Has anyone seen our 747 laptops? That is the question the Ministry of Defense (MoD) is asking. On Friday July 18th, 2008 the British Defense Ministry acknowledged that since 2004 they have had 658 computers stolen. If that is not bad enough, MoD revealed that 89 laptops were lost since 2004.
What is bad is that previously there were 347 laptops thought to be gone since then. If you expand the timeframe to five years, the number grows to more than 830 laptops lost or stolen. Of which nine contained information classified as top secret or secret. To date of the 747 lost or stolen laptops in the past four years only 32 had been recovered.
Has anyone seen my desktop? This is not a joke. Where is building security when people are walking out the door with desktop computers? It is not like they fit in your pocket! In the past ten years, 23 desktops had been stolen. It even gets better.
Has anyone seen my 121 USB memory sticks? That’s right 121 portable USB memory sticks (thumb drives) were lost or stolen in that same period of time. Looking at the memory sticks, 26 of those lost occurred in 2008. But the picture gets a bit worse — three of the lost USB drives contained information said to be “secret” with 19 additional ones containing information said to be “restricted.”
Has anyone seen my file folders? Did you know that top secret intelligence documents were recently left on a London train by a staff member of the Cabinet Office? In one instance a 46 page file that was “restricted” was taken from a car parked in a supermarket parking lot. This file outlined the army’s procedures for responding to a terror attack. One report stated that it contained a list of the military’s most important figures and their phone numbers as well as details of how SAS troops would be deployed.
Authorities are concerned that Britain’s security may have been compromised. May have ? Duuuh — of course security was compromised. Security experts have stated that 90 per cent of stolen laptops are probably accessible within 10 minutes and many of those with more sophisticated levels of encryption can still are accessed within three hours.
While encryption of all sensitive data was ordered back in January 2007, at least one computer was lost/stolen that contained personal information about 600,000 individuals that was not encrypted. Couple that to the loss of physical documents and one would have to ask who is responsible and take immediate action against those individuals. I wonder how big this problem is in the United States?
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
dam wtf is going on here? arent these guys supposed to be professionals? who is held accountable?
Quite a bit of shrinkage , hard to ignore unless your surrounded by apathy. SAS need change that now , IMHO.
If sensitive data is truly sensitive it should be paper couriered and never accessible to uncleared or only to closely monitored personnel and cleared employees.
In my unimportant opinion here, very sensitive things should never be digitized or transmitted in any way other than couriers. ALSO: Sensitive data should not be on ANY laptops ever , should it really now! When lives are involved, at the very least.
I recall reading some while ago that E Bay sells similar items, disclosing that data has been wiped from the hd or removed. ~?
Or trade craft pros may get some of them.
Good Day All
The issue is not that these people do not know the rules of security or opsec.
The tragedy is that NO ONE is seems to be doing them.
When I was in the Navy the constant flow of “stories” of opsec foolishness in the civilian community was a constant source of amusement and bewilderment. (Need I remind you of Sandy Burger and his pants full of “Top Secret.”)
Have they ever heard of Encryption? Amatures the lot of them.
Yes the united States is just as sloppy in their security as the rest of the world. there are people who either don’t care or doesn’t comprehend. and or they are trying to get sensitive information stolen.thats just like the military records. that were on the laptop that was not suppose to be on the laptop. and it got stolen a few years ago. but you don’t hear to much about that.its always cover that up.and the u.s. goverment is very good at covering up.pick any subject or department???.and I bet you that something that was not suppose to be removed was and it was lost. what ever happened to locked brief cases with a hand cuff.are multiple body guards.and security guards that don’t just pass some one thur.I know its aggravating but to keep secrets all must be screened.even the generals,senitors,congress men,presidents,the janitor,the cleaning lady,even the security guards oh yes the employee or the person or persons that inadvertently take this stuff and is the one who loses it.even if you have to sigh for every sheet of toilet paper that you use.unless you do want some one blowing up, killing,kidnaping,are just pure annhilating the world as we know it!!!
What happened to the official secrets act?
It should not have been possible and should be treated as gross negligence by the head of departments. I agree with comment posted by ‘Old Dog’. Someone must be accountable!!!
OMG! Are we doomed???
As i am involved in some investigations concerning the 9/11 affair i had as a present a second hand laptop TOSHIBA SP 4600 MODEL NO.: PS 460E-038LR-GR
SERIAL-NO.: 91346370G SS460-0.
If this fits into the descriptions of those You are looking for, please let me know.
Anyhow, i wish You good luck for recovering the missed.
Come on, this crap has to be planned by someone on the inside or the people themselves have no reason to have this equipment. has anyone used facility cameras.
They should go for super glue and a electronic homing device like they have on cars.
So much for an honest hard working person EVER being able to “work from home”, with stuff like this going on.
Start putting a tracking system into laptops or on the folks that cannot keep up with thiers!!!
thanks
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