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09.26.06
More Government Computers Disappear
 By Doug Caverly
This is probably going to sound terribly familiar, but here it is: hundreds of government computers have gone missing.
Over 1,100 laptops have disappeared from the Department of Commerce in the past five years, according to a statement.
Of those, 672 came from the Census Bureau, and 246 from that group contained personal information.
Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez had some words of comfort, however. "The amount of missing computers is high, but fortunately, the vulnerability for data misuse is low," he said. "While we know of no instances of personal information being improperly used, we regret each instance of lost material and believe the volume of lost equipment is unacceptable."
Gutierrez also spoke about the reforms that might result from these disappearances.
"The Department takes very seriously these high instances of missing laptops, as well as potential breaches of personal identity data," he stated. "This review process has clearly pointed out the flaws in the Department's inventory and accountability efforts going back many years. We are viewing this process with the spirit of actively rooting out the problems and addressing them immediately."
Some of the tougher measures that might be implemented are "raising employee accountability standards," "expanding training to raise user awareness," and "strengthening password protection policies."
Additionally, Gutierrez would like to employ "100% encryption for all Department laptops," and, "where warranted," impose "disciplinary action."
The press release disclosed that 1,137 out of the Department of Commerce's 30,000 laptops "were either lost, stolen or missing."
Whether that wording was used to take into account a number of different fates, or whether the Department just doesn't know what happened, I couldn't say.
Either way, those numbers indicate that about 4% of its equipment is MIA.
About the Author:
Doug is a staff writer for SecurityProNews. InternetFinancialNews, SearchNewz, and WebProNews.
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