My laptop, tablet or smart phone was lost or stolen. What should I do?

Answer

1. Report the loss

Notify local law enforcement where the laptop, tablet or phone was stolen.

On campus theft: call MIT Police: 617.253.1212 – if stolen from the MIT campus or an FSILG

Off campus theft: call the local police department.
Cambridge, MA police: 617.349.3300
Boston, MA police: 617.343.4200

Be sure you get a case/report number and a primary contact for the case.

IMPORTANT
Do not cancel your service for your phone until all data has been securely removed!

2. Contact the IS&T Security team

The Security team will ask you a few questions to assess whether there are any further actions necessary. If your computer contained MIT data that might contain regulated or protected data such as: names and SSNs, names and credit card numbers, financial account numbers, data belonging to persons in the European Economic Area, data subject to a third party data use agreement etc., we will need to followup on the specifics of that

3. Remotely lock or wipe the device, if possible

Most cell phone service carriers can remote lock or wipe the data on a smart phone. Contact your carrier immediately to see if they can offer this service.

If you have an Apple device, and have enabled "find my iPhone" on your device, you can track, lock or wipe the device remotely via iCloud.

If you have other similar software for a non-Apple device, contact the software vendor to follow the steps for tracking, locking or wiping the data from the device.

4. Change your passwords

Change passwords that you believe may have been stored or saved in memory on the computer or device. You can reset your MIT Kerberos password at any time online. Don't assume that there is no trace of the passwords you use for online accounts. To be on the safe side, it is a good idea to reset ALL your passwords, including your email accounts.

5. Notify credit cards and banks

If you stored financial data, you should notify the affected institutions. What to do if you think your identity may be compromised.

6. Contact STOP

If the computer or device had a metal STOP tag attached to it, it was registered with the STOP program (Security Tracking of Office Property) provided by IS&T. STOP isn't a tracking device, but is an identification plate that is permanently affixed to the laptop labeling it as registered property.

The phone number to call regarding the service is 1-800-488-STOP. The company website is here.

7. Faculty and staff members should notify their manager/supervisor of the loss

8. Review the recommended tasks on Infoprotect to protect your next device.

Whole disk encryption is recommended for portable devices. If your device is lost or stolen the data on it will be encrypted.