Posted on 06/30/2006 1:51:44 AM PDT by familyop
WASHINGTON, June 29 (Reuters) - A stolen laptop computer containing sensitive information on more than 26 million U.S. military veterans and servicemembers has been recovered and a preliminary review indicated no data was taken, the FBI and Veterans Affairs Department said on Thursday.
The laptop and the external hard drive taken in early May from a VA employee's residence in suburban Washington were recovered, authorities said.
"A preliminary review of the equipment by computer forensic teams has determined that the data base remains intact and has not been accessed since it was stolen," the agencies said in a statement. "A thorough forensic examination is underway, and the results will be shared as soon as possible."
A person whom the FBI did not identify turned the laptop in to the agency's Baltimore office on Wednesday, officials and veterans organizations said.
FBI spokeswoman Michelle Crnkovich said that no charges were filed against that individual, and that she no information on where the laptop was between the time of the theft and when it was turned in.
The theft of the laptop from a VA employee who had brought it to his home in Aspen Hill, Maryland, raised fears that nearly all military personnel were at risk of identity theft. Authorities have said the theft as part of a routine burglary in which other items were taken.
Lawmakers and veterans' advocates have voiced alarm that the government failed to safeguard the data that included Social Security numbers and disability ratings that could be used in credit card fraud and other crimes.
Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Larry Craig, an Idaho Republican, said "we are all holding our breath now for the FBI forensic analysis which we hope will confirm that the data has not been compromised."
Republicans and Democrats had blasted the administration for allowing the data to be lost and for responding slowly to the theft. Officials have said VA Secretary Jim Nicholson was first told of the May 3 crime on May 16 and only informed the public on May 22, almost three weeks after the theft occurred.
Cost of the theft was piling up for taxpayers. The White House this week asked Congress for $160 million to offer credit monitoring to military personnel worried of possible identity theft.
The VA also was spending millions of dollars to respond to the incident, including setting up a special call center to address veterans' concerns.
Rep. Steve Buyer, an Indiana Republican who chairs the House of Representatives Veterans Committee, said that even though he was heartened by the laptop's recovery, the "history of lenient policies and lack of accountability within VA management must be rectified."
Jim Mueller, commander-in-chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S., said those responsible for the data loss and those who knew about the theft but did not tell Nicholson for 13 days should be held accountable.
"The secretary must act swiftly and decisively if he is to restore America's trust in the VA," Mueller said.
I'm glad it was recovered, but wonder how they can tell with certainty that the files have not been accessed since it was stolen?
They can't, with any absolute certainty, because any and all log files that might have existed could have been edited--even from remote locations. About the only way to tell would be to establish a sure chain of possession and that only computer-illiterates had it in their possession. It's very doubtful that good evidence of such certainty will be established.
The whole hard drive could have been copied/cloned.
...sorry about the repeat, but yes, there are system command lines in UNIX and probably similar programs for Microsoft systems that will work with drives at the assembly/machine level. And to correct myself, that would be byte-by-byte.
Even had it been accessed, would the governmnent report that fact? I surely would not want to.
You are correct. I must, for safety sake, presume that all of the data on the computer has been compromised.
It's inexcusable.
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