Break-In At SAIC Risks ID Theft - Computers Held Personal Data

[TacticalPeek]

washingtonpost.com

Break-In At SAIC Risks ID Theft
Computers Held Personal Data on Employee-Owners

By Griff Witte
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, February 12, 2005; Page E01

Some of the nation's most influential former military and intelligence officials have been informed in recent days that they are at risk of identity theft after a break-in at a major government contractor netted computers containing the Social Security numbers and other personal information about tens of thousands of past and present company employees.

The contractor, employee-owned San Diego-based Science Applications International Corp., handles sensitive government contracts, including many in information security. It has a reputation for hiring Washington's most powerful figures when they leave the government, and its payroll has been studded with former secretaries of defense, CIA directors and White House counterterrorism advisers.

Those former officials -- along with the rest of a 45,000 person workforce in which a significant percentage of employees hold government security clearances -- were informed last week that their private information may have been breached and they need to take steps to protect themselves from fraud.

David Kay, who was chief weapons inspector in Iraq after nearly a decade as an executive at SAIC, said he has devoted more than a dozen hours to shutting down accounts and safeguarding his finances. He said the successful theft of personal data, by thieves who smashed windows to gain access, does not speak well of a company that's devoted to keeping the government's secrets secure.


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http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A17506-2005Feb11?language=printer

[forintegrity]

1. So much for

"Homeland Security."

[hector459]

2. Just another "cash cow" for former RW Feds.

No security whatsoever.

[lovuian]

3. WOW this is very scary!!! if they can break in there they can

break in anywhere!!!

[soothsayer]

4. They do.

[Ellen Forradalom]

5. I thought SAIC meant the School of the Art Institute

in Chicago. Now that would've been scary.

[zann725]

6. Do you really think "identity theft" was the purpose of the break-in?

Given the place broken into, seems more like the "secrets" connected to the "files" are really what the thieves were interested in. Is that a scandal I smell?

[frylock]

7. this information was on a FUCKING LAPTOP..

what the article doesn't tell you is that this SENSITIVE information was on a laptop that was stolen. The data was not encrypted. My dad, a Systems Engineer at SAIC, divulged this information to me over dinner last week. I haven't seen him that pissed off in a long time. Fortunately, he was not contacted, so it looks like his personal information was not compromised.

[UL_Approved]

8. National security up for grabs

We shouldn't have this kind of security issue in our government. This is just inexcusable. There is no excuse for not having data encrypted. It looks like we could be getting set up for a secret audit from a shadow organization, or could be having information leak into the hands of terrorists. But who knows, surely not these guys...

[NYC]

9. Maybe we shouldn't subcontract these responsibilities to private

corporations.

...The contractor, employee-owned San Diego-based Science Applications International Corp., handles sensitive government contracts, including many in information security...

[applegrove]

10. An awful lot of that type of stealing of records going on. Who exactly

An awful lot of that type of stealing of records going on. Someone, somewhere is building a giant databse. Hmmmmmmmmmm

Who exactly is into building giant databases so that they could CONTROL THE WORLD!!!

[truthisfreedom]

11. just goes to show ya...

never hold a job.

[TacticalPeek]

12. Kick.

:kick:

[MountainLaurel]

13. Wow!

If anyone company should have lockdown-style security, it's SAIC. They're business includes a fuckload of military contracts, including the healthcare management in military installations.

Hating to be a tinfoil-hatter, but this all is very fishy.

[Rose Siding]

14. Not your daddy's third rate burglary, now is it?

If there WAS a burglary. What a ride.

[diamond14]

15. TOTAL INCOMPETENCE...they'll get another BIG government contract

just to FIX their own disaster...that's how it works with MILITARY CONTRACTORS...if you screw up everything, don't worry, OUR taxes will pay for your screw-ups...



wasn't that SAIC designing the NEW computer system for the U.S. Justic Department that cost MILLIONS and now, it a TOTAL REJECT??


and it would SCARE YOU to see what these idiots do on NUCLEAR WASTE SITE CLEAN-UPS...more TOTAL INCOMPETENCE....

[trudyco]

16. Was SAIC the 3rd party tester for one of the votecounting co? -nt

[Cocoa]

17. same company that produced the failed FBI software

the $170 million pile of garbage called "virtual case file." Also SAIC.

[Barrett808]

18. For some reason, I suspect: Inside job n/t