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US Army Files Found On Second-Hand MP3 Player

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the great-seller-+++ dept.

MichaelSmith writes "A New Zealand man who bought a second hand MP3 player from a store in the US found it loaded with the names and personal details of American soldiers, as well as a mission briefing and information about equipment. Chris Ogle says he will return the unit to the US Defense Department if asked, and that it never worked as a music player anyway. A slightly different version of the story is available from TVNZ."

20 of 184 comments (clear)

  1. And the previous owner was? by El+Torico · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The Army should ask for the return of the MP3 player (and pay for it), find out who put the files on it, and punish them. I don't expect that to happen.

    --
    In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is usually crucified.
    1. Re:And the previous owner was? by houghi · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Most likely they will try to punish the current owner.

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
    2. Re:And the previous owner was? by oldspewey · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'm not sure that announcing this to the news was "the right thing."

      I think it was. Divulging the specific contents of the device might be inappropriate, but letting the world know about a screwup like this is most certainly "the right thing."

      --
      If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
    3. Re:And the previous owner was? by jandrese · · Score: 4, Interesting

      My guess is that like so much stuff found in second hand shops near bases, the MP3 player was stolen from the previous owner and sold for beer money. The files on it probably weren't classified or particularly sensitive and the previous owner was using it as a fancy thumb drive.

      --

      I read the internet for the articles.
    4. Re:And the previous owner was? by whisper_jeff · · Score: 5, Interesting

      "I really doubt that the US Army is going to try and punish an innocent New Zealander for trying to do the right thing."

      Unfortunately, "doing the right thing" does not protect one from bureaucrats. When someone in a suit wants someone punished, they will find a target, even if it happens to be the person who did "the right thing." My favourite example of this was a woman who worked for a mid-sized company as an accountant. She noticed something questionable on the books and reported it to her boss. Her boss told her to ignore it and proceed. She knew that her boss was dodging the IRS and, not wanting to be a party to tax evasion, she reported the company to the IRS and quit. The IRS began an investigation and found, sure enough, the company was illegally avoiding paying taxes. The company, of course, used every method to dodge the IRS. The IRS, having lost their obvious target, decided to use a different tactic and elected to go after the accountant who was working for the company at the time the questionable events took place.

      The woman who reported the situation to them.

      The IRS ceased her home and garnished her wages (from her new job) to pay off the outstanding taxes. Doing the right thing resulted in this woman being screwed, to say the least.

      Yes, this is an extreme example and it's also an example of the old IRS (they've apparently had their power to abuse people reduced since then - this story took place ten or 15 years ago, iirc). But, it is still an example of someone doing the right thing yet still being turned into a target so that someone in a suit can punish _someone_.

    5. Re:And the previous owner was? by Gandalf_Greyhame · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I am just trying to work this out. How is a New Zealand citizen able to commit treason against the US?

      treason: (noun) the crime of betraying one's country

      --
      I am not stubborn. I am right!
    6. Re:And the previous owner was? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Because you're either with us or you're with the terrorists. Didn't you get that memo?

    7. Re:And the previous owner was? by jandrese · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Wouldn't it be easier to just hide it somewhere (out in the woods for instance) instead of involving a third person who could potentially id both of you if the army comes looking?

      --

      I read the internet for the articles.
    8. Re:And the previous owner was? by Randle_Revar · · Score: 4, Funny

      >Because you're either with us or you're with the terrorists.
      Not since last Tuesday.

      --
      Climate Progress - Hell and High Water
  2. They Should purchase it back by ITJC68 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If the military is not smart enough to purchase this item from the person and investigate how and who placed those files on this player then security is an afterthought and obviously flawed. This type of information couldn't have been obtained by a low level recruit either but someone higher in the chain of command. Either the FBI or the CIA should look into this without military oversight so there is no chance of influence. I doubt it will happen but I hope they do.

  3. Daily occurrence by mseeger · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Hi,
    i would expect this to happen on a daily basis. Usually the buyer will not be a journalist but some kid. The typical kid will say "boring stuff" and have those files deleted before finishing yawning. By doing so, they prevent more security leaks than most security officers.
    Sincerly yours, Martin

  4. What would you do? by mwilliamson · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Seriously, I'd just overwrite the device with a utility such as dban then keep my mouth shut, forever. This is the advice I'd offer anyone in this sort of situation. I actually take it a step further in that I dban _every_ used storage device I get without first looking to see what is on it, so I have no clue if I ever received something via a second-hand device that I should not have.

    1. Re:What would you do? by L4t3r4lu5 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      A guy in my local (sorry, no citations) was sent an indecant image of (obviously) a child, and called teh police. They duely arrived, took a look at it, and took the guy out of the room.

      "Ok Sir, i'm going to go out the front door and close it behind me. Before I knock on your door again, that picture will have been deleted from your computer and you'll have forgotten about it. IF you mention it, i'll have to arrest you for posession of an indecent image of a minor."

      Even the cops think things like this are best swept under the carpet.

      Disclaimer: UK Law, YMMV

      --
      Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
  5. Re:Do it Chris Ogle! by von_rick · · Score: 4, Funny

    in 4.. 3.. 2.. 1..

    NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition! Amongst our weaponry are such diverse elements as: fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, , and nice red uniforms!

    --

    Face your daemons!

  6. I'd hate to be the original owner by MikeRT · · Score: 5, Informative

    Few seemingly innocuous things can get you in greater trouble in any part of the federal government, especially the DoD than bringing a personal portable storage device into an area that is restricted. Copying sensitive information onto one is, itself, a very serious offense that if a soldier gets caught doing will not only revoke any security clearance they had but quite possibly end their career in the federal government.

  7. Re:what are the exit policies of the army? by NewbieProgrammerMan · · Score: 5, Informative

    i would think that in an organization as large and as stereotypically stringent as the us army that they'd have some sort of exit policy for equipment and personnel.

    I would have thought so, too, until I spent a few years in the US military. You'd be amazed how much and what kind of stuff makes it past policies (exit or otherwise). When I lived in a military town, it seems like I'd see a story every year or so about about service members getting caught with garages full of new and/or used stuff.

    --
    [b.belong('us') for b in bases if b.owner() == 'you']
  8. Re:Not just the military by stiggle · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Except they would like you use the USB mouse, USB keyboard to actually do some work :-) Easier to just lock the PC itself inside a cabinet so the end user doesn't have access to the box itself, just the keyboard, mouse, monitor.

  9. Fill in the blanks by Minwee · · Score: 5, Funny

    Chris Ogle says he will return the unit to the US Defense Department if asked, and that it never worked as a music player anyway.

    Oh, so it was a Zune?

  10. Re:what are the exit policies of the army? by tlhIngan · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The Army doesn't used iPods to store data. Service members, however, have a habit of ignoring policies and using whatever storage mechanism is handy to transfer data between systems. I'm in the Navy, and I've seen similar behavior. Yes, there are policies against it on my side as well. Stuff still happens, and this is exactly why we have rules concerning storage devices.

    The problem is, if you ban storage devices, you're gonna have to provide an equally convenient way to move data around. Otherwise everyone's going to find their own method, which may be as simple as emailing it around.

    The issue is that rules are made, but the rulemakers don't realize the reason why people were doing what they were doing. Ban storage devices, and if someone still needs to get data from point A to point B, well, you've just got a bunch of people who are going to find a way to either circumvent the rule, or to find an alternative, which may not be as secure.

    Banning the devices without an equally convenient alternative will just result in people finding workarounds. Just don't be surprised what those workarounds are. Interfere with people Getting Stuff Done(tm) without educating them on How to Get Stuff Done without X...

  11. It's not just the Army by Richy_T · · Score: 5, Funny

    I also recently purchased a used IPOD and found important naval information stored on it, most notably recruitment details describing how new recruits would be able to

    • Learn Science Technology
    • Learn to fly
    • Play in sports and skin dive
    • Study oceanography
    • Sign up for the big band
    • Or sit in the grandstand

      When your team and others meet

    • sail the seven seas
    • put your mind at ease
    • join your fellow man

    amongst other available activities. In the interests of national security, I deleted the file in question immediately.