Re: Biggest Incident This Week: Missing Hard Drives at Los Alamos

[joe_dark () RANDOMCREATION COM (Joe Dark)]

They keep saying that they don't suspect espionage so assuming that's
true I think their main concern is not having access to the data that is
missing. I've read that it contains a lot of information on disarming
nuclear bombs and such, and maybe it makes them nervous to not have
access to that data. Though it would seem strange that that would be
their only copy.

JoeDark

Dante Mercurio wrote:
> Ok, everyone knows about the missing hard drives at Los Alamos. My question
> to the security community is this:
>
> If the data on the drives was so sensitive, why weren't the drives
> encrypted?
>
> Even something as simple as PGP disk would render the data on that drive
> useless for many, many years. I encrypt my mobile user's laptops, and I can
> safely say that their data is nowhere near the sensitivity of nuclear
> secrets. Most likely, it's the latest Joe's cartoon they recieved in email.
>
> I am basing my assumption that the drives were not encrypted on the fact
> that there has been no comment to the contrary in the news. If there had
> been, it would not be a very good news story: "Two Hard Drives Valued at
> $200 Stolen From Government Facility" It would seem to me that if the drives
> were encrypted, the government would say so to prevent the negative
> publicity that is now occuring.
>
> Is this just a case of the government never learning or is there something I
> don't know?
>
> --Dante