The news of the Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) data breach becomes progressively worse. The number of compromises files increases:
“…The bank announced last week that it had discovered that the lost tapes contained data on 8 million individuals in addition to the 4 million shareholders initially identified.”
link: Data loss hits 38,000 SAIC shareholders
There seems to be some confusion as to what was on the backup tapes. That seems baffling. If a tape is a backup of some data base, shouldn’t there be definitive details of what was copied? It is further inexplicable why a data base with personal information, including social security numbers, was not encrypted.
Not following basic security procedures should result in criminal prosecution. The magnitude of the number of people whose privacy and financial security can be breached in one incident is overwhelming. With these data in the wrong hands, the financial damage could be astronomical.
Catherine Forsythe