Discarded Copiers Hold Sensitive Data on Hard Drives

SANS Newsbites tells of a CBS news investigation that had found that the hard drives of four digital copy machines purchased second-hand contained vast amounts of personally identifiable information, including police files on domestic violence and sex crimes, copies of pay stubs and checks and sensitive medical information like test results, prescriptions and diagnoses. This would be a major coup for those in the identity theft business.

"You're talking about potentially ruining someone's life," said Ira Winkler, former analyst for the National Security Agency, "where they could suffer serious social repercussions."

While some manufacturers say they offer security or encryption packages on their products, evidence keeps piling up in warehouses that many businesses are not willing to pay for such protection and the average American is oblivious to the dangers posed by digital copiers.


For full story, see CBS Evening News.