Government data stick found at pub

[Diver]

What surprises me, is that these idiots know how to download in the first place.
A total Legal ban should be in place for the physical transport of sensitive data, without added security I.e carrier to be accompanied by a security officer while data is in the open. For Government and private sector.
Costs would be so prohibitive that they would soon switch to using VPN for data transfer or allow access from in-house secure terminals only. That would stop the sods from sneaking off early and catching up on their work at home.

Think about it! if so much critical information is being left laying around pubs, trains, rubbish tips and the streets of this country by accident, how much is being sold on to third parties deliberately?

[TykeMerc]

What confounds me about these data losses is that the systems are so badly constructed and governed that the data can be extracted in sizable chunks and stuck onto removable media and laptops to be lost in the first place.

[Cyberman]

Apparently this data was encrypted, so at least that is one positive thing !!

[wobbegong]

What I don't understand with all these CDs etc. that go missing, is firstly, why they are allowed out of a controlled environment, secondy, why they seldom seem to be encrypted, thirdly, why the 'courier' so often mislays them, and most importantly, why government/police/local authority/revenue offices etc. seem to employ such beef-witted dullards in the first place, let alone entrust them with sensitive data off site.

Why can't this data be sent interdepartmentally over a VPN?

FFS! Hellooooo, we have the interweb thingy now, you know!

I'm honestly getting bored hearing about this kind of lapse now.

[AtW]

It should not have been possible at all to extract all such data in one go unless explicitly authorised in writing and certainly not on removable media.

select * from customers without authorisation should be gross misconduct at the very least. That's like worse than shorting stocks.

[Cyberman]

That's on top of the cvil servant guy that fell asleep while looking at top secret HMG documents/emails on his laptop on a train. This was reported by the person sitting next to him who actually took photos of incriminating details on the screens !!

It'll all be ok once we have ID cards though.

[PAH]

With the Govermin's thinking, they'll just ban anyone from having pub lunches.

[BrilloPad]

Why am I not suprised?

[Diver]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20081102/...b-dba1618.html

Okay! Which one of you was it?