Another NASA Laptop Holding Employees’ Personal Info Goes Missing
- Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:17am by
Liz Klimas
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Earlier this month, NASA announced it was stepping up its cybersecurity — and for good reason. Not only was an unencrypted laptop with command codes to the International Space Station stolen — it was one of 48 laptop thefts between 2009 and 2011 — but it was revealed there was an ongoing investigation into the Chinese allegedly hacking into NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Now, confirming the need for the agency to up its security even more, reports are that NASA has lost yet another laptop. Gizmodo states that this device held information about its employees at the Kennedy Space Center:
According to an internal memo from Tracy Wetrich, NASA’s HR Director, leaked to SpaceRef, the incident occurred on March 5th. The laptop contained “information on NASA KSC employees such as name, social security number, race, national origin, gender, contact phone number, e-mail, date of birth, college affiliation, and grade point average.”
Gizmodo reports that the laptop is password protected, which is a first line of defense, but that might not stop a more sophisticated hacker.
According to the memo, NASA is conducting an investigation into the theft and is providing employees whose information could be compromised with identity protection services. Bay news reports that about 2,300 employees were affected.




















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ContinentalArmy
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 10:25pmAh, bet 10 to 1 that NASA is Using Norton Security Suite! Big *ss mistake, right there. Norton is the sorriest Security Program out there! It will allow Viruses Through! The Security Program I use Stops all hackers, viruses, etc., and it’s Free! Norton is also a Govt. Program, need I say more! Yeah, Norton Hacker Paradise! Try to tap into my Computer and see what happens! 6 yrs. and still going! Smarten Up NASA!
Report Post »One Man Progressive Wrecking Crew
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 11:24amI go find the Muslims and CHICOMS working in THAT department and you’ll find the laptop.
Report Post »officialblackwater.com
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 10:44amAnd NOTHING will happen to the person that had it stolen… No one is ever fired are they ???
Report Post »Ruler4You
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 10:49amInteresting how government sponsored or government agencies seem to have some of the poorest “personal security” and accountability for such valuable resources. Yet Americans are charged through the freakin’ nose for their budgets.
Waste, fraud, corruption and stupidity seem to be the “Knowledge, Skills and Abilities” necessary for federal funding.
Report Post »BurntBacon
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 10:32amWho else is feeling sick about how much information those Healthcare laptops will be containing in a couple of years? This is bad, but this is nothing…
Report Post »fuzzy20841
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 10:26amThe real question here is, why that type of information is even on a laptop?
Report Post »I don’t hold Govt. workers in high regard. You never hear of any of them being fired for crap like this!
DREDGE
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 10:18amThe incredible thing there does exist a device that can track a missing laptop.
Report Post »You would think the govt would layout some cash for this gear!!!
One Man Progressive Wrecking Crew
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 11:28amAgreed, ya know I say that about all Military and people in war zones, they should be microchipped so when the MOOZ grab em, we can find em within minutes and liberate em, leaving ALLAH a trail of corpses and blood every time they try grabbing a soldier or a Nicholas Berg or what have you.
I’d have it put in for that reason if on the front lines so they could kill em even if they got me doing it.
Report Post »momrules
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 10:05amForty eight laptop thefts in two years? Were they ever recovered? What secrets were revealed from those thefts? Apparently NASA isn’t secure at all.
Report Post »Auntie izlam
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 2:29pmDo these thefts coincide with the recent introduction of muslims into NASA?
Report Post »kickagrandma
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 10:01amColor me surprised.
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 10:26amEven my iPhone will erase all it’s data if you get the password wrong ten times.
I tried to tell people never to put govt / secure info on platforms compatible w/ civilian systems.
But, Big Computer had lobbyists and money. Now our govt system are leaking data left and right.
Also told people /reps they should never have been connected to public networks.
I was called alarmist.
Sucks being right about this stuff.
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 10:37amMaybe NASA should invent an encrypted hard drive?
Oh, they cannot, their new mission per barack hussein obama is muslim (islamic) outreach.
(or they could just buy one from Amazon.com)
Who’s running this pony show? Is it time to reboot NASA? Boot NASA?
Report Post »What are we getting for our investment besides pride? Other nations are eating our lunch, educationally, so it’s not such a good tool for promoting science and engineering.
People complain we will have to ride w/Russia to the space station. QUESTION BOLDLY: Why do we need to go to the Space Station? Why do we need to explore space?
I’m not passing judgement, but we do need to have the HONEST DISCUSSION.
ianmc002
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 11:26amTomFerrari
Please go back and read my comment on “Shall Issue”. You misinterpret what I am saying. Read the statement. Sorry to come off as condescending, I am very anti-Shall Issue, as we all should be. Again I apologize for my earlier comments, but please see my response.
Report Post »let us prey
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:58amMaybe Mohammed Mera has it. You know the great contributions the mooselimbs had on Science and space.
Police found explosives while arresting the brother of Mohammed Merah, the terrorist wanted in the murder of four people outside a Jewish school in Toulouse. According to French media outlets, officers found dozens of grams of explosives in the possession of Abed el-Khader Merah.
Mohammed Merah was found living a short distance from the school he attacked. He is also suspected of murdering three French soldiers. On Wednesday he attacked and wounded three police officers as they attempted to arrest him; he is currently engaged in a stand-off with police.
Report Post »All joking aside, weren’t they looking for some white dudes yesterday?
youdidthis
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:48amPolitijim has an extensive article based on the interview with Bettina Viviano titled: Did Obama Assassinate Clinton Delegates?
Report Post »Red, Right and Blue Radio Show (full audio below)
with Rick Bulow and Harriet Baldwin
Minute – Mark Conversation Subject
17:00 – 1st Portion with Bettina Viviano. How she came to become involved, overview of all complaints.
20:39 – Accuses Pelosi, Dean, Reid of committing the fraud
21:00 – California withheld vote because they were going to stand for Hillary despite railroading
22:00 – Claims Democrats would drive through skid row and pay them to vote with liquor and booze as well as getting Alzheimer’s patients to vote.
23:30 – Has seen the New Black Panther party HQ in Houston to plan to steal election.
53:00 – Women from Trinity United Church who knows Obama well, witnessed intimidation similar to Philadelphia Black Panther incident.
55:30 – Bettina’s partner may be intimidated by threats.
56:45 – 21 year old Black Delegated Threatened With Murder
57:15 – Obama campaigns for Islamist, Terrorist Cousin in Kenya (Odinga)
1:00:15 – The ORIGINAL BIRTHERS were Bill & Hillary Clinton. Bettina heard it DIRECTLY out of their mouths.
1:01:42 – She has personal knowledge Hillary made a deal the night before she stepped down. Her friends said the Obama and Clinton camps were yelling and screaming at each other for 3 days in the ugliest exhibition of politics they’d ever seen.
http://obamareleaseyourrecords.blogspot.com/2012/03/hollywood-p
RamonPreston
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:47amDo it like in the movies. Chain it to their wrist. Problem solved.
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:46am.
Report Post »NASA, Ya’ll used to be able to send a man to the Moon, but now you can’t even track a laptop?……
RamonPreston
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:51amThere is NO proof that we ever went to the moon. It was staged at Area 51.
1. Photos show it was not the moon.
2. The lunar rover would not fit in the lunar lander.
3. They docked with the mother ship in orbit at high speeds in a vehicle with no windows.Yeah, right!!
So why haven’t we been back???
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 10:54amI think Ramon’s tinfoil hat is crooked.
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 12:19pm.
Report Post »Tom I think it was stolen along with the laptop…
let us prey
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:45amA man had his credit card stolen. He however decided not to report it because the thief was spending less than his wife did.
Report Post »RamonPreston
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:54amIt was funny the first time I heard it.
Report Post »let us prey
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 10:05amHere, this is for you Ramon
Report Post »A computer geek goes to prison for fraud, they put him in a cell with a 300LB guy, Having heard what happens to geeks in prison and being nervous he figures he had better introduce himself, He extends his hand and says with a quivering voice, Hi my name is John Smith. The big guy who actually is a nice guy extends his and says my name is Turner Brown. The geek passes out. The big guy fans him and brings him too. Why did you pass out he asked? The geek replies, what did you say your name was? Turner Brown he replies. Oh God the geek says I thought you said “TURN AROUND”.
dirtypolitics
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:45ampurposely?
Report Post »Inlightofthings
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:54amOne does have to wonder. What a gold mine of intellectual property, IQ etc. Find a couple weak links and voila. Obviously the usefulness of many of these folks working for NASA for US concerns is minimal. A good plot for a pic if nothing else.
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 10:56amYou do have to wonder, don’t ya?!?!
Report Post »KangarooJack
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:40amGee, faced with loss of income soon-wonder if it was lost – stolen – or sold?
Report Post »RightUnite
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:40amYa know, if they were promised prison time if their laptop is EVER lost, or stolen, we would see a huge drop in this happening….
Report Post »SamIamTwo
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:32amSame as paper…nothing has changed other than the way we transmit word and thought…including personal info.
Report Post »SamIamTwo
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:30amWelcome to the digital age, same as the paper age…
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:26amOh no, who will track global warming with NASA losing all it’s computers? It will give them more time for Muslim outreach though.
Report Post »Stoic one
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:24amSnow; the whole thing stinks to me
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:20amQuery: Is it just me or does anyone suspect that there is some kind of money being transferred between parties for the information on the indentities for usage in fraud purposes?
Report Post »NJTMATO
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:30amNot just you Snow….things get stranger every day….perhaps it’s not really strange but now I pay more attention so I see it.
Report Post »piper60
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:30amPLenty of money, and it has Soros’ name all over it.
Report Post »Apple Bite
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 9:37amIf we had a government that was competent to begin with, none of these laptops would be missing at all. You’d think Holder would follow the stink to the source, but nooooo, he deems it more neccessary to demonize states that want to implement voter ID laws. That’s occupying all of his attention.
Damn Harvard grads. Burn Harvard to hell and back…
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 10:09am@Piper – I don’t think this case is necessarily Soros; I was figuring more like the drug cartels and those who engage in ID theft/secret theft and espionage. Though Soros could be part of it as well on a more massive scale.
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