Secretary Chertoff Questioned on Data Breach

Last week, the Washington Post reported that the "FBI and the Secret Service have opened a criminal investigation into the apparent theft of a computer hard drive containing the personal, payroll and bank information of 100,000 current and former workers of the Transportation Security Administration, including airport security officers and federal air marshals." Today, Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson, Rep. Ed Markey and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection, sent a letter to Secretary Chertoff asking for further information on the stolen laptop and subsequent data security breach saying:

This incident, coupled with TSA's failure to secure a website designed to help travelers resolve potential cases of mistaken identity, suggests that TSA is inadequately and improperly securing sensitive information.

These data security lapses are unacceptable, and they reflect the Department's dismal record in data privacy and information security. We are troubled by these two incidents and concerned that additional breaches may occur in the future. Therefore, pursuant to the Committee on Homeland Security's oversight responsibilities as set forth in House Rule X, we request that the Department provide the Committee with the following information...

Read the full letter>>

Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS):

This terrible incident at TSA does not give any peace of mind to its thousands of employees nor the American public it serves on a daily basis. If TSA cannot keep track of equipment with sensitive data, it is difficult to understand how the American public can expect TSA to protect and secure our nation's transit, aviation, and rail systems.

Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA):

The apparent theft of a laptop with personal information belonging to thousands of TSA employees and the troubling lack of adequate security surrounding personal information entered by airline passengers through a TSA web site are simply unacceptable, particularly for an agency responsible for securing our nation. Unfortunately, these latest breaches are symptomatic of the Department's dismal record of falling far short of adequate data privacy and security standards. It's time for some answers.

Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX):

It is very concerning to me that the theft of the personal and financial records of 100,000 TSA employees resulted from a breach in security at the same Department we created to protect the very security of our nation. Accordingly, I felt that it was critical that TSA Administrator Kip Hawley immediately come before my Subcommittee on May 11, 2007, to brief Members on the status of the investigation into the loss of these records. TSA's 50,000 employees serve a valuable function, and I am committed to ensuring that their privacy rights are protected, that this investigation is handled with the attention it warrants, and that we exercise intense oversight with regards to security at the TSA.