DataBreaches.Net

Menu
  • About
  • Breach Notification Laws
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report
Menu

Harmonic strikes discordant note with employee data protection

Posted on December 24, 2014 by Dissent

And here’s yet another recent case out of California where a laptop with personal information was stolen from a vehicle. This time, it’s Harmonic:

We are writing to inform you of a potential information security incident involving your personal information. While Harmonic does not know whether your personal information has been or will be misused, as a precaution, we are writing to tell you about the incident and call your attention to some steps you may take to help protect yourself.

On the evening of October 17, 2014, an unknown person broke into the locked car of a Harmonic employee and took a work bag containing documents and a laptop computer. We have determined that there were email files on the laptop with data and spreadsheets containing personal information about certain current and former Harmonic employees, consultants and affiliates, including names and social security numbers. The laptop was password protected. We currently have no reason to believe the theft was targeting Harmonic or your personal information and we believe the theft was a random crime of opportunity. The theft was immediately reported to the appropriate authorities, and Harmonic has and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement efforts to apprehend the thieves.

Read more of their notification here (pdf).

The Massachusetts legislature passed some tough data breach laws and their attorney general has gone after entities that have not adequately secured data. Is it time for California’s Attorney General to start really going after some of these laptop theft cases to send a screamingly loud message that you don’t leave unencrypted PII on devices in vehicles?

What the heck, people? What the heck?

Category: Business SectorTheftU.S.

Post navigation

← CPA leaves devices with unencrypted client tax data in vehicle, and…. ugh.
Contractor security flaw puts data of 7,000 veterans at risk →

Now more than ever

"Stand with Ukraine:" above raised hands. The illustration is in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine's flag.

Search

Browse by Categories

Recent Posts

  • B.C. health authority faces class-action lawsuit over 2009 data breach (1)
  • Private Industry Notification: Silent Ransom Group Targeting Law Firms
  • Data Breach Lawsuits Against Chord Specialty Dental Partners Consolidated
  • PA: York County alerts residents of potential data breach
  • FTC Finalizes Order with GoDaddy over Data Security Failures
  • Hacker steals $223 million in Cetus Protocol cryptocurrency heist
  • Operation ENDGAME strikes again: the ransomware kill chain broken at its source
  • Mysterious Database of 184 Million Records Exposes Vast Array of Login Credentials
  • Mysterious hacking group Careto was run by the Spanish government, sources say
  • 16 Defendants Federally Charged in Connection with DanaBot Malware Scheme That Infected Computers Worldwide

No, You Can’t Buy a Post or an Interview

This site does not accept sponsored posts or link-back arrangements. Inquiries about either are ignored.

And despite what some trolls may try to claim: DataBreaches has never accepted even one dime to interview or report on anyone. Nor will DataBreaches ever pay anyone for data or to interview them.

Want to Get Our RSS Feed?

Grab it here:

https://databreaches.net/feed/

RSS Recent Posts on PogoWasRight.org

  • D.C. Federal Court Rules Termination of Democrat PCLOB Members Is Unlawful
  • Meta may continue to train AI with user data, German court says
  • Widow of slain Saudi journalist can’t pursue surveillance claims against Israeli spyware firm
  • Researchers Scrape 2 Billion Discord Messages and Publish Them Online
  • GDPR is cracking: Brussels rewrites its prized privacy law
  • Telegram Gave Authorities Data on More than 20,000 Users
  • Police secretly monitored New Orleans with facial recognition cameras

Have a News Tip?

Email: Tips[at]DataBreaches.net

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

Contact Me

Email: info[at]databreaches.net

Mastodon: Infosec.Exchange/@PogoWasRight

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

DMCA Concern: dmca[at]databreaches.net
© 2009 – 2025 DataBreaches.net and DataBreaches LLC. All rights reserved.