Inspector Lists Computers With Atomic Secrets as Missing

[maddezmom]

Source: New York Times

Inspector Lists Computers With Atomic Secrets as Missing
By MATTHEW L. WALD
Published: April 1, 2007

WASHINGTON, March 30 — The office in charge of protecting American technical secrets about nuclear weapons from foreign spies is missing 20 desktop computers, at least 14 of which have been used for classified information, the Energy Department inspector general reported on Friday.

This is the 13th time in a little over four years that an audit has found that the department, whose national laboratories and factories do most of the work in designing and building nuclear warheads, has lost control over computers used in working on the bombs.

Aside from the computers it cannot find, the department is also using computers not listed in its inventory, and one computer listed as destroyed was in fact being used, the audit said.

“Problems with the control and accountability of desktop and laptop computers have plagued the department for a number of years,” the report said.

In January, Linton F. Brooks was fired as the administrator of the National Nuclear Security Agency, the Energy Department agency in charge of bombs, because of security problems. The agency was created in the 1990s because of security scandals.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/01/washington/01missing.html?ref=washington

[Syrinx]

1. I wonder if this is connected to the trillions missing from the Pentagon

If you know what I mean.

[krispos42]

2. Brilliant. Well, Bush posted Saddam's research on the Web anyway,

so top-secret details like developing an implosion trigger mechanism and timing circuit are out and about anyway. Iran can't have nukes, just any teenager with a computer and web access.

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

[lvx35]

3. Oh Christ.

Nuclear secrets stolen. Al Qaeda's number 2 killed. Nuclear secrets stolen. Al Qaeda's number 2 killed. Nuclear secrets stolen. Al Qaeda's number 2 killed. Again. And again. And again. Forever. The same story over and over again forever. When will they just shut up.

[Lobster Martini]

4. When did the National Nuclear Security Agency Hire Maxwell Smart?

The computers used to track sensitive information about efforts to steal sensitive information were stolen? It's April Fools Day. Please call me on my shoe phone and tell me this isn't real.

[dipsydoodle]

5. He sort of looks like

The Boy Blunder :rofl:

[Vinca]

6. The computers could be in the open and on ebay as far as anyone knows.

You'd think anything with top secret data would need to be checked in and out, but I suppose taking them home makes it easier to burn copies for resale.