Thread: CA: Data on Border Soldiers Stolen

This has been a hot topic on talk radio here this week. Sure hope this lost data doesn't cause harm to them and their families.
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Data on Border Soldiers Stolen

The Associated Press
Friday, March 9, 2007; 8:26 PM



SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A computer hard drive containing Social Security numbers and other personal information on nearly 1,300 California National Guard troops deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border has apparently been stolen.

The hard drive was reported missing Feb. 23 from the Guard's border mission headquarters inside San Diego Naval Base, said California National Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Jon Siepmann. It contains home addresses, birth dates and other identifying information for all soldiers serving long-term assignments on the border.

The Guard notified the soldiers Feb. 28 that their information had been compromised. It advised them to begin checking credit statements and take other protective measures.

The Guard has turned the investigation over to the Navy's Criminal Investigative Division, Siepmann said.

"Our theory right now _ and obviously this is an investigation that's ongoing _ is that it was taken for its intrinsic value," Siepmann said of the computer. "It cost us about $450."

Investigators are focusing on whether a Guard member stole the drive, Siepmann said. It was inside a building controlled by keycard access, but about 20 Guardsmen have regular access to the room.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 01826.html

So the drug cartels know how to get to their families now? Is that it?

W

That was the same thing I was thinking.

Dixie

Yes, that was discussed too on talk radio. It is well known some drug cartels have bounties on the agents they said. Bad news for sure.

I will bet they are mad as hell ,their not even at home to protect their families, this is very sad!! Shame on this country for not protecting these guys on the border or off!!

The drug cartels should be listed as wanted. "Reward $20,000 dead or alive". Maybe if bounties were implemented in Mexico, a little more wealth would be spread out. It sure would take care of the cartels. Now, that's what I would consider a war on drugs instead of this pathetic approach that this pathetic patock (Klingon term for jackass) of a President has regarding this bogus war on drugs.

But then again, our nation has 20,000,000 addicts and Bush is still leaving the borders open and thus exposing all of America to devastating drugs. He should close the borders simply because of the drug epidemic. Makes one wonder why he leaves them open considering the fact that we have this epidemic.

I've also heard that the tunnels used for all kinds of smuggling remain open..or at least most of them because of some dispute as to who's responsibility it is to fill them in. What a bunch of crap.

If they really wanted to beat the cartels--both the US and Mexican government--they could do it. But someone is profiting and it's not going to stop. Alot of you would say that the Mexican government is profiting, but I have to wonder if there are people in power here in the US that are profiiting as well.

This has been big on talk radio out here; I posted on it the other day:

http://www.alipac.us/modules.php?nam...wtopic&t=56661

Whose show have you been listening to Jean? I heard it on Rick Roberts http://www.760kfmb.com/podcast/rick/

His whole shows on the 7th and 8th were about this. Although if you listen to the podcast from the 8th you'll pretty much get the whole story.

And yes, the belief is that the drug cartels have come into possession of this information. So much concern that the National Guard held a meeting with the Guardsmen affected to fill them in and tell them they need to contact their families and make them aware.

Stolen Hard Drive Contains Data For California Guard Troops
Nearly 1,300 People's Information Taken

POSTED: 3:28 pm PST March 10, 2007
UPDATED: 3:30 pm PST March 10, 2007

SACRAMENTO -- The Navy is investigating the apparent theft of a hard drive containing the Social Security numbers and other personal information for nearly 1,300 California National Guard troops deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border.

The hard drive was reported missing Feb. 23 from the Guard's border mission headquarters inside San Diego Naval Base, said California National Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Jon Siepmann. It contains home addresses, birth dates and other identifying information for all soldiers serving long-term assignments on the border.

On Feb. 28, the Guard notified the soldiers that their information had been compromised. It advised them to begin checking credit statements and take other protective measures.

Siepmann said the Guard has since turned the investigation over to the Navy's Criminal Investigative Division.

"Our theory right now -- and obviously this is an investigation that's ongoing -- is that it was taken for its intrinsic value," Siepmann said of the computer. "It cost us about $450."

Military officials said they could not rule out that the soldiers' information had been stolen deliberately.

A spokesman for Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-San Diego, said the lawmaker is concerned that the theft has put Guard troops at risk.

"From what we've been told, there's no reason to believe that this information was targeted by people trying to perpetrate harm on members of the National Guard," Bilbray spokesman Kurt Bardella said. "But obviously there are people actively trying to obstruct the mission on the border, and they will use every tool available and means necessary to do so."

Investigators are focusing on whether the theft was perpetrated by a member of the California National Guard because of the hard drive's location when it went missing, Siepmann said.

About 20 Guardsmen have regular access to the room where the hard drive went missing. They are members of Task Force Vista, which is coordinating the border mission.

The room is inside a building controlled by keycard access on the military base. The hard drive also was inside a locked cabinet, Siepmann said.

http://www.nbc4.tv/news/11221506/detail.html

What is Bilbray saying ???

Someone went right in for this info. If they had wanted parts to sell they would have taken the whole computer.

The hard drive was reported missing Feb. 23 from the Guard's border mission headquarters inside San Diego Naval Base, said California National Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Jon Siepmann. It contains home addresses, birth dates and other identifying information for all soldiers serving long-term assignments on the border.

This is no hacker job or stolen laptop. Someone went right into the Guard HQ and took their Hard drives.

I cannot believe this article trying to play this off like some sort of crackhead street thief taking computer parts. Ridiculous!

W

I heard somewhere, probably talk radio, it was a backup hard drive. We use one here at home too to back up our computers, totally separate device from our computers.