School children need to perk up their ears and listen to their teachers. Some school boards need to follow a similar path. Yet again, a data breach has struck the educators of America. This time around, the guilty party resides somewhere in Dickson, Tennessee. Unfortunately, while the crime took place there, the ease of spreading personal information on the internet means that private material may already be spread around the globe.

Laptop computers do not just grow legs and walk away. With that said, theft is the only way to account for the disappearance of a Dickson County school official’s personal computer. In fact, the laptop was taken from the office of Johnny Chandler, the superintendent of the district. It contained the personal data of all employees of the school district between 2006 and 2007. In total, this breach puts around 850 people at risk. The material on the laptop contained addresses, license numbers, maiden names, and social security numbers. It also has tax information in addition to yearly wage data.

While police are still investigating the threat, there are some details of the case that are clear. Chandler just recently became superintendent of the district. The laptop was last accounted for on Friday. Authorities cannot find any signs of forced entry and are investigating the possibility that this was an inside job. Over the weekend, numerous people were in the building, including a cleaning crew, school staff members, and some students who were attending a retirement party. There is no motive to the crime at this point.

Chandler advises that everyone who was employed by the district keep an eye on their personal information. While a letter went out to inform people of the problem, some are not confident that their personal finances will remain unharmed. Some of these people are investing in an ID theft services. Subscriptions to such companies, such as Lifelock, allow members to have a peace of mind, knowing that their credit reports are being constantly monitored at all three bureaus. Unlike other companies, Lifelock recognized the importance of keeping an eye on credit at Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian, since some companies do not report to all three.

Chandler has vowed that a similar problem will never take place. New security procedures are being instituted for the district, including the policy that no personal information can be stored on laptops. Additionally, new security measures are in place at the district’s office, although specifics could not be obtained. The superintendent assured the media that the stolen laptop is covered by multiple encryption and security features. While there is optimism that the security will prevent any illegal access on the computer, people are advised to be vigilant. From now on, at the school district all laptops are to be locked up in a secure vault when they are not in use.

Tags: Dickson County, Equifax, Experian, lifelock, TransUnion

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 18th, 2008 at 12:51 am and is filed under Government Breaches, School Breaches. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.