Chubb reminds companies to review internal controls relating to asset management

A computer disk marked "Home Office Confidential” has been discovered hidden beneath the keyboard of a laptop bought on the online auction site eBay.

Reports said the Home Office is investigating the apparent sale of one of it's laptops on the online auction site.

Commenting on the discovery of the Home Office laptop and disk, Paul Skinner, Senior ICT underwriting specialist at Chubb Insurance, said: “The closing months of last year saw a flood of admissions by government departments on data losses. Once again, we have seen another security breach, this time it’s a government laptop that has been sold on eBay – fortunately the data and the laptop was encrypted. However questions must be raised as to how this item ended up on an auction website.'

He added: 'This incident is another example of what happens if strict security practices and procedures are not in place, which may have consequences in terms of insurance. Companies are reminded to check if this type of security breach is covered in their insurance policy and to review internal controls especially relating to asset management. Lessons must be learnt from this incident to ensure that data is securely stored.'

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