OMB Website Exposes Thousands of SSNs

msblack writes "The New York Times is reporting that an Office of Management and Budget website accidentally exposed at least 30,000 social security numbers publicly online. As many as 100,000 to 150,000 individuals may have been affected. The cost to taxpayers just for notifications and credit monitoring is estimated to run $4 million. 'While there was no evidence to indicate whether anyone had in fact used the information improperly, officials at the Agriculture Department and the Census Bureau removed the Social Security numbers from the Census Web site last week. Officials at the Agriculture Department said Social Security numbers were included in the public database because doing so was the common practice years ago when the database was first created, before online identity theft was as well-known a threat as it is today. '"

Comments

Nothing Has Changed

[Doc Ruby]

We've given these Bush "administration" jerks a blank check for years for security, after they barked "PRE-9/11 THINKING!!!" at anyone suggesting they were going too far, it wasn't worth the tradeoffs, or they were incompetent.

So they have taken all the power and money, and given us ZERO extra security, while routinely sending us into more and worse danger.

And if anyone had any doubts about how much this Bush regime thinks we're idiots, just watch a replay of their Attorney General shabbily lying and denying his way through even the most basic questions about how he runs the Justice Department. That's the guy in charge of the FBI.

Thanks, Republicans!