A laptop containing the personal information and bank account details of thousands of people and businesses has been stolen from Glasgow City Council. It was one of two laptops stolen during a break-in at the council offices in Cochrane Street on Tuesday 29 May.
The information on the laptop relates to 17,692 companies and 20,143 individuals, including names and addresses and, in the case of 16,451 customers, bank account details.
The local authority is now contacting 37,835 affected customers, including suppliers and people receiving winter fuel payments and care grants.
The laptop was password-protected but not encrypted.
Editorial:
Why was so much important data stored on a laptop? My guess is it was kept by someone as an unofficial backup “just in case” …
Why was the laptop not encrypted? Who knows? But even laptops that never leave the workplace are not exempt from encryption.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-18399576