Commerce loses more than 1,100 laptops

[dogday]

Since 2001, 1,137 laptop computers owned by the Commerce Department have been lost or stolen, and 249 of those contained personally identifiable information, according to an internal review.

Personally identifiable information can include Social Security numbers and other data useful to identity thieves.

The majority of the missing laptops – 672 -- had been used by the Census Bureau, according to the report. However, Commerce officials emphasized the security measures that should protect sensitive information stored on them, including:


*Requiring a password to access any information.
*Storing census survey data in a complex format requiring specialized software to view.
*Fully encrypting 107 of the computers.
*Census also reported the loss of 46 thumbdrives and 15 handheld devices, all of which were fully encrypted.

http://www.fcw.com/article96204-09-22-06-Web

Excuse me while I put on :tinfoilhat: This is just unbelievable!!!

[dsc]

1. Not really

I am not saying it is excusable but I am presuming these laptops were provided to census enumerators who are part time employees. I still find it hard to believe they allowed that many to disappear but I can see a higher loss rate among temporary employees such as enumerators than among long term ones.

[butterfly77]

2. Something is going on...

and it has to do with bush and the neocons. Every few months a laptop is missing from some government agency doctors' office or somewhere. This is information that is being collected for some reason ....

[dogday]

3. The missing vets and

the employees of certain government offices as well as I remember... The amount is just unreal...

I wonder if they just show up later like the above did?

[Monkeyman]

4. Yep they will

The Vet one they claimed no one had them but yet there is a huge increase of phone scams on vets

[butterfly77]

5. Yes they will after they ...

copy all the information they want.

[sbj405]

6. What's going on is poor property management

Thousands of laptops are issued. People change offices, leave, whatever. The laptops may not even be "lost", they just aren't accounted for on the inventory. A laptop that is several years old is worth nothing, so most of the time property doesn't concern itself too much.

[AnOhioan]

7. The list continues to grow

http://www.privacyrights.org/ar/ChronDataBreaches.htm


TOTAL number of records containing sensitive personal information involved in security breaches 93,735,183