A laptop containing the Government was stolen last month and could expose sensible detailed medical information on about 2,500 patients enrolled in national health study the health institutes. The laptop has been more than seven years of clinical trial data, including names, medical diagnoses and details of cardiac patients scans.
While we do not generally cover violations that include sensitive financial data, this data breach is significant in that the information was not encrypted, which is a breach of the Data Security Policy of the government. There was also no public announcement or notification of those affected until Thursday, March 20, almost a full month after the data breach occurred.
It is important that consumers are aware that these types of risk are present at any time sensitive information is exposed to third parties. For more information on how to protect yourself, visit our comparison of identity theft protection services.