DataBreaches.Net

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

Update on Sterne Agee Group laptop breach

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Dissent

Last July – and I missed this one at the time – Stan Diel reported;

A laptop computer including some Sterne Agee Group Inc. clients’ account numbers, Social Security numbers and other personal information has been missing since the end of May and the firm has offered some customers free identity theft protection services as a result, a letter to clients indicates.

In the letter dated June 27 the Birmingham-based investment banking firm indicates that an employee’s laptop went missing on May 29 or May 30, and that it included unencrypted identifying information about Private Client Group customers whose accounts were open as of May 29. It also may have included information about Sterne Agee & Leach clients whose accounts were open between July 1, 1992 and June 30, 2013, the letter states.

It turns out the breach was an even bigger deal than the media knew at the time. Today, Law360 reports:

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority accepted a settlement Friday requiring Sterne Agee & Leach Inc. to pay a fine and review its security protocols after a technician left in a restroom an unencrypted laptop containing sensitive information about 352,551 clients.

Sterne Agee will pay a $225,000 fine over the allegations.The regulatory agency said the firm had been aware of the need to protect information stored on laptops for years but that measures to do so were delayed twice pending budgetary approval.

So failure to invest in encrypting laptops cost them $225,000 plus the costs of the data breach itself? Ouch.

No related posts.

Category: Financial SectorLost or MissingU.S.

Post navigation

← Anon Coders take control of Kentucky GOP’s site; says expect more
Former Kwiktax employee sentenced for tax refund fraud →

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

  • India’s Max Financial says hacker accessed customer data from its insurance unit
  • Brazil’s central bank service provider hacked, $140M stolen
  • Iranian and Pro-Regime Cyberattacks Against Americans (2011-Present)
  • Nigerian National Pleads Guilty to International Fraud Scheme that Defrauded Elderly U.S. Victims
  • Nova Scotia Power Data Breach Exposed Information of 280,000 Customers
  • No need to hack when it’s leaking: Brandt Kettwick Defense edition
  • SK Telecom to be fined for late data breach report, ordered to waive cancellation fees, criminal investigation into them launched
  • Louis Vuitton Korea suffers cyberattack as customer data leaked
  • Hunters International to provide free decryptors for all victims as they shut down (2)
  • SEC and SolarWinds Seek Settlement in Securities Fraud Case

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

  • German court awards Facebook user €5,000 for data protection violations
  • Record-Breaking $1.55M CCPA Settlement Against Health Information Website Publisher
  • Ninth Circuit Reviews Website Tracking Class Actions and the Reach of California’s Privacy Law
  • US healthcare offshoring: Navigating patient data privacy laws and regulations
  • Data breach reveals Catwatchful ‘stalkerware’ is spying on thousands of phones
  • Google Trackers: What You Can Actually Escape And What You Can’t
  • Oregon Amends Its Comprehensive Privacy Statute

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.