- A laptop was stolen from the offices of NorthgateArinso, a software provider to the Pensions Trust.
- The laptop contained personal data relating to 109,000 pension scheme members.
- The data was protected with a password and "not easily accessible" but was unencrypted.
A laptop containing the details of 109,000 pension scheme members has been stolen from the offices of NorthgateArinso in Marlow in Buckinghamshire. NorthgateArinso provides software used by the Pensions Trust and in doing so acted as a data processor on behalf of the Trust. The Pensions Trust runs pension schemes for charities and voluntary organisations.
The personal data contained in the laptop was protected by a password and the laptop was locked in a secure room when thieves broke into the offices of NorthgateArinso. However, the personal data contained in the laptop was not encrypted and included names, addresses, dates of birth, employer, national insurance numbers, salary details and in some cases, bank details.
A spokesman from the ICO said:
"Any organisation which processes personal information must ensure that adequate safeguards are in place to keep that information secure.... We will be contacting the Pensions Trust to establish how this security breach occurred and to find out what steps will be taken to ensure that such a breach cannot happen again".
Organisations which process personal data must take appropriate steps to protect such data from unauthorised or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction or damage. Where data is stored on portable devices such as laptops, the data must be encrypted.
Organisations which outsource part or all of their data processing activities to a third party are reminded that they remain liable for any losses to any personal data caused by a data processor acting on their behalf, and should ensure that any contract by which they engage a third party processor reflects this.
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