LAT: Revealed! Data theft from federal agencies since '03 affects millions

[DeepModem Mom]

Data Theft at Agencies Not as Uncommon as Hoped
A House report deems the incidence of lost or stolen information more pervasive than thought. Most cases are outright theft, it says.
By Moises Mendoza, Times Staff Writer
October 14, 2006

WASHINGTON — Incidents of lost or stolen personal data at federal government agencies are more widespread than previously thought, affecting all 19 federal departments and millions of citizens since 2003, according to a congressional report released Friday.

Most of the nearly 800 incidents of data losses have never been publicly reported. The "vast majority" were not accidental misplacements, but rather outright thefts of computers or data disks containing sensitive information such as Social Security numbers. In some cases the data were used inappropriately by employees and private contractors, the report said.

The House Government Reform Committee began investigating data losses after several high-profile security breaches, including the theft in May from an employee's home of a Veterans Affairs laptop containing the personal data of more than 26 million veterans.

Since then, several other agencies, including the Social Security Administration, the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Health and Human Services, have revealed security breaches that affected thousands more individuals.

The report found that agencies are often slow to realize that data thefts have taken place or how many people were affected by the breaches. And it was unclear how often they have informed citizens that their data might have been compromised, the report added....

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-data14oct14,0,7012657.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[MO_Dem]

1. HHHHHmmmmmm.......

If I'm reading correctly, these "thefts" (quote, unquote) have all occurred while booooosh and the repigs were in control? IF I'm correct in my reading, my next question is......were they REALLY thefts??????.....or could it be that the greedy bastids in control of the info just turned it over to their fat-cat palsy-walsys and then later reported it as "THEFTS"??





:scared:

I am SO fed up with this bunch of self-serving hypocrites!!

[DeepModem Mom]

2. With this crowd -- who knows? nt

[originalpckelly]

3. These are all completely unconnected...

just like Watergate was a third rate burglary.

[rwenos]

4. How Else are Young Pubbie Brown-Nosers . . .

supposed to buy their BMW's?

Young Pubbies in blue suits serve in Pubbie administrations for ONE reason: personal enrichment and resume-building.

I've seen MANY in Orange County after they leave the administration, pretentiously trumpeting their Pubbie credentials.

[MercutioATC]

5. Happened to me two weeks ago.

I'm an air traffic controller. The facility where I work had a hard drive stolen with our names and SSNs on it. They notified us at work about a week after they had discovered the theft and just yesterday (2 weeks later) sent a certified letter notifying me that my personal data had been stolen.

[DeepModem Mom]

6. Thanks for posting your personal experience with this --

and you verify that they are slow to alert people that their data has been stolen.

[MercutioATC]

7. Here's a link to an article detailing the theft:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/wews/20061006/lo_wews/10020119

[DeepModem Mom]

9. Thanks, Mercutio! nt

[Monk06]

8. The government can't get your data legally (sort of) the just put it all

on laptops and leave it in parked cars to be
'stolen' from 'careless' government employees.

"The Ken Lay defense: I'm sorry your honor I'm
stupid and incompetent........and rich but I'm
definitely not a crook."