Laptops Stolen From Anheuser Busch, Other Businesses

Source: KTVI, Fox 2 News
Date: June 11, 2008

Laptop computers, one containing sensitive data, were stolen from a St. Louis-area Anheuser Busch office. Now some employees, former employees, and even their dependents are being warned that their personal information is in a stranger's hands.

Names, social security numbers, home addresses, home phone numbers, race, dates of birth, and marital status were stored on laptops that were stolen, according to a letter AB sent out to affected people.

The letter says people who used AB's Employee Assistance Program, a confidential counseling program, also had information stolen. Their case notes, providers, and treatment plans were stored on one of the stolen laptops.

The theft, says AB, happened sometime between Friday June 6 and Monday June 9, from an office off brewery property. Other businesses are in the same building and were also broken into, and also had laptops stolen.

AB says the information was protected with passwords and encrypted.

"Encrypted is where you take your date, and you code it, kind of like the secret codes the army used in World War Two. We do that with data and you actually have to have some kind of key to unencrypt it," says Dave Chronister, CTO of Parameter Security. Chronister specializes in security data on computers.

'There are ways to break encryption," Chronister says. "With technology the way it is, there's no reason to have sensitive data on a laptop"

AB says there's no evidence anybody has used the data to steal identities. Chronister says they might be better served if they say there is no evidence, yet.

Chronister adds, "There's a lot of assumptions that happen, the first assumption is that the person doesn't know what they're getting. The second is that the person doesn't know how to grab that data that may be on there. That may be true but then again, you're never 100% sure, till it's too late."

AB is offering credit monitoring from a nationwide company for all affected individuals.

KSDK -- In this economy, it's tougher to conduct business and stay profitable, so businesses need to protect themselves more than ever from security breaches.

Renee Chronister, the CEO of Parameter Security, joined NewsChannel 5's Jennifer Blome to discuss an upcoming Lunch and Learn seminar taught by a certified ethical hacker.

The seminar will be at Parameter Security / EDC Training Facility at 5988 Mid Rivers Mall Drive in St. Peters on March 24 from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. The cost is $49. To RSVP, send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 314-442-0472 by March 20.