FBI hacked


Hardly an isolated case
The good thing is that this didn't include personal information. Unless you were in the witness protection program.

A government consultant, using computer programs easily found on the Internet, managed to crack the FBI's classified computer system and gain the passwords of 38,000 employees, including that of FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III.

The break-ins, which occurred four times in 2004, gave the consultant access to records in the Witness Protection Program and details on counterespionage activity, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Washington. As a direct result, the bureau said it was forced to temporarily shut down its network and commit thousands of man-hours and millions of dollars to ensure no sensitive information was lost or misused.

The government does not allege that the consultant, Joseph Thomas Colon, intended to harm national security. But prosecutors said Colon's "curiosity hacks" nonetheless exposed sensitive information.

Are you noticing a pattern here? Government agencies aren't all that good at keeping data secure, even assuming that you willingly gave it to them. Which, chances are, you did not.

Gee, if someone had only thought about what keeping data in central computers might mean to the average person. Oh wait, someone did. Tell me if any of this sounds familiar.

My second concern is system security. Let's face it, these central databases are not known for being secure. Even if one part of the system is secure, it only takes one hole to reveal all the details of your life. Or to put it another way, even if your credit card information was totally secure, once everything is connected, there is nothing that can stop your credit card number and personal info from being sold by anyone plugged into the system.

My third concern is that it removes your choice to limit who has access to your information. Up until there is a crime or the investigation of a crime, there is absolutely no need for anyone to have access to your information. And yes, I am familiar with the current banking laws and how much information is already reported to the government without your consent.

The only people who benefit from having massive central databases are the government and data criminals.

Neither has your best interests at heart.

— NeoWayland

Posted: Thu - July 6, 2006 at 04:57 AM  Tag


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