Here’s another instance of data loss due to portable media. No word as to whether or not this data was encrypted. I have a dollar that says it wasn’t. Hopefully this USB drive turns up between the sofa cushions.
From MSN:
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources says it has lost a digital data storage device containing the names and Social Security numbers of about 1,400 DNR law enforcement officers.
The miniature device, called a thumb drive, was lost about a week ago by an information technology worker who had taken it home from the office, The (Baltimore) Sun reported Thursday.
The thumb drive held information about Natural Resources Police officers and Maryland Park Service rangers dating to the 1970s, DNR Deputy Secretary Eric Schwaab said.
Schwaab said he had no reason to believe the device had fallen into the hands of identity thieves. He said the agency is reviewing its data security policy as a result of the incident.
A union representing the workers, the State Law Enforcement Officers Labor Alliance, has asked the DNR to pay for several months of credit checks for them, union President Ed Eicher said.
[tags]Data Loss, Data Leakage, USB Devices, Privacy, Maryland Natural Resources[/tags]