Oh, and there was another $500,000 in damage from the fire, too.

In the article, the staff member told reporters, “The laptop stolen is of great use to the Western Force, as it is the main laptop used for the analysis of our performance.”

The laptop apparently contains extensive rugby-specific software, as well as a lot of historical video footage that would take “many man hours” to replace.

The WF is offering a reward upon the safe return of the equipment. It’s unfortunate that, though rugby players often look pretty threatening, there is really nothing they can do but wait and see.

With MyLaptopGPS, the WF could have had its precious information back within hours of it being realized stolen. Put on your game faces, folks. It looks like this Super 14 is going to be an interesting one.

In late September, National Bank of Canada reported a laptop that had been stolen. In the Reuters article written by Lynne Olver, the bank’s head office commented that “the risk of fraud or identity theft was ‘minimal.’”

Later in the article, Denis Dube –spokesman for the bank– said names, addresses, and bank reference numbers for its mortgage customers were in the database on the laptop, though the bank declined to mention exactly how many clients are affected.

As the sixth largest bank in Canada, they’ve got a bit of informing to do. The bank claimed it would “protect clients by informing them quickly about the event.” The bank suggested that clients report unauthorized transactions in accounts, and promised that any damages would be compensated if necessary.

Fortunately, according to Dube, no personal data such as social insurance numbers (equivalent to the US’s Social Security program) or credit information were stored on the laptop.

Regardless of the so-called “minimal” risk of fraud and identity theft, it’s amazing how easily any technologically adept individual could access the laptop and the files. And with important information such as bank reference numbers at stake, it’s highly unlikely that this theft was merely a random crime.

The National Bank of Canada could have avoided this upset altogether with proper security measures. The simple registration of any laptop online at the MyLaptopGPS website ensures the protection of secure files like bank reference numbers.

Well, maybe next time, eh?

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD), another company many readers know of, is of course runner up to Intel with its processor chips. It seems former Intel employee Biswahoman Pani wanted to make that leap a little more accessible. After resigning from Intel, and while in business negotiations to work for AMD, Pani accessed information from his still-active Intel laptop, and copied a slew of Intel documents, including 13 top-secret company files containing design plans for future processing chips.

As reported in the Boston Globe this past Friday, an affidavit was issued by the Boston computer crime squad stating that more than 100 pages of sensitive documents as well as 19 designs were found in a search of Pani’s house. Pani and his attorney, R. Bradford Bailey, maintain that Pani had merely copied the documents to aid his wife, also an Intel employee, in a transition from one Intel plant to the next.

Spokeswoman for Intel, Claudine Mangano, stated, “Intellectual property is a critical asset for Intel.” Pani’s jeopardizing of the files breaches Intel security guidelines, and may potentially fall into the hands of the competitor AMD.

FBI Special Agent Timothy Russell stated that though there is no evidence AMD ever received the confidential files, and there remains no evidence that AMD knew of Pani’s actions or encouraged them, the Bureau continues to explore the possibilities of this sensitive information being placed in the wrong hands.

Though Intel will likely screen employees more rigorously from now on, the fact remains that had proper security procedures been followed, the Intel documents and designs would never have been susceptible to copying, theft, or pawning to another company.

Rochester Institute of Technology discovered that on August 25, a laptop containing the names, Social Security numbers, and birth dates of nearly 14,000 people had been stolen from an office of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf.

Information dating back to 1968 on these individuals is currently in the hands of an unknown party. In a media statement reported by the DemocratandChronicle.com, RIT Chief Communications Officer Bob Finnerty claims, “We don’t know if that information has been accessed or not,” and went on to suggest that all individuals affected by the theft contact a major credit bureau and place a fraud alert on their credit file.

Finnerty also notes that RIT consistently reviews and updates their security, and that the processes are currently being analyzed to see if and how they can be improved.

The irony, though, is that these nearly 14,000 people would have been spared the time and drudgery of calling credit bureaus and checking credit scores — would have experienced none of the anxiety attributed to potential identity theft — if RIT’s mobile computer had been equipped with laptop tracking security technology such as that provided by MyLaptopGPS.

One incident of identity theft surely should be enough to encourage protection, but certainly, almost 14,000 victims’ possible screams mean change ought to be in order. Any such screams, after all, should be heeded.