Oops, more "lost" data
This time it was across the pond where data went missing. According to the UK branch at Computerworld in this article, "Operational failure' misplaced records for 25 million kids... or was it theft?" the records of child benefit claimants have gone missing. The data was stored on discs that were en route to the UK's National Audit Office. Bad enough that the discs "disappeared," but what's worse is that they weren't encrypted. Encryption of such confidential data should be automatic and undisputed. It should never be sent in unencrypted format. While a Gartner analyst contends that it is unlikely the data is in criminal hands, I'm sure that opinion doesn't assuage the millions (25 million to be more precise) whose data is lost somewhere out there. In a worst case scenario, the UK banking industry could stand to lose a whopping $615 million if they were forced to close the affected accounts. It just goes to show you how saving a little money (by forgoing encryption) can turn into spending a lot of money. It reminds me of the expression "Quality doesn't cost, it pays."
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