Cedars-Sinai reports potential data breach due to stolen laptop

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A stolen laptop has prompted Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles to notify at least 500 patients their protected health information may be compromised, according to a Los Angeles report.

The laptop was stolen from an employee's home in late June. The laptop did not have encryption software. The employee who had the laptop was troubleshooting software problems outside of business hours, according to the report.

The employee immediately reported the theft to local police and the hospital. The laptop has not yet been recovered and nobody has been arrested for the theft, according to the report.

The stolen laptop's files included patient information such as lab testing, treatment and diagnoses. Some files contained Social Security numbers, according to the report.

A hospital spokesperson said the hospital has notified all necessary regulatory agencies will continue to monitor the incident.

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