Five embarrassing mobile device thefts

As devices become more portable and storage becomes smaller, the potential for danger when

devices go missing is rising exponentially. Here are five embarrassing cases where mobile

devices went missing, and sensitive information was compromised.

By Jeff JedrasPhoto by chanpipat

Lost laptop adds to BP oil spill grief

As if the BP oil spill off Louisiana wasn’t bad enough, the damage was compounded when a BP

employee lost a laptop containing personal data of thousands of residents who had filed

compensation claims in 2011.Photo by Ideum

Veterans data lost, recovered

An employee of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs took home a laptop and external drive

with sensitive personal information on millions of vets in 2006; they went missing following a

home break-in. Following an FBI investigation, the devices were recovered.

Missing laptop grounds flyers

New sign-ups for the U.S Registered Traveller program were halted when a contractor lost a

laptop in 2008 with personal data on 33,000 applicants at San Francisco’s airport. The laptop

had two layers of password protection, and was in a locked office.Photo by Schill

Voter information compromised

In a classic opportunistic theft, a laptop with voter registration information on over 14,000

voters was stolen from a city council office in the UK in 2009. No voter choice information was

compromised, but the data needed to apply for credit was.Photo by Tatoy

Attempted blackmail of F1 driver

Not a device theft, but a reminder to wipe all personal data before disposing of old devices. In

2008, someone found F1 driver Adrian Sutil’s old laptop, with its personal data, and attempted

to blackmail him to prevent its disclosure. He was arrested by the authorities.Photo by Morgana F1