NASA Laptop Stolen With Command Codes That Control Space Station
- Posted on March 1, 2012 at 3:53pm by
Tiffany Gabbay
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An unencrypted NASA laptop computer complete with command codes to control the International Space Station was stolen last year, according to congressional testimony by NASA’s inspector general.
In a statement given to a House committee on the security challenges facing NASA, Paul K. Martin said the computer was actually not an isolated incident but was in fact one of 48 taken between April 2009 and April 2011.
“The March 2011 theft of an unencrypted NASA notebook computer resulted in the loss of algorithms used to command and control the International Space Station,” Martin said in his written testimony. “Other lost or stolen notebooks contained Social Security numbers and sensitive data on NASA’s Constellation and Orion programs.”
CBS reports:
In 2010 and 2011, there were 5,408 computer security incidents at the space agency costing NASA an estimated $7 million.
“These incidents spanned a wide continuum from individuals testing their skill to break into NASA systems, to well-organized criminal enterprises hacking for profit, to intrusions that may have been sponsored by foreign intelligence services seeking to further their countries’ objectives,” Martin said.
Last year, NASA was the victim of 47 cyberattacks, with 13 of those attacks successfully compromising the agency’s computers. In one of those attacks, credentials for more than 150 employees were stolen.
Another attack involved Chinese-based IP addresses that gained full access to systems and sensitive user accounts at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
According to the Office of Management and Budget, a mere 1 percent of NASA’s portable devices and laptops have been encrypted this year.
“Until NASA fully implements an Agency-wide data encryption solution, sensitive data on its mobile computing and portable data storage devices will remain at high risk for loss or theft,” Martin said.
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Comments (83)
Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:45pmThis is a breach of the most fundamental responsibility of the Federal Government and defense. The Feds and bureacrats are way to busy running car companies, banks, healthcare, student loans, medicare, and suing States for operating within the law, AND OBAMACARE to do anything right…
Report Post »Itsjusttim
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 5:32pmThat’s why big government is good, and giant government is better. It doesn’t stick around long.
Report Post »MYHEROISRON
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 7:13pm…what kind of codes? I don’t know, words like crap game, bank heist … and the International Space Station crashes to earth … right into the Obama Whitehouse … ha … ha. Living in America is becoming very depressing.
Report Post »jhaydeng
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 8:32pmand the Oscar goes to….
Report Post »the_truth_or_not
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 11:26pm@ Injustm
Report Post »The only problem with big govt’s not lasting long, is when they fall they usually bring down the nation the govern.
TomFerrari
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 6:28amWhat a joke.
Report Post »UNENCRYPTED LAPTOP!
It gets really old telling people that I among many others in the tech industry have long cautioned the govt should never have connected to a public network (Internet), and should have relied upon proprietary hardware and software, which would have all but eliminated the thefts of information and the hacking. Public information websites can be hosted by non-govt companies, just as public records, and all declassified records, could be hosted by pvt companies.
But, PC makers and Microsoft have big, BIG, lobbyist budgets, and money buys political favor.
We need term limits, elimination of lobbyists, and campaign finance reform.
NO union or corporate or non-profit campaign contributions. No PACs either.
Limit campaign finance to a donation of $100 per TAXPAYING CITIZEN. All donations go through a third party and arrive to the candidate weekly, aggregated into a single sum, without identifying who donated how much to the candidates. This means your $100 has the same power as soros’ billions because he could only give $100 to one candidate.
This eliminates the nonstop tv ads (too expensive & PACs eliminated), and it forces candidates to communicate with the people.
Where are the CLEAR, DETAILED, COMPLETE plans of how candidates would fix our country?
And we are willing to make these people the most powerful person on earth?
With no plan???
Ruler4You
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 10:56amThis has been going on for decades. During B.J.Clintons administration huge quantities of data were lost from lost or stolen D.o.D. laptops, from “diversity” scientists inside ‘White Sands’ where entire HDD’s were lost from PROTECTED top secret vaults.
Just like Sandy Burger, our National Security Adviser under B.J.Clinton, who debased himself by stuffing secret archives in his pants and socks, ‘for the cause.’
And these aren’t the “only” examples of P I S S poor controls on TOP SECRET and higher materials by the people who are charged with the control of those items.
IMHBLO, ALL of this “IS” an example of the “redistribution of technology”, which equals wealth. And it continues today with daily hacks from china and elsewhere.
Report Post »toomuchgovt
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:44pmyou have got to be kidding me. So they hack our computers, but can’t even hang onto their own.
Report Post »CatB
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 5:17pmYup!
Report Post »pamela kay
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 3:55pmTOOMUCHGOVERNMENT: I think you nailed it with that statement. CATB is right on……………YUP. Seems everything happening lately just smells…………………………….Really? They expect us to swallow all of this?
Report Post »Eric_The_Red_State
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:44pmE43.66
Report Post »NE33.34
E40.05
W23.20
#900.77.011
#190.289.44
[290.02.499\23]
w.29.022.3
docvet
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:43pmI doubt the laptop was stolen, just misplaced. Otherwise, the information on it would have been posted on Wikileaks by now.
Report Post »deano24
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 6:07pmRussia & China are still going through the data. Wikileaks will release it after they are done with it.
Report Post »Mateytwo Barreett
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 8:01pmLeon Pinetta ain’t got it! But he had it when he started the conversation with the Muhla!
Report Post »SilentReader
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:39pmWow! It sounds like Obama et al really have it under control! Is this the fundamental transformation that they are orchestrating to bring down America!
Could these people be any more inept and corrupt than they are?
Heaven help us!
Report Post »RejectFalseIcons
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:46pmGuarantee at least one of these is in chinese hands, probably iranian too.
Report Post »SoundStride
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:35pmIsn‘t NASA’s primary goal Muslim outreach now? Well there you go thanks to Barry The wanna be boy king dictator.
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:34pm.
Report Post »NASA still has a working Laptop?…….Live down the road from JSC and I don’t think they can put a Paper Air Plane into orbit right now………….
dlivelli
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:30pmThis administration proves on a daily basis that it does NOT have the best interest of this country as its first priority….therefore this does not surprise me. I just wonder what else has ‘been leaked, or stolen’, and how We The People will pay the price for their stupidity.
Report Post »Cymry
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:25pmdon’t expect Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County Arizona to work on the stolen laptop…….he‘s busy elevating barry soetoro’s ineligibility to be potus to a criminal investigation (he said they have “probable cause”) and they have a “person of interest” as the forger of barry’s fake birth certificate.
Report Post »TSUNAMI-22
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:29pmSheriff Arpaio will probably be the next person to die of “natural causes”….if you get my drift.
Report Post »Captain Crunch
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:32pmAnd just what does a Sheriff in Arizona have to do with investigating stolen laptops in Florida?
Report Post »Google has a very nice mapping service.
freedom10
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:34pmCompanies that are tracking this website. I never see this many at other websites like Infowars.com, is GB a shill for the establishment?
Dedicated Networks
Quantcast
Nielson
Media6degrees
AudienceScience
Zedo (Undertone Networks)
Doubleclick Blocked here
Omniture Blocked here
Quantcast Blocked here
Google Analytics Blocked here
Netratings Site Census Blocked here
Media6 Degrees Blocked here
Google Adwords Conversion Blocked here
Revenue Science Blocked here
Zedo Blocked here
Comscore Beacon Blocked here
New Relic Blocked here
ChartBeat Blocked here
Just add DoNotTrackPlus to firefox browser.
Report Post »PoliticallyRightUs.Com
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:40pmNailed it!!!
Report Post »JP4JOY
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 7:11pmIf you post here you are being tracked!! No Joke, NO tin foil Hats. Keep your powder dry. Don’t let your guard down. Have Three others that you trust to post your demise in case they come and get YOU!
Report Post »Ravings of a lunatic planet
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:22pmScottie , beam me up! There is no intelligent life force on this planet.!
Report Post »Razorhunters
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:19pmbc is forgery…ss# is fraud.
news media interested in joe’s motivation.
Report Post »neverending
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:18pmStolen? Would be better explained as just more of the corruption that goes on with this administration. Might not be able to complete all his goals while he is in office so he’s gotta get a head start for when he is hopefully voted OUT!
Report Post »Eric
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:17pmAm I really reading this story correctly? _NASA_ stores highly sensitive information _unencrypted_ on its computer systems, including laptops? REALLY?
This type of blatant disregarding for our nation‘s secrets make it hard to believe that there aren’t people inside of our agencies and government departments who are intentionally allowing this information to leak.
And another issue that escapes all logic: after this revelation, why are there not immediate orders being sent out to encrypt all sensitive information on all government systems? Even I, who has nothing to hide, engages in active encryption of all my data.
I’ll be writing a nice letter to my local congressmen and senator, along with forwarding copies to NASA. I highly suggest you guys voice your immediate concerns, too.
Report Post »JP4JOY
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 7:08pmGreat, unfortunately you are corresponding with those who have taken over the asylum. We are under a state of siege and just don’t want to admit it yet.
Report Post »johnpaulkuchtajr
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:15pmLet me see if we can see a pattern here……
First, a fully functioning drone lands in the lap of the Iranian mullahs.
Now, Ahmadinnerjacket is probably trying to figure out how to turn the lap top “on.” Once he gets the hang of that, he’ll land the space station in downtown Tehran and have a big parteee!
Report Post »PoliticallyRightUs.Com
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:47pmYou forgot to mention the Drone landing without a scatch!!!
Report Post »Maxim Crux
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:15pmAnother attack on an icon of American Pride and Accomplishment. I would look towards that one person who wants to eliminate NASA as the prime subject of investigation
Report Post »Lordchamp
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:12pmThis is an absolute insult to anyone with any intelligence. I would be ashamed to stand before someone and state that only 1% of the mobile devices for ANY government agency were encrypted.
ALL data processing should immediately halt until that is accomplished. PERIOD! No other work is done. NOTHING!
The incompetence of our government is beyond explanation. They cannot be trusted to do ANYTHING right and their actions continuously prove this FACT.
Report Post »Uncle Tom
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:11pmThere is absolutely no excuse for that kind of incompetence. It is only a matter of hours to encrypt a hard drive, and anything with data that sensitive should be equipped with GPS tracking and remote wipe capabilities. This is Security 101, and our government is so inept it fails even these simple tasks. What a joke!
Report Post »Apple Bite
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:08pmJust one question…Why are NASA laptops unencrypted?
It took feds a few months to finally crack the laptop of a Realtor suspected of cheating because her laptop was encrypted. The biggest problem with this government, is the amount of self-inflicted wounds it set itself up for…..
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:14pmOnly difference is this – what if someone decides to drop it onto a city or something?
Report Post »supressorgrid
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 10:32pmIn reply to snowlepard, dropping a laptop on a city will not do much damage at all.
Report Post »Diablo4965
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:06pmGreat!
Report Post »Razorhunters
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:06pmSheriff Joe Press Conference Live-Feed, 3-1, 3 P.M. ET.
Report Post »fake bc’s , ss# fraud…etc etc
Living In NYC
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:05pmAnd these foolish public servants want to keep taxpayer’s health records!
That why taxpayers want private insurance!
Report Post »marine249
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:04pmwho to he!! has the keys bo ?
Report Post »sooner12
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:04pmIncredible.
Report Post »kcchiefscs
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:03pmHouston, we have a problem.
Report Post »buttwart
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:03pmWho ever thought it was a good idea to give any government employee a credit card, briefcase, laptop, car, pencil, camera, jump drive, paper clip, etc. that is portable and of value should be serving life in prison.
Report Post »Living In NYC
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:12pmThey forget they are “employees and public servants” to the taxpayers!
The taxpayers know they are nothing more than a pack of fools covering each others errors or I should massive screw ups made day in and day out!
Report Post »