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US Nuclear Weapons Lab Loses 67 Computers
pnorth writes "Officials from New Mexico's Los Alamos nuclear weapons laboratory have confessed that 67 of its computers are missing, with no less than 13 of them having disappeared over the past year alone. A memo [PDF] leaked by the Project on Government Oversight watchdog brought the lost nuclear laptops to the public's attention, but the Energy Department's National Nuclear Security Administration dismissed fears the computers contained highly-sensitive or classified information, noting it was more likely to cause 'cybersecurity issues.' Three of the 13 computers which went missing in the past year were stolen from a scientist's home on January 16 and the memo also mentioned a BlackBerry belonging to another staff member had been lost 'in a sensitive foreign country.' The labs faced similar issues back in 2003 when 22 laptops were designated as being 'unlocated.'"
I guess causing 'cybersecurity issues' is better than 'nuclear warfare issues'.
like phosphorescent desert buttons singing one familiar song
Check the resident BOFH's stash closet...he will probably cut you a good deal on buying them back if you ask nice.
Down With Slashdot BETA!!! I've been around the corner and seen the oliphant; you can only abuse me from your perspecti
"Los Alamos Nuclear Weapons Laboratory and Taco Stand: Come for the Nukes; stay for the tacos. "
Announcer: "If we lose your sensitive nuclear secrets, your next contract is FREEEEEE!!!!"
And I'd like to be the king of all Londinium and wear a shiny hat.
At least they didn't lose any nukes.
How many times have I told you guys... first you short the receivables and then you steal the goods. Damn govt. employees can't even get a simple thing like scraping off the top right.
three of the 13 computers which went missing in the past year were stolen from a scientist's home
Either this guy gets robbed a lot, or he's been stealing laptops.
Disclaimer: The opinions and actions of the US Gov't are in no way representative of those held by this author or its ci
Project on Government Oversight watchdog brought the lost nuclear laptops to the public's attention
so now they have nuclear laptops. WOW and mine still runs solar power.
Its not my fault, someone put a wall in my way.
France.
You do realize that Los Alamos, while it is a government project in the broad sense, is run by Los Alamos National Security LLC, a private, for profit, corporation?
What would be the estimated half-life of the battery? They've been holding out on us!
America's greatest threat to national security and the economy is the government itself.
That's correct, or more specifically the greatest threat is the mismanagement of government that allows it to operate outside of its legitimate roles which is why it can't correctly take care of basic things like this.
If the history of the 20th century isn't a lesson about the nature of government then I don't know what is. It's a shame that most people don't study this on their own so their primary exposure to it comes from government agents (known as "schoolteachers"). These people quite naturally believe in government (as opposed to regarding it as a necessary evil) or else they wouldn't work for it. Just do some research and add up all the known deaths during the 20th century that were caused by terrorism. Then do some more research and add up all the known deaths during the 20th century that were caused by people being murdered by their own governments. Compare those two numbers and note the vast difference in quantity. Tell me which is more dangerous.
It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Einstein
National Nuclear Security Administration dismissed fears the computers contained highly-sensitive or classified information...
He explained that the NNSA has lists of highly sensitive and classified information, and none of the laptops appear on those lists. At least, none of the laptops appear on their remaining lists.
-Loyal
I aim to misbehave.
This never would have happened back in the good old days of the Princeton IAS machine. People took good care of their computers then. And kept track of them. You never would have caught a scientist taking one home.
And children respected their parents, and a dollar was a dollar, and we had wonderful music--not this modern stuff, it's noise, I tell you, just noise.
"How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!
They had a blog about it
There are ~14000 employees at LANL. I'd guess 20,000 laptop and desktop machines. 0.1% loss per year isn't bad. There's nothing in the article to say when the other 67 might have fallen off the radar.
C2CAM, always on the bleeding edge of news items relating to government conspiracy, aliens, ghosts and telekinetic lesbian space fish from the fourteenth dimension.
--- Do you believe in the day?
You're condemning government in general because of the actions of a few despotic regimes?
Your argument that we should examine the deaths caused by government vs those caused by terrorism is pretty weak. More people die in car accidents than from terrorists. Perhaps the problem is the propaganda being spread by those pro-car people (driving instructors)?
Analogies aside, government is just a tool of the people. Government itself doesn't hurt anyone. The army might. Blame them, if you like.
"A week in the lab saves an hour in the library"
Los Alamos is run, like all government research facilities, by PRIVATE contractors! Everyone always goes on about "Private Sector is better/more responsible than Government!" Well, every single one of these types of facilities and programs is run by PRIVATE COMPANIES under contract.
Over-the-top Response Guy! Giving "Over-the-Top Responses" since 1970.