What is Digg?36 Comments
- locojones, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1How many times does this have to happen before we can get some privacy laws protecting the consumer?
Storing that information in unencrypted form, or sending it in any manner in which it leaves company hands should be criminal. Only when the heads of these companies can be made personally liable for their lax security procedures will they begin to take consumer privacy seriously. - acontorer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Oh boy, this is a really bad one. Why oh why don't companies [strongly] encrypt their backup tapes??
- thepod, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I own a timeshare with them. BASTARDS!
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1*My* backups are encrypted! Duh! Why isn't MARRIOT's!
I think Mr. Marriot should spend more time running his company! And Paris Marriot, his daughter, is a big slut - Computer_Kid, on 10/12/2007, -1/+25:30 PM, IT Department:
Hay bob, when you are finished make thoes backups lay them on the table.
John, shouldn't I place them in that locked cabnet?
No Bob, it is not needed, it is not like somebody is going to come in here and steal them!
[They both Laugh] - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Only terrorists refuse to give out their social security numbers.
Seriously, I've actually FOUGHT with people over the phone because I refused to give them my social security number for internet access or cable television or telephone service or any of a million other things. - monkeymagik, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0nice ^_^
digg effect... site isn't coming up though - JPhilipson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Wow...this is scary...That's why I don't want any company knowing my information. Can you trust someone else with your life?
- daurkin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0This is really bad for those two hundred thousand people that were already suckered in to buying a timeshare from one of those "free" vacation ads to the Marriott.
- skyhighrockets, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0HOLY *****.
we own timeshare with them.
> - dirtyfratboy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Because they all get away with this...
- zelig, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Time shares are a bad investment under the best of circumstances.
- snoudude, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0
They made the statement that it's not "easy" to get the data off of the tapes. Geez try a couple backup/recovery packages and I'd bet it would be pretty easy unless it was multiplexed or was a block level incremental from a db.
"Seriously, I've actually FOUGHT with people over the phone because I refused to give them my social security number for internet access or cable television or telephone service or any of a million other things."
Me too - about 10 years ago my health insurance company used SSNs as our policy number. It took about 2 weeks of time on the phone to convince them that having that number in my wallet along with another form of ID was a bad idea. About 8 years ago I battled with the DMV. Now most places you actually have to "opt in" and not out. Most places these days (unless they have to report something to the IRS like a bank) I give them my number but with one or two digits off. Generally they'll only ask (for verification) for the last 4 digits so it works fine. I've actually gotten "credit", if you can call cell phone service without my SSN listed - usually just takes a couple days rather than instantly and they have to get a supervisor to help with the application since they can't just leave the field blank. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0WTF! This is bad.
- Pizpump, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"Over the past year, a series of personal data breaches affected high-profile companies including Citigroup, Bank of America and DSW Shoe Warehouse."
One of these is not like the others... - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0That's real bad..
That wouldnt give me back any confidence.. - pampusik, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0It's about time that these companies learn how to encrypt their data. Data "tapes" containing information such as your SSN, DOB, etc., are typically transfered between financial institutions with no encryption or weak encryption (e.g., some companies simply use trivial Excel passwords and think it counts as encryption). Sometimes data is transferred via SSL to a "secure" server, but that server could be running an unpatched Windows build. Whether or not they physically lose your data shouldn't make you feel better. It's the times they lose your data (but not physically) that we should be worried...
- DavisFreeberg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Anyone stupid enough to buy a time share will never be smart enough to monitor their credit for fraud.
- samfrench, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Timeshares are good if you get one cheap off ebay and then plan to use it every year to actually vacation.
- Noky, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Stuff happens, all this hindsight 20/20 stuff is going around now and I don't think, unless this is a repeated mistake, that it was expected since it has happened before/recently. This is a serious issue but I don't think many people will have too serious of a problem. It's an announced problem and you know excatly who has been affected. Their accounts will be monitored and any shady activity will most-likely be handled.
- disk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0This is so sad.
- Laythor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0the people who "purchased" a time share were already screwed, I feel bad for the employees whos info was also stolen... way to go marriot.
- imtigger2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I'm stoked with my Disney timeshare (DVC). I was paying $1200 a year for a once a year visit to WDW for hotel, a 'standard' hotel room where you could see the bathroom sink from the bed, etc.
Now, for that same $1200 a year, I get a $400 per night condo for two weeks, on Disney property, with jacuzzi tub, 3 rooms, full kitchen, grand living room and private laundry room. Not only that, the hotel I used to stay at has rates that go UP every year, and my rates are locked in for the next 40 years. I'd say that if you vacation every year, you're an idiot to not at least consider a timeshare. - ddfall, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Simply put... Someone SOOO got fired. Sorry if your data was stolen. Take them up on their offer to help with your credit. Better than ignoring the problem.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0haha my parents would go to time share sessions where they could "think" about getting time share, and then we got free stuff like helicopter rides. sweet stuff.
- siouxmoux, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Just Two Words to learn from this Aricle
Back Up, Back Up, Back Up!!!! - ElectricGrandpa, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0How the hell is a timeshare a bad deal? You get what you pay for... I don't see the problem?
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0A few points:
With modern backup tape technology (such has has existed for at least the past four years or so), it is possible to fit even enormous database dumps on one very, very small tape. I have some doubt that it was a box or so of big honkin plastic things that disappeared.
Also, with modern backup server software (assuming they're not tarring directly to a little shoebox on the ass-end of their database machine(s) it is incredibly difficult to reconstruct data without access to at least a functional backup of the machine that backed it up. And that's without encryption. Modern tape drives all do hardware encryption and compression on top of that, if you ask them to.
I have no doubt that if there was theft involved with this, the people involved are in no way clued enough to get anything useful from the media that disappeared. That said, what probably happened is what usually happens---tape enumeration got wonked, and the media in question is sitting in a vault, or a box, or a refrigerator, or someone's desk drawer, the information concerning its exact location being really the only thing thats disappeared. Its a amazing that this made news at all. - mmasnick, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0If you're going to copy headlines directly from Techdirt, it would be a lot more polite to link to the Techdirt version of the story instead of the USA Today one:
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20051228/1112258_F.shtml
Sure, it points to the USA Today story, but you clearly found it on Techdirt, from the fact that you used the headline from Techdirt. It's nice that you enjoyed the headline I wrote -- I appreciate it, really, I do. But, it seems only proper that you should at least give us the credit for it. - Reddog_x2000, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@ Web Weasel. I doubt that'll work very well. Politicians will express a lot of outrage & pass a weak bill providing for nominal fines. What might work better is a class action lawsuit. Now, I know, only the lawyers make out in these cases. But, consumers may benefit indirectly because companies don't want to have to kick out big bux to ANYONE. So, they may actually start taking data protection seriously.
- ehmjay, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0whoops!
- Web_Weasel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@locojones
We won't see any companies taking information protection seriously until it's no longer optional. Since the free market approach is not working congress will eventually step in and make it happen. Just like HIPPA and Sabarnes-Oxley (however you spell it). - kilmer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0mmasnick he should have come up with his own headline if that is the case, but I don't want to go through one site to just go to another site and then get to another site that is actually holding the information I really want. Stop crying and copyright your headline and description next time.
@ yttrx - Do you work for Marriot? This is more than just a brush off your shoulder issue. - aliasunknown, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"So it seems as if we lost all of your data. Hmmmmm. Good luck getting your life back. Sorry about not being able to get that home you wanted. But hey, look, here's $100 to monitor your account so you know when your screwed!"
- Mabu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Timeshares.... LOL I can't believe people fall for that scheme.
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