the information sieve
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| jimf Jul 07, 2006 2:28 AM EDT |
Ohh!! Noo!! Skilled hackers breaking into everything and stealing critical information! Wells Fargo, The Veterans Administration, and now the FBI??? No people.... There are no 'skilled hackers', there is no 'sloppy insecure code'. In every case I've seen, the security breach is due to inexcusably sloppy physical security protocol. Laptops are lost, left in insecure areas, or just outright stolen. In the case of the FBI 'hacker' the thief was actually given physical access, and, a valid password! It's my observation that most non-technical people who need to use computers, simply don't recognize that computers contain 'real' records and other vital information. If these were paper files and records, you can bet your sweet bippi that they would be under serious lock and key. Maybe it takes incidents like this to drive home the point that this is 'real'. I just hope that your and my personal records aren't a victim of that lesson. |
| devnet Jul 07, 2006 6:51 AM EDT |
Wait, you mean the information doesn't magically appear when the computer is on but disappear when it is turned off? Holy CRAP! |
| tuxchick2 Jul 07, 2006 6:59 AM EDT |
It's no different than when cops exaggerate the value of captured drugs, or the dangerousness of certain criminals. It sounds a whole lot better to say "street value eleventy-fifteen million dollars!" than "dimbulb teenagers with some rocks", or "dangerous criminal mastermind threatening humanity itself!" than "yet another redneck dope on a drunken rampage, is it Saturday already." I don't think that real paper records would be treated any differently. In the olden days, before computers turned people into instant experts on everything, file clerks and secretaries took care of document management. It's a skill and a discipline. Leaving it up to ordinary folks to manage document flow is equally disastrous whether it's paper or digital documents. |
| jimf Jul 07, 2006 7:18 AM EDT |
> Leaving it up to ordinary folks to manage document flow is equally disastrous whether it's paper or digital documents. I think my question is 'Who the hell is letting this stuff on roving laptops at all... to say nothing of the 'professionals' at the FBI who are blithely handing out their passwords?' This is clearly not a failure of any OS or IT protocol, just plain idiots fumbling the ball. It's not supposed to be 'ordinary folks' handling the information, but, professionals or at very least people who have basic security training. At least that's the theory... Apparently there is a gap. |
| tuxchick2 Jul 07, 2006 7:39 AM EDT |
devnet, shhh, it's a secret. Remember, more ignorance = more security. |
| jimf Jul 07, 2006 9:47 AM EDT |
Apparently someone in the Government finally slapped their forehead and went 'Duh'... http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060706-7205.html |
| devnet Jul 07, 2006 10:58 AM EDT |
Jimf, No, now government isn't that smart...they slapped somone elses forehead and went "Geh!"... |
| jimf Jul 07, 2006 12:05 PM EDT |
> .they slapped somone elses forehead and went "Geh!"... Yeah, that works... |
| grouch Jul 07, 2006 5:45 PM EDT |
Idiots with laptops illustrate a good reason for fat, secure servers and thin clients. The data should never make it onto those loosely guarded laptops. That way, it never gets left behind in that biggest security hole, the taxi. |
| hkwint Jul 08, 2006 8:49 AM EDT |
Sounds like my country too. A prosecuting attorney threw his desktop with sensitive information away with the garbage after which a taxi driver took it with him, and recently there has been some controversy about some people working with defense who lost their unencrypted USB-sticks. On it was information about the security measures of the Dutch troops in Iraq. Now, my government finally discovered, sensitive information like this shouldn't be at the home-desktops / USB sticks of people who let it wander about; i.e. the sensitive information shouldn't leave the place of work in first place. What a great invention! |
| jimf Jul 08, 2006 8:52 AM EDT |
I just read something about super glue in the laptop usb ports as the new Corporate security policy :). |
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