NASA Leaks Sensitive Data – “Oops My Bad”
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According to recent reports, NASA has slipped up yet again. This time there were no devastating explosions or missions gone awry…actually there was no destruction whatsoever…which is exactly where the problem is.
Here at Sunnking we get used electronic equipment on a daily basis from businesses who no longer need, or have upgraded computers, servers, copiers, and other equipment that stores secure information…and we maintain a secure facility so that this information is destroyed or deleted properly. This information can contain social security numbers, financial data, employee information, trade secrets, and pretty much anything that you wouldn’t want anyone outside of your company to see. If not destroyed properly, or wiped clean, this information can be a hacker’s next winning lotto ticket, and wreak potentially devastating havoc on the business and employees.
It appears that NASA did have policies in place to protect a data leak from their used equipment for sale, but they were not enforced, or ignored completely. Hard drives and used computers were not only sold to the general public with the sensitive data still intact, but there were also components found in a publicly accessible dumpster…not only did NASA screw up, but they also failed to recycle some of the electronics!
This is not the first time that NASA has come under fire for poor information technology and equipment management. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), NASA misplaced $94 million in equipment between 1997 and 2007, and failed to meet their goals of stopping such losses in six of those ten years.