DataBreaches.Net

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

Horizon BCBS notifying 840,000 members after laptops stolen with personal data (update 1)

Posted on December 6, 2013 by Dissent

Ed Beeson reports:

Nearly 840,000 members of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield are being notified that their personal information may have been contained on a pair of laptops that were stolen from the insurer’s Newark headquarters last month.

The stolen laptops were password-protected, but had unencrypted data, Horizon said in a statement today. A subsequent investigation determined that the computers may have contained files with member information, including names, addresses, dates of birth and, in some instances, Social Security numbers and limited clinical information, the insurer said.

Read more on NJ.com.

Horizon BCBS issued the following statement, linked from its home page:

Notice to Members Regarding Missing Laptops
On Monday, November 4, 2013, Horizon BCBSNJ learned that two password-protected, unencrypted laptop computers that were cable-locked to employee workstations were stolen from our Newark headquarters over the weekend of November 1, 2013. We immediately notified the Newark Police Department and began a thorough internal investigation to determine what information was contained on the laptops.

After a detailed review with outside computer forensic experts, we have confirmed that the laptops may have contained files with differing amounts of member information, including name and demographic information (e.g., address, date of birth, Horizon BCBSNJ identification number), and in some instances, a Social Security number and/or limited clinical information. Due to the way the stolen laptops were configured, we are not certain that all of the member information contained on the laptops is accessible. We have been working with law enforcement, but to date, have been unable to locate the laptops.

We have no reason to believe that the laptops were stolen for the information they contained or that the information has been accessed or used in any way. However, in an abundance of caution, we began sending letters to affected members on December 6, 2013.

Horizon BCBSNJ has also established a dedicated call center for members to contact with any questions. If you believe you are affected but have not received a letter by December 20, 2013, please call 877-237-9502 Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (closed on U.S. observed holidays), and provide the following ten digit reference number 2156112613 when prompted.

We deeply regret any inconvenience this may cause. Horizon BCBSNJ is committed to protecting your information. To help prevent something like this from happening in the future, we are strengthening our encryption processes and enhancing our policies, procedures and staff education regarding the safeguarding of company property and member information.

Update 1: Horizon’s breach notification letter template is already up on California’s breach site.

Related posts:

  • Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield Pays $1.1M For Customer Data Breach
  • NJ: Horizon BCBS notifies members that perps posing as doctors stole their insurance information
  • Command Marketing Innovations Reports Printing Error Impacting Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey Members
  • Yet another mailing error from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida?
Category: Health Data

Post navigation

← Adobe notifies me that all’s good following their hack
Statement on guilty pleas by Paypal13 →

1 thought on “Horizon BCBS notifying 840,000 members after laptops stolen with personal data (update 1)”

  1. Anonymous says:
    December 13, 2013 at 6:34 pm

    Why is this personal information even on laptops and desktops? Ever hear of a central server(s) that contains all the data, and that server(s) is in a heavily locked room and the data is encrypted? A password protected laptop cabled to a desk is laughable except the damage this can cause.

    This happened to Horizon BCBS 5 years ago, a laptop was stolen with 300,000 patients info on it. And that laptop was cabled down and password protected but not encrypted. Sound familiar? their security is no better than on my personal laptop. And nothing was changed to prevent this from happening again. So when they say they will change how this data is stored, I don’t believe it. BCBS should fire Barney Fife, their head of security. Hell, Bam Bam could have done a better job.

Comments are closed.

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

  • Ex-student charged with wave of cyber attacks on Sydney uni
  • Detaining Hackers Before the Crime? Tamil Nadu’s Supreme Court Approves Preventive Custody for Cyber Offenders
  • Potential Cyberattack Scrambles Columbia University Computer Systems
  • 222,000 customer records allegedly from Manhattan Parking Group leaked
  • Breaches have consequences (sometimes) (1)
  • Kansas City Man Pleads Guilty for Hacking a Non-Profit
  • British national “IntelBroker” charged with causing $25 million in damages; U.S. seeks his extradition from France
  • France issues press statement about arrest of ShinyHunters members
  • Patients Allege Home Delivery Pharmacy Failed to Timely Notify Them of Data Breach
  • Hackers breach Norwegian dam, open valve at full capacity

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

  • Microsoft’s Departing Privacy Chief Calls for Regulator Outreach
  • Nestle USA Settles Suit Over Job-Application Medical Questions
  • NY Attorney General James Affirms Hospitals Must Provide Access to Emergency Abortion Care
  • How Internet of Things devices affect your privacy – even when they’re not yours
  • Sky Views Personal Data as a Potential Weapon in IPTV Piracy War
  • Florida Used a Nationwide Surveillance Camera Network 250 Times To Aid in Immigration Arrests
  • Federal Court Strikes Down HIPAA Reproductive Health Care Privacy Rule

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.