BREACH: UIL Holdings

UIL Holdings in Connecticut is notifying customers of a breach involving one of their vendors. The contractor is not named in their notification letter of September 30, which begins:

We are writing to inform you of an incident that involved your personal information. On or about September 13, 2014, a thief stole a laptop computer containing your personal information from a professional services firm performing work for UIL Holdings Corporation (“UIL”). The theft was reported to the police, but the police have not been able to locate or recover the laptop. The vendor first informed UIL about the theft on September 18, 2014. Upon learning of the theft, UIL immediately launched an investigation. UIL’s investigation revealed that the laptop contained certain information about you, which might have included the following private and personally identifiable information: [redacted]. The laptop was password protected, and we have found no evidence that your personal information has been accessed or used fraudulently.

The letter offers those affected 24 months of free services through AllClear ID.

You can read the template of the notification letter on the Vermont Attorney General’s website.

The total number affected was not disclosed, but on their site, UIL Holdings says they service approximately 700,000 electric and natural gas utility customers in 66 communities across two states.