Forwarded from: William Knowles <wkat_private> http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/queens/nyc-screen0721,0,3811514.story?coll=nyc-manheadlines-queens By Glenn Thrush Staff Writer July 21, 2003 [Federal officials are quietly scouring the Washington, D.C., area for a stolen laptop computer loaded with vital information on dozens of airport baggage and passenger screeners that could be used to forge IDs. The computer, property of the federal Transportation Security Administration, contains screeners' names and addresses, along with social security numbers, birthdates and other personal data. It was stolen from an agency staffer's car in late May, according to TSA spokeswoman Chris Rhatigan. "We are working furiously to get it back and we've sent out a message to let all of our screeners know they need to safeguard their personal information," Rhatigan said. There's no indication the theft was terrorism-related, but Washington police and transportation officials are worried that the highly sensitive contents could get into the wrong hands, she said. "We're not giving out too much information on this because we don't want to provide a road map for the terrorists," Rhatigan said. The laptop is password-protected and contains other security features that should make it hard for all but a hardened hacker to access, she said. Word of the missing computer comes just two weeks after a pair of top TSA officials resigned amid criticism that the agency has performed background checks on 22,000 of 55,000 employees, while failing to vet 85 criminals who got jobs at U.S. airports. In June, Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge announced a cost-cutting plan to lay off 6,000 screeners by the fall. Kennedy and Newark Liberty International airports, stand to lose 396 and 273 full-time positions, respectively, or about 20 percent of their screeners. LaGuardia Airport will lose 36 or about 4 percent. The TSA is fighting efforts by unions to organize the screeners. Union activists and screeners gathered on the steps of City Hall yesterday to accuse the agency of covering up security breaches and bullying employees who complain to their supervisors. "We don't have any whistleblower protection, so when we complain about something that isn't right we can be fired or transferred," said Miguel Shamah, a screener at LaGuardia. "That creates a danger because the truth isn't getting out." Rhatigan called the comments irresponsible and accused union organizers of "trying to scare the flying public." *==============================================================* "Communications without intelligence is noise; Intelligence without communications is irrelevant." Gen Alfred. M. Gray, USMC ---------------------------------------------------------------- C4I.org - Computer Security, & Intelligence - http://www.c4i.org ================================================================ Help C4I.org with a donation: http://www.c4i.org/contribute.html *==============================================================* - ISN is currently hosted by Attrition.org To unsubscribe email majordomoat_private with 'unsubscribe isn' in the BODY of the mail.
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