Should Vets Be Concerned??

And so, the announcement came this afternoon.  The government has recovered the stolen laptop and hard drive with personal identifying information on the approximately 26.5 million veterans and active duty military personnel.

As reported by the Associated Press, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs announced,  "It was returned on Wednesday, by an unidentified person, in response to the $50,000 reward."

The FBI said that there was no evidence that Social Security numbers, or any other data on the equipment had been accessed. However, more tests are planned.

The Secretary stated that there had been no reports of identity theft stemming from the burglary at the home of the VA analyst. 

Secretary Nicholson stressed that veterans should remain vigilant regarding their credit and financial information until the tests are completed.

Of equal concern, however, are the recently discovered documents that confirm the VA analyst, at the center of this controversy, had received permission to work from home with information which included millions of Social Security numbers and other personally identifying information on veterans and military personnel.

According to the Associated Press:

• As early as September 5, 2002, the analyst had approval to use special software at home that was designed to manipulate large amounts of data.
• A separate agreement dated February 5, 2002, from the office of policy and planning, allowed the worker to access Social Security numbers for millions of veterans.
• A third document, also issued in 2002, gave the analyst permission to take a laptop computer and accessories for work outside the Veterans Affairs building.

The Associated Press reported that the VA said last month it was in the process of firing the data analyst, who is challenging the dismissal.

The recurring questions throughout this entire ordeal -- as well as so many others that have been reported over the past few years -- are these:

• What were they thinking?
• Why was the information unencrypted?
• Why should businesses and or government agencies give employees and/or consultants the right to remove extremely sensitive personal information that could impact the lives of thousands – perhaps millions of people and take it home or on road trips?

The answers will haunt us for decades.

By: Adam Levin