Techdirt:Why Is Boeing Storing Direct Deposit Info On A Laptop?
Techdirt:Why Is Boeing Storing Direct Deposit Info On A Laptop?: "Why Is Boeing Storing Direct Deposit Info On A Laptop?
Computers Contributed by Mike on Monday, November 21st, 2005 @ 02:37AM
from the seems-like-an-important-question dept.
Boeing has admitted that a laptop containing private info on 161,000 current and former employees was stolen recently. The data was basically all of the info necessary to do direct deposit of paychecks: names, birth dates, Social Security numbers and, yes, bank account info. The company points out that there's a good chance the thief just wanted the laptop to sell, and has no clue about the information on the machine. That's sort of missing the point, isn't it? The real question is why Boeing keeps such information, unencrypted, on an easily stolen laptop? The company also claims this isn't that worrisome because 'the computer did not have sensitive company information stored on it.' Of course, it would seem that the 161,000 people whose information is now at risk might disagree about just how 'sensitive' the information on the laptop really is. The company's stance seems to be that the sensitive info on its employees isn't the company's sensitive info -- but that seems to show a stunning disregard for the fact that these employees are what make the company valuable.
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Computers Contributed by Mike on Monday, November 21st, 2005 @ 02:37AM
from the seems-like-an-important-question dept.
Boeing has admitted that a laptop containing private info on 161,000 current and former employees was stolen recently. The data was basically all of the info necessary to do direct deposit of paychecks: names, birth dates, Social Security numbers and, yes, bank account info. The company points out that there's a good chance the thief just wanted the laptop to sell, and has no clue about the information on the machine. That's sort of missing the point, isn't it? The real question is why Boeing keeps such information, unencrypted, on an easily stolen laptop? The company also claims this isn't that worrisome because 'the computer did not have sensitive company information stored on it.' Of course, it would seem that the 161,000 people whose information is now at risk might disagree about just how 'sensitive' the information on the laptop really is. The company's stance seems to be that the sensitive info on its employees isn't the company's sensitive info -- but that seems to show a stunning disregard for the fact that these employees are what make the company valuable.
<< TiVo Thinks Copy Protection Is A Trade Off | Reply | Threaded | Malaysia Lets Drivers With Camera Phones Turn In Bad Drivers >>
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posted by jjc at
4:37 PM
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