands of data records in the hands of thieves. All firms with fleets of mobile computing devices need technology like MyLaptopGPS™, which both tracks and deletes sensitive data from missing machines, said Robert Siciliano, a widely televised and quoted personal security and identity theft expert.

“Thefts of laptop computers form health insurance organizations is nothing new,” said Siciliano. “Plenty of examples of this stretch back over the past several years. But familiarity should not breed complacency. If anything, medical information is among the worst types of data to be lost to thieves. For instance, a fraudulently obtained clean health record might help someone with pre-existing conditions get health insurance. The right kind of medical record might qualify other thieves for prescription drugs they should have no access to.”

CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com and a member of the Bank Fraud & IT Security Report‘s editorial board, Siciliano leads Fortune 500 companies and their clients in workshops that explore consumer education solutions for security issues. A longtime identity theft speaker and author of “The Safety Minute: 01,” he has discussed data security and consumer protection on CNBC, on NBC’s “Today Show,” FOX News, and elsewhere.

Laptop thefts from three health insurance companies made news over the past month:

  • The Associated Press reported on Jan. 30 that Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield had notified 10 percent of its New Jersey customer base of a laptop computer theft. The machine stored more than 300,000 records containing customers’ names, Social Security numbers, and other information. On the same day, InformationWeek noted that Horizon Blue Cross had invoked a security feature that, according to an unnamed spokesperson for the company, “destroys all the data on the stolen computer” (a functionality MyLaptopGPS shares).
  • A Jan. 25th article in the Boston Herald reported that a laptop computer containing information on Medicare information on nearly 30,000 customers of Fallon Community Health had gone missing to thieves. Names, dates of birth, some diagnostic information and medical ID numbers were on the machine, which belonged to a third-party contractor that manages Fallon’s medical claims. Medical ID numbers, a report from the previous day in Boston Business Journal said, are sometimes based on Social Security numbers.
  • On Jan. 22, the Connecticut Post Online reported the theft of a mobile computer from Health Net, Inc., a large, U.S.-based managed health care provider. The machine contained Social Security numbers and other identifying data on an undisclosed number of Health Net employees, the article noted, quoting a spokesperson saying the “problem… could affect several thousand people.” The report went on to quote another health insurance professional, who noted that physicians are “major targets for embezzlement and identity theft.”

“Effective technology for laptop computer security can be exceedingly inexpensive to purchase and easy to install,” said Dan Yost, chief technology officer at MyLaptopGPS. “Organizations that leave their highly vulnerable mobile computing devices bereft of security technology have little reason to do so. At an affordable price that dwarfs the potential cost of just one laptop theft, MyLaptopGPS secures an entire laptop computer fleet against theft.”

MyLaptopGPS combines Internet-based GPS tracking — which, for tracking and retrieving stolen laptops, is more effective than other forms of GPS — with other functionalities to secure mobile computing devices. Users launch MyLaptopGPS’ features remotely, protecting data even while the machine is in a criminal’s hands. Once connected to the Internet, the software silently retrieves, and then deletes, files from machines as it tracks the stolen or missing hardware — at once returning the data to its rightful owner and removing it from the lost computer.

MyLaptopGPS also offers SafeRegistry™, a comprehensive system for inventorying entire fleets of mobile computers, as well as a full line of highly renowned SafeTags™, which are police-traceable property tags designed to secure iPods, cell phones, BlackBerry devices, and other mobile property. A downloadable demo of MyLaptopGPS is available.

The October 2007 issue of Bank Fraud & IT Security Report, a newsletter published only in hard copy, ran “The Seven Layers of Laptop Security,” an article by Siciliano and Yost. A white paper adaptation of that article is available from MyLaptopGPS.

Readers may view YouTube video below of “NBC 7 Chicago” footage featuring Yost delivering comments for a televised news report that covered the April 2007 theft of two laptops that stored 40,000 Chicago Public School teachers’ Social Security numbers.

According to USA Today, theft of personal data more than tripled in 2007. Readers may view video of Siciliano below discussing this news on the new “FOX Business” network. To learn more about identity theft, a major concern for anyone who’s lost a laptop computer to thieves, readers may go to video of Siciliano at VideoJug.

###

About MyLaptopGPS

Since 1984, Tri-8, Inc. (DBA MyLaptopGPS.com) has specialized in complete system integration. From real-time electronic payment processing software to renowned mid-market ERP implementations, the executive team at MyLaptopGPS has been serving leading enterprises and implementing world-class data systems that simply work. With MyLaptopGPS™, Tri-8, Inc. brings a level of expertise, dedication, knowledge and service that is unmatched. MyLaptopGPS™’s rock-solid performance, security, and reliability flow directly from the company’s commitment to top-notch software products and services for almost 25 years.

About IDTheftSecurity.com

Identity theft affects us all, and Robert Siciliano, CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com and member of the Bank Fraud & IT Security Report‘s editorial board, makes it his mission to provide consumer education solutions on identity theft to Fortune 500 companies and their clients. A leader of personal safety and security seminars nationwide, Siciliano has been featured on “The Today Show,” CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, “FOX News,” “The Suze Orman Show,” “The Montel Williams Show,” “Maury Povich,” “Sally Jesse Raphael,” “The Howard Stern Show,” and “Inside Edition.” The Privacy Learning Institute features him on its Website. Numerous magazines, print news outlets, and wire services have turned to him, as well, for expert commentary on personal security and identity theft. These include Forbes, USA Today, Entrepreneur, Woman’s Day, Mademoiselle, Good Housekeeping, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, United Press International, Reuters, and others.

For more information, visit Siciliano’s Web site, blog, and YouTube page.

The media are encouraged to get in touch with any of the following individuals:

John Dunivan
MyLaptopGPS Media Relations
PHONE: (405) 747-6654 (direct line)
jd@MyLaptopGPS.com
www.MyLaptopGPS.com

Robert Siciliano, Personal Security Expert
CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com
PHONE: 888-SICILIANO (742-4542)
FAX: 877-2-FAX-NOW (232-9669)
Robert@IDTheftSecurity.com
www.idtheftsecurity.com

Brent W. Skinner
President & CEO of STETrevisions
PHONE: 617-875-4859
FAX: 866-663-6557
BrentSkinner@STETrevisions.biz
www.STETrevisions.biz