During an Oct. 18 burglary, the laptop was allegedly stolen from a physician’s locked car, according to CBS News. It may have contained the names, addresses, medical record numbers and clinical information of patients. Hospital officials said the laptop was protected with a password, but they’re unsure whether it was properly encrypted.
Hospital spokesman Lorenzo Benet said CHLA “believe[s] that all data may have been erased from the device without any patient data being accessed,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
As a precaution, CHLA is mailing notification letters to the potentially affected patients. “Additionally, a protocol has been established to erase data from the device the next time [the suspect] logs onto the internet,” according to a statement from CHLA.
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