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Stolen VA Laptop Found!

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by nathank9

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According to CNN, a laptop containing information on 26.5 million Veterans and their spouses has been recovered since it was stolen on May 3rd from a VA employees house. The government does not believe that any of the information was accessed on the laptop.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/06/29/vets.security.ap/index.html

It is pretty obvious that this is the best thing that could have happened on this issue, but I am feeling a false sense of relief. Now that the computer has been found it seems like they care more about dealing with the VA analyst than they do about dealing with fixing their own security issues. For nearly the past 4 years the analyst has had permission to take home data that included names and social security numbers of veterans and NOW once something goes wrong they seem to care.

Instead of dealing with this one analyst, they need to deal with their own practices and wonder why they have allowed someone to leave the VA office for the past 4 years with such sensitive data. Laptop security has been one of our biggest security issues lately and everyone, including the government, needs to improve it. We dodged the bullet this time, but who knows if we will be this lucky next time.
http://www.essentialsecurity.com/howitworks_laptop.htm

2 replies

by zlitocook

They said the FBI told them that no data was copied. My wife and I had a good laugh about that, you may be able to look into the drive to see if it has been accessed but. There are many ways to copy, clone or just take pictures of screens.
If it was my information I would want full government protection, which seems like a joke any way.
Ok if you boot from say any O/S on cd or USB that dose not use the O/S and copy the drive or information on the drive it will not leave any trace to be found.
Oh the Vets want the government to provide protection for them in case of ID theft, so it is allot cheaper for them to say the drive was not copied.
Would you if you thought your ID might be stolen want all the protection you could get!

by tig2

And I said as much in the Misc thread on the same subject.

Theoretically, a memo has outlined new restrictions/requirements. Hollow laugh as far as I am concerned.

What the gov seems incapable of doing is rounding up a few of us "un-pedigreed but frightening intellegent" folks who actually know a thing or two. What they will do- maybe- is to write a law or two and call the whole thing good. Bah!!!

Regardless- everyone on the list needs to be watching carefully for signs of fraud and abuse. Regardless of who picks up the tab. The gov won't walk away clean on this UNLESS WE LET THEM. That should not happen.

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