Despite the government's best efforts to secure its classified electronic data, the L.A. Times is reporting that
it was easily able to obtain a thumb drive full of sensitive military information -- from a bazaar right next to a US
Air Force base in Afghanistan. According to the Times, the 1GB flash drive -- which, at $40, was quite the bargain --
contains details that could put the lives of several informants and sources at risk, including pictures, phone numbers,
and even the names of their family members. Furthermore, even though files on the drive lay out specific military
procedures and intelligence gathering strategies and contain photos of the base inside the perimeter, few of the
documents are encrypted or password-protected. Although Army officials claim to regularly shop the bazaars for stolen
material, and have ordered a review of their data security protocols, the fact that such damaging info can be purchased
so easily would seem to indicate that the matter is a bit more urgent.[Via Slashdot]
