Unencrypted Laptop Data Behind Latest Data Leak

from the at-least-make-it-a-little-harder dept

Bank of America, no stranger to data leaks, says personal information of users of its Visa Buxx prepaid debit cards may have been compromised when a laptop -- containing the data in an unencrypted format -- was stolen. There seems to be an unofficial contest for the biggest data leak, but what about the dumbest? Unencrypted data on a laptop? It doesn't take a security expert to figure out that might not be a good idea. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of incentive for companies behind some of these leaks to really do anything significant to change their ways, while regulatory efforts seem to focused on punishment rather than prevention. The question of what constitutes reasonable protection is one that will come up time and time again in trying to assign blame (and liability) for these leaks. But it's a pretty safe bet that keeping unencrypted personal data on a laptop wouldn't be seen by too many people as reasonable.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 7 Oct 2005 @ 2:45pm

    No Subject Given

    Why the fuck do they even have credit card info on a laptop. Surely they have five nines RAID servers to store important information like that.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Bill, 7 Oct 2005 @ 5:00pm

      No Subject Given

      i WONDER IS YOU CAN SUE THEM FOR THIS. i MEAN, THERE PROBABLY IS A LAW THAT STATES "BANKS CANNOT PUT CREDIT CARD CRAP ON UNENCRYPTED LAPTOPS."

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    STJ, 7 Oct 2005 @ 3:32pm

    No Subject Given

    Um I'd say if you are with BOA, RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Chris, 7 Oct 2005 @ 4:18pm

    No Subject Given

    Wow, now that is just very scary. I can understand an employeee downloading and saving customer data.. or giving out his/her passwords to someone else... but this just takes the cake. With encryption built into Windows 2000 and XP Pro there's no excuse for it to not have been encrypted.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Steve, 8 Oct 2005 @ 3:05am

      Re: No Subject Given

      Please tell me you take the "encryption" built into windows seriously?

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    bill, 7 Oct 2005 @ 4:53pm

    Bank of america laptop stolen

    i think it was all a trap. The laptop is a bomb, just waiting to explode. My guess is that bank of america has some enemies it wants ot get rid of, and an exploding laptop will be the perfect weapon. It is only a matter of time before those guys blow up in their cozy little beds

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous of Course, 8 Oct 2005 @ 8:13pm

    Rule One

    There is no security without physical security.
    How stupid do you have to be to put data like that on a laptop? Probably as stupid as you'd have to be to let data like that leave the locked limited access room it should be kept in. They can't be that stupid. What this means to me is the bank card people really don't care.
    -
    I hope some hungry dog lawyer eats BOA's shorts.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.