Govt. Laptop With Employee Data Stolen

[cal04]

Source: ASSOCIATED PRESS

A laptop computer containing the names, Social Security numbers and payroll information for as many as 16,000 civilian employees here was stolen from an employee's personal vehicle, officials said Monday.

The computer was password protected and did not contain bank account or bank routing information, Army officials said. The employees all work at the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, which has its headquarters at Fort Monroe.

Officials said the Army and local law enforcement were investigating, and TRADOC was looking into whether some policies need to be changed.

Lt. Gen. Thomas Metz, in a letter to each of the potentially affected employees, said the Army is committed to preventing similar incidents from occurring.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-BRF-Stolen-Laptop.html

[Kagemusha]

1. I would hope this is just petty crime.

You'd think a foreign government might be interested in this data.

[Cobalt-60]

5. they're republicons

It's being furnished to coprations for marketing use.
You can bet a fat payment goes to the RNC for every laptop.

[Rue]

2. Yeesh, again?

You'd think they'd learn that, you know, our national security could be threatened by this kind of breach?

Oh, wait a minute . . .

[napi21]

3. WHY do they continue to permit sensitive data to be downloaded

and RETAINED onlaptop hard drives? Surely the capability is there to utilize the data from the server, but nothave the ability to retain it on the laptop that can be stollen!

[MADem]

4. OHFACRISSAKE!!!! How many more times does this shit have to happen?

Why don't they just let these baaaaastids check out a "clean" laptop and "go to their PC" by dialing in if they need to do work on the road?

This is just such bullshit. It keeps HAPPENING.

[TheDebbieDee]

6. I think it must be the same friggin laptop.......

stolen from the same friggin dipshit government employee, probably taken by the same friggin thief.

You know *Co never learns from their mistakes - they just keep repeating them!

[GregD]

7. Is this like Rummy and the same vase, or lamp or

whatever the frack it was?

Pretty freaking disorderly!

[rocktivity]

8. For the two BILLIONTH time

WHAT PART OF "VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK" DO THEY NOT UNDERSTAND???

:banghead:
rocknation

[Klapaucius]

9. VPN's can have issues, as well....

One of the drive manufacturers is coming out with an encrypted hard-drive for use in laptops. Seems like it would help, but I'll reserve my judgment until I see it work, and then I'd want Schneier's take on it.

VPN's can be compromised, and access gained to the internal network. It's dependent upon how it's set up. The other thing to keep in mind is that if someone has physical access to your machine, all bets are off, they can do what they want.

K.