Clients' data missing, Harvard Law warns
Computer backup lost during transit
Harvard Law School is alerting thousands of clients from a legal services clinic after a computer tape containing their Social Security numbers, addresses, and financial information was lost in September.
The personal information, dating back 10 years, belonged to about 21,000 people who sought help through the school's legal services center in Jamaica Plain, Robert London, a school spokesman, said yesterday. About 8,000 records of present and former clients contained Social Security numbers; another 13,000 had other identification information.
There is no indication that the tape, which was used to back up computer records, has been accessed, he said.
London said the risks of identity theft were low. The database is protected with a password and cannot be read without special equipment, he said. The missing tape does not have any markings to indicate the type of information it contains.
A technician lost the tape while traveling by subway between the Jamaica Plain office and the law school in Cambridge. It was one of six tapes he had put in his backpack for the trip.
London said individuals who sought help at the legal clinic should review their financial accounts for unauthorized activity. As a precaution, the law school will pay for a credit-monitoring service for one year for those whose Social Security numbers were on the tape and reimburse clients who order a security freeze on their credit reports.
To prevent a similar occurrence in the future, the law school is encrypting the center's computer servers and backup tapes for a higher level of protection beyond the password. It has bought a new tape library with a bar-code reader for better inventory control and hired a professional courier service to transport the backup tapes.
In addition to contacting clients by letter, the law school has notified the Massachusetts attorney general's office and the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulations. The Jamaica Plain center is one of the law school's 16 clinics that offer students practical legal experience.
Tracy Jan can be reached at tjan@globe.com. 