[SGVLUG] Do you take your tapes Offsite overnite for DisasterAvoidance?

[Emerson, Tom (*IC)]

> -----Original Message----- Of James Neff
> 
> matti wrote:
> > OMG... interesting story..
> >
> > 
> [tech.blorge.com/ ... 800000-stolen-social-security-numbers]
> >
> > yes, I think some of you may have
> > already seen it... still amazes me..
> >

There is a bit of "the sky is falling" hysteria in this article -- In
this particular case, the intern's car "along with 5 others" were broken
into that night and several things taken from each.  I imagine this
isn't/wasn't a good old 2400' 9-track tape, but more likely a DDS/DAT
tape.  A common thief would probably recognize a 9-track tape as being
"a computer tape of some sort" which would be worthless to him [if he
were to "fence" it, he would have no idea of the value of a random
computer tape -- if you're carting off as much as you can carry in 10
seconds, you aren't gonna grab something that weighs a pound or two, is
a foot in diameter, and MIGHT only net you a quarter...]

A DDS/DAT tape, on the other hand, is easily recognizeable as a high-end
audio tape, potentially even a "recording master" -- here a thief would
see potential in that this might be unreleased songs of some big-name
band [what it would be doing in some clunker of a car on the street,
however...]

Long thought short: even though the tape was "lost/stolen", it is
UNLIKELY that the thief will have the knowledge or means to extract the
data from the tape.

However, now that the story is "public" and/or gained some hype, said
thief might re-consider that "worthless audio tape with nothing but
static hiss on it" and find a "technical" fence...  (along those same
lines, one or two of the comments in on that page infers that maybe the
"high priced consultants", knowing that the tape was relatively
insecure, tipped off a common thief and paid him big-time for that
otherwise worthless cassette...)
 
> Wow!  I'll learn from other people's mistakes (the administration not 
> the kid).

This might be the only positive thing out of stuff like SOX and HIPA (?)
-- now the Ohio government is LIABLE for damages brought about by anyone
on the tape [and it's relatively easy to find out "who" might/should be
on that tape] at the very least, they will be forced to pay for (at
least) three months of "credit check" services and reporting for
everyone affected.  That will far exceed the cost of proper data
storage, even for the last 5+ years (as noted in the article as to how
long this "practice" of sending tapes home with an
untrained/unqualified/uncertified "off-site provider")

> Poor kid though, I wonder how long this is going to follow him around 
> "Oh ya, your that guy that lost the tape..."

If he pays heed to the comments made so far, he might make out well if
he considers getting into the security and storage business -- "let me
tell you, from PERSONAL experience, handing your backup tape to Joe over
in the corner for so-called 'offsite storage' is a BAAAAAD idea..." ;)