Starbucks Loses Laptops With Worker Data

[Omaha Steve]

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20061105/D8L6N5P80.html

Starbucks Loses Laptops With Worker Data
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Nov 5, 12:12 AM (ET)

By ELIZABETH M. GILLESPIE

SEATTLE (AP) - Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) said Friday it had lost track of four laptop computers, two of which had private information on about 60,000 current and former U.S. employees and fewer than 80 Canadian workers and contractors.

The data, which includes names, addresses and Social Security numbers, is about three years old, dating prior to December 2003, said Valerie O'Neil, a spokeswoman for the Seattle-based coffee retailer.

The company has not received any reports that anyone's personal information has been compromised.

"We have no reason to believe these laptops are in the hands of someone who wants to misuse them," O'Neil said. "We just want to make every effort to protect our partners."

FULL story at link above.

[Heidi]

1. Translation: "We just want to make every effort to cover our a$$es."

:eyes:

[Deja Q]

2. Who in IT knows how to protect PCs?

I know how... but my previous management said not to bother with it.

Management since has left the building...

[Cozumel]

8. No one these days, aparantly...

The first thing I would do to ensure that data is not lost would be NOT TO PUT IT ON A LAPTOP!!! they are easily stolen. I mean, why not store it all on a nice central mainframe? that ain't gonna go anywhere. then again, encrypting all the data on a laptop would probably ensure no data lost (even if the machines are), especially if it's a strong cypher. but hey, what do I know? i've only been playing with these boxes since I was 6 (and i'm 26 now). end of rant.

[Occulus]

13. Too many people don't know about or understand encryption

They rely on Window$ "security" to "protect" their data.

Too bad I can pop a live linux distro into the CD tray and read from the entire Window$ drive without worrying about that pesky Window$ password.

[MrPrax]

14. Yuppers...

and if the laptop has a burner, all you would need is a LIVE disk and a blank disk...then you wouldn't even need to steal it, if data was all you wanted.

Nobody the wiser.

[Ecumenist]

3. Seems to be the corporate crime de rigeur this season

Oaraniud I may be but this getting two obvious and predictable.

[Demit]

4. Just because you're oaraniud doesn't mean they're not out to get you

:)

[NJCher]

5. First belly laugh of the day award does to you, DemItAll

:rofl:




Cher

[glitch]

15. Second this. Thanks for that. nt

[Ecumenist]

16. Amen Dem.... Considering what this bunch is attempting...

it's just too convenient that all these databases keep disappearing and getting "stole".

[sarcasmo]

6. Kick and Nom for another lost lap top for the Government data base.

[rocktivity]

7. VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORKS, YOU IDIOTS!!!

That way you don't have to keep the data in the computer's hard drive, you can still access it from anywhere (with the right password, of course), and if the laptop is stolen, all the thief gets is the laptop!!!

:banghead:
rocknation

[high density]

11. No kidding, what's with all these stupid companies?

Host the sensitive info on a SQL server somewhere and let employees view it through a VPN connection to the company network. I'm really beginning to believe that a lot of these companies have IT people that do mostly nothing all day long.

[Klimmer]

9. These data thefts are intentional, they are no accident . . .

These massive data thefts are at epidemic proportions. It is done to illegally data mine to full-fill the BCF and Rethug Neo-con criminal intentions for the secret program "Echelon." They can't get the data legally so they will still it and do so anyway.

See Wayne Madsen's Data Theft chart and you will be amazed at the level of data theft that is going on:

http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/Datathefts.php


We truly are turning into a prison planet.

[Vidar]

12. No doubt something like that. Coming next, cash transfers by ziplock

bag. No wait, Diebold makes ATMs. We don't need no fricking ziplock bags.

[Joe Chi Minh]

10. Whether it was true or false, I seem to remember reading that

duirng the 9/11 disaster, Starbucks would only allow fire-fighters to use water of theirs at a price, and assumed they would be history. But nobody seemed to have thought it bordering on treasonable. What was the story on that?

[cosmicdot]

17. bringing the total to 97,148,596

the number of known/reported records containing sensitive personal information involved in security breaches since 15 February 2005

http://www.privacyrights.org/ar/ChronDataBreaches.htm


"We just want to make every effort to protect our partners."