NJ Blues laptop theft affects 800K
More than 800,000 Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey members are impacted by the theft of two password-protected but unencyrpted laptop computers.
The theft of the laptops, cable-locked to employee workstations, occurred on the weekend of Nov. 1. “A detailed review led by outside computer forensic experts has confirmed that the laptops may have contained files with differing amounts of member information,” according to a statement from the insurer. This includes name, address, date of birth, member number, Social Security number and limited clinical information.
The organization is offering the 839,711 affected members a year of paid credit and identity protection services. The plan also is reviewing its computer inventory, and security and encryption protocols, and will enhance its employee security training.
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.