I work for a Major Network Security company ---

[trumad]

and I know for a fact that if one of our customer employees removed sensitive information off a secured Computer network and put it on a stand-alone computer/laptop, that person would most likely be fired.

Her quote: "What it gave me was good security of the elections from start to finish, without the ability of someone unauthorized to be involved,"

That is an unbelievable statement.

Think about that for a moment. She removed sensitive information from a Secured Network and placed it on an unsecured computer void of Network Security.

Someone should interview the Waukesha Network Security person and get his take.

I betcha he ain't happy.

[Horse with no Name]

1. So the question now becomes one of plausible deniability

She apologized for taking it off the secured network. For republicans, apologizing and praising Jesus is generally enough.

IF she is caught...she will say that someone hacked HER unsecured network and she knew nothing about it.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[damntexdem]

3. I thought that said expert already stated that he couldn't endorse the security of the info.

It appeared that the county's computer folks were somewhat pissed by what Nicklaus did.

[Ellipsis]

13. Sounds like IT turf wars, more then anything.. IT did'nt give her a backup solution

...when they split off the network. Stand alone is fine by me.

But it's hooked up to a modem... Hello?

[trumad]

20. Actually the biggest vulnerability in a stand alone

is it's wireless card.

[sarcasmo]

4. Someone needs to check that womens banking records.

[GKirk]

10. Bribes are paid in cash

just saying

[PearliePoo2]

11. And don't forget to look.....

under the skank's mattress for neatly, wrapped bundles of "Benjamins".

[Dappleganger]

15. Or the dumpster for paper ballots.

[JuniperLea]

5. We have many well-known banks and major corporations as clients...

And we must adhere to strict rules and regulations that pertain to many different industries. I can't even take a backup tape home! This story smells of rotting fish.

[trumad]

9. We have a lot of bank customers.....

The protocol is pretty severe.

You'd think voting info would have the same seriousness.

Nope

[RT Atlanta]

6. When this happens at Los Alamos

people are fired and are suspected of treason

[csziggy]

7. Did you see the Daily Kos message about this?

Unbeknownst to me until 10 minutes ago, my husband used to work with Kathy Nickolaus (Waukesha County Clerk) in the Wisconsin legislature's IT shop. (He worked there from 1993 to 1997.) Quote my DH, "She was not only incompetent, but also a fierce right-to-lifer and arch-conservative. If you said to her, 'I really like hot fudge sundaes', her reply would be, 'We really have to stop abortions.' Her testifying in the caucus scandal notwithstanding, this casts considerable doubt on her integrity. She knew damn well that what she was doing for the caucuses was against the law, (later) immunity not withstanding."

He says he is very, very afraid now because the questions about her integrity are extremely frightening to him. "The fact the the entire county's election data is on a single PC with no backup demonstrates her incompetence." He remembers being in a meeting with the chief of their IT shop and hearing about the stuff she was doing, and he told the boss, "We could really get caught with our pants down. This is NOT an acceptable way of doing this stuff." And he was just speaking as a data processing professional. BTW my husband was an IT professional for 20+ years so I trust his opinion.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/04/07/964621/-My-connection-to-Kathy-Nickolaus

Posted on Du yesterday: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=840911&mesg_id=840911

[PearliePoo2]

14. Holy Shit Sherlock!

She's BAD......whacko BAD! :wow:

[annabanana]

17. great jumping jesus. . If the alarm bells aren't audible coast to coast..

This ought to tell everyone how bad it's gotten.

[WinkyDink]

19. Funny how "against the law" no longer means "criminal" in this country.

[Ohio Joe]

8. Everywhere I've worked, that person would definitely be fired

It is a huge breach of security and I am aware of no place that allows this to happen without firing anyone who does it.

[kentuck]

12. She is omnipotent...

She will decide what votes are counted and when...

[Recursion]

16. Sysadmin here

This is exactly why we sysadmins can be such dicks about stuff like this. And, yes, I've seen people fired for unauthorized data transport that I discovered. I feel bad for them, but I'm responsible for the integrity of all the data and their doing that puts that at risk.

[WinkyDink]

18. Her words are a study in obfuscation. I.e., she's a lying bee-yotch.

[BadgerKid]

21. Recalling Chinese spy Wen Ho Lee: charged with improper handling of restricted data.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wen_Ho_Lee

Back to the election story. She's not an IT expert, she's apparently "found votes" before, and she is not thinking about security. IMO, she is operating outside the scope of her job, and in a sane world her dismissal would be long overdue.

Edit: typos

[sce56]

22. DISMISAL MY A$$ SHE NEEDS TO BE IN JAIL!

[randr]

23. I would think that the fact she moved the materials through her personal computer

and lost the origin files would give cause for a dismissal of all votes from this precinct.
Am I missing something?

[electricD]

24. that has been the EXACT thing I've been thinking the past couple of days.

ESPECIALLY with the background this woman has.