SEATTLE -- Investigators are wondering whether any potentially dangerous information could have fallen into the wrong hands after a laptop computer was stolen from a University of Washington medical researcher, KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reported.
According to a Seattle police report, a Toyota Camry was stolen from a parking lot near campus Oct. 8. Four days later, the car's owner called police to say he was "concerned" because the laptop that was inside the car contained security information for the UW lab.
An affidavit filed by a UW police detective and obtained by KIRO 7 Eyewitness News said the laptop contained "classified information pertaining to lab security" including "grant proposals for research that involved select agents for bio-defense as defined under the U.S. Patriot Act and by the Centers for Disease Control."
The computer's owner is an expert on infectious disease and is the author of a paper on a form of the plague.
"We do not know what is on that computer and frankly, at this point in time, the researcher himself is not exactly certain what is on there," said Tina Mankowski of UW Community Relations.
UW police said after the computer was taken, it was sold at a swap meet, then sold on eBay to a professor in Connecticut. The professor registered the laptop with Apple Computer, which recognized it as stolen.
The FBI is investigating.
"Four days later..."
"The computer's owner is an expert on infectious disease and is the author of a paper on a form of the plague."
Here's hoping the thief contracts the plague. This sounds high level. At least the ID expert is still with us and not pushing up daisies.
Any update on this story yet? Why do we even bother to classify information as secret when this kind of incident seems to be the norm rather than the exception as of late? Any wagers whether the Chinese have it by now?