VA Puts Band-Aid on Veteran’s Privacy Issues
Posted by Sandy Berger on July 8th, 2006
The VA is assuring veteran’s that the stolen personal information of more that 26 million veteran has not been accessed. It is a statement that may not be accurate. Veteran’s need to beware!
On May 3, 2006 a laptop computer with information on more than 26 million veterans was stolen from a VA employee’s home. The laptop was turned in for a $50,000 reward on June 30th.
Subsequent news reports have focused on whether the data analyst who took the computer home was authorized to do so and the details of the return of the computer. The real news story is that the social security numbers and personal information of more than 26 million people was in someone’s possession for almost two months. The FBI ran forensics tests on the equipment and concluded the sensitive data – such as veterans’ Social Security numbers – “had not been accessed.”
A smart hacker would not have accessed the data by simply copying it using traditional methods. The hard drive could have easily been ghosted or cloned. Then the data could have been copied without showing up on the FBI’s tests.
The VA also points out that no instances of identity theft have yet been reported. This is not particularly comforting. Wouldn’t a smart hacker let the story cool before they sold or used the information?
In the two months that the computer and hard drive were missing, the data could have been accessed. To definitively say that the data had not been accessed is an insult to the intelligence of the veteran community and technology experts everywhere.
My husband is a Vietnam veteran. He received a nice letter from the VA telling him that they were sorry that they lost his personal information and he should watch his credit for the next few months. It’s an insult to the veteran community to minimize this or to call it a “No harm, No foul” activity and quietly remove it from the public eye.
Our veterans need to know that they have to watch out for themselves now that the VA has let their personal information out of the bag.
The three agancies where you can check your credit report are:
Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN www.experian.com
TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289 www.transunion.com
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285 www.equifax.com
The FTC’s Identiry Theft Hotline is online at www.consumer.gov/idtheft or by telephone at 1-877-438-4338.
July 14th, 2006 at 10:21 am
If the VA can’t protect the personal information of all vets, then how can we trust other government officials to keep top secret information from our enemies. We are being left vulnerable as a country and as individuals. This should never have happened. Our vets have risked their lives and the lives of their family members to protect our country and our country should protect them from identity theft and harm from all intruders. “Sorry” just doesn’t cut it. There is no excuse for this carelessness.
July 15th, 2006 at 2:15 pm
I would be wondering why the data anylist took the laptop home in the first place. Was this necessary and appropriate? Such information should be kept in a special place under lock and key with very few people having access and holding those few people accountable.