IBM Contractor Loses Sensitive Employee Data

The data was lost en route from one IBM location to another





IBM confirmed that a company vendor lost multiple tapes containing sensitive information on former and current IBM employees. According to reports, an undisclosed number of tapes went missing from a contractor's vehicle in late February, with IBM and the vendor unaware of what happened to the tapes. IBM has not disclosed how many people may be affected by the security breach.It appears that the sensitive information has not been used in an inappropriate manner, IBM said. The company went on to admit that some of the information was not encrypted, and did not state if having data encrypted is company policy. Some of the data on the lost tapes includes information on "your Social Security number, your dates of employment with IBM, birth date, contact information such as your address, and your IBM work history," IBM said in a statement to those affected.IBM has offered an undisclosed reward for the return of the tapes or any information about their location. The company also ran several ads in local New York newspapers for information about the tapes.Even though IBM may now be best known for efforts in the security IT space, any company handling personal information can suffer from security breaches, according to Fred McNeese, IBM company spokesman."I think what it shows is the vulnerabilities that information is subject to, and it shows the need for constant vigilance,"
McNeese said.
Reference: Michael Hoffman, dailytech