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Lost or stolen devices and records incidents

Definition

Physical loss incidents document laptops, phones, drives, backup media and paper files holding personal data that were lost, stolen or disposed of without being secured.

Included

  • Stolen laptops or phones holding unencrypted personal data
  • Lost backup tapes, drives or USB sticks
  • Paper records left behind, dumped or stolen
  • Equipment resold or discarded without the data being wiped

Excluded

  • Devices that were lost but confirmed encrypted, unless the organization reported it as a breach
Lost or stolen devices and records incidents over time
Documented incidents per year of occurrence. 2026 to date.
Unit: incidents · Source: Data Incident Index v2026.09 · Counts reflect documented incidents, not prevalence · *2026 to date

Incident records4

Feb 2026San Jose slow to tell workers about data breachReportedLost or stolen devices and recordsDataBreaches.netsanjosespotlight.comMay 2024Data protection commissioners ‘want to look wider’ into patient file breachReportedLost or stolen devices and recordsDataBreaches.netirishexaminer.comAug 2023Police officer loses laptop and notebook as he drives along motorway after leaving them on roof of his car in fourth data breach by single police forceReportedLost or stolen devices and recordsDataBreaches.netdailymail.co.ukAug 2023Jefferson Health warns Cherry Hill hospital patients of potential data breachReportedLost or stolen devices and recordsDataBreaches.netphillyvoice.com
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