Laptop Theft with data on 50,000 workers: A Nightmare for GE

The top management of General Electric Co. is now perhaps worried about just one thing- theft of a laptop that contained the names and Social Security numbers of 50,000 current and former workers of the company. It is one of the deepest crises in the company’s history. It is more than a nightmare for the top bosses of GE.


Computer World wrote:

“The laptop, which had been issued to a GE official who was authorized to have the data, was stolen from a locked hotel room, GE said.


The Fairfield, Conn.-based company began mailing letters this week to the people whose names and Social Security numbers were on the laptop to notify them of the breach and offer a year's free access to a credit-monitoring service, GE spokesman Russell Wilkerson said.”


I feel that GE should try everyway to secure the laptop. These 50,000 workers will now have to undergo some worry as they may suffer from this mishap. About the possible risk the report stated:

“The loss of the data, including employees' names and Social Security numbers, raises the specter that the information could be used in identity theft schemes, in which criminals apply for credit cards and other services under stolen names.


The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs came under fire in the spring after a laptop containing data on 26 million military veterans and service members was stolen from a staffer's home.”


Well, it is difficult to tackle such problems as they are new. I feel that companies like GE should have stricter policies about storing such sensitive data in laptops. In the last few months, we have seen several incidents in which sensitive data of large companies got stolen from computer and laptops. And, I can assure you that it wont be the last. As the number of laptops is increasing, you can expect to hear more and more such incidents.