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Despite TSA's Best Efforts, Word Of Its Latest Data Leak Gets Around
from the nobody-will-notice dept
The TSA has managed to lose a hard drive containing the personal information of 100,000 employees. What's sad is that on its own, the story's not particularly newsworthy, given the TSA's previous losses as well as the Federal government's abysmal track record in the area. But it's worth noting how the TSA disclosed the breach: by issuing a press release at 7pm Eastern time on a Friday. Such releases used to be favored by companies trying to bury bad news, as it would generally get lost in the shuffle over the weekend, when fewer people -- both in the media and in their audience -- were paying attention. However, as the TSA has found out, efforts like this to try and control the news cycle don't really work any more. Of course, it's a stretch to think all these stories will actually help change the situation, since the TSA's director has made the standard offer to pay for a year of credit monitoring for the employees whose data was lost, and that's apparently all it takes to make everything okay.
Reader Comments
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It's sad when they get so confortable with it that they make a splash screen...
http://www.tsa.dhs.gov/datasecurity/index.shtm
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Oh the terror of it all
I'm less concerned about this data making it into the hands of identity thiefs than I am about it making into the hands of terrorists. Imagine what use this would be to any group that wants to infiltrate the TSA or manipulate individuals within the group.
Ok, ok, I'm not really concerned about terrorists, but the TSA should be quaking right now under threats of all funding being yanked for that very reason. It's bad enough to put 100,000 of your employees personal and financial lives in jeopardy, but add to that the security of the nation. This is the very organization that's supposed to be protecting us and, aside from doing the terrorist's jobs for them by taking away our freedoms, they're helping the terrorists jeopardize our safety too.
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In addition to 1 yr of credit monitoring...
...they'll all be receiving "free" lighters, pocket knives, nail clippers, and bottled water.
What kind of an idiot puts personnel data on an external drive? (inside job)
...I hear they're looking for good IT people down at the TSA.
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pay for credit monitoring?
"the TSA's director has made the standard offer to pay for a year of credit monitoring for the employees whose data was lost"
Sure, why not, no sweat off of any of the directors' backs. Just pay out a year's credit monitoring times 100,000 people, they'll probably just claim need for a bigger budget next year due to "increased operations costs". That's the problem with government agencies... at least corporations care when they have to shell out money for no reason.
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