[UPDATE1]Backup Tapes Containing Information on UM Patients Stolen
Quick Facts
- Date: 4/17/2008
- Institution: University of Miami
- Type of Incident: Theft
- Number Affected: 2,100,000
- Source: Pogo Was Right
- Abstract Source: Miami Herald
- Update1 Source: Miami Herald
Abstract
The University of Miami announced that a container full of backup tapes containing UM patient data was stolen off the vehicle belonging to an off-site storage company. The backup tapes contained the data such as name, address, Social Security number, health information on tens of thousands of UM patients receiving care from a UM physician or visited a UM facility since January 1, 1999. UM will be notifying the 47,000 patients that had financial information on the tapes by postal mail. The university hired computer security experts Terremark Worldwide to assess the risk to the data. According to Terremark executive Christopher Day, after a week the company was unable to access any of the information of the information. UM has setup a web site - www.dataincident.miami.edu - and a hotline - 866-628-4492 - for any patients with questions about the incident.
Update1
On Friday, the Miami Herald reported that a total of 2.1 million patients were affected by the theft of the backup tapes from Archive America.
