Nokia staff jacked by Ernst & Young laptop loss (fwd)

[Ken () infosec101 org]

Wow, it's Thursday already? Time sure flies.

----- Forwarded message from -----

http://www.theregister.com/2006/03/30/ey_nokia_lapop/


Nokia staff jacked by Ernst & Young laptop loss


Sun, Cisco, IBM and BP welcome the Finns

By Ashlee

Exclusive When Ernst & Young loses a laptop, it doesn't mess around. The
Register has learned that the same missing system with personal
information on Sun Microsystems, Cisco, IBM and BP workers also
contained data on Nokia's US staff.

A Nokia source notified us that he received a letter from Ernst & Young
detailing the accounting firm's loss of his personal information. An
Ernst & Young spokesman then confirmed that the laptop was "the same"
machine with thousands of Sun, Cisco, IBM and BP staff data, including
their ages, social security numbers, tax identification numbers and
addresses. Ernst & Young continues to maintain that the laptop poses
little risk as it was password protected.

Some rather prominent security folk, however, dispute Ernst & Young's
contention. This letter comes from a top security expert at a very, very
large technology company. We've agreed to protect his identity.

I am a former Partner of Ernst & Young's Technology & Security Risk
Services practice for the Greater China region and was a Senior Manager
for the US practice in the same area. I am horrified at what I have read
about this rash of laptop losses since all the Big 4 firms have the
technical talent and general security knowledge to know that passwords
alone are not nearly secure enough and you don't leave laptops with
sensitive data lying around anywhere!

While at E&Y we, at least my team, was required to keep sensitive data
secure. Never leave laptops around even in the office, use cable locks
or lock them in cabinets out of site in addition to using bios passwords
and encrypt sensitive data. Why is this data residing on laptops when it
can just as easily be controlled on a secure server with secure,
authenticated (2 factor) access and full audit trailing?

Finally, when it came to laptop losses in my region of Greater China or
in the US, rarely was the theft merely a coincidental theft. Many such
thefts are targeted; maybe some further investigation is necessary here.

I confirmed this informally a while back with friends at KPMG and PwC.
Every major security journal, yours included, has noted the movement
from shotgun style hacker attacks to pin-point ID thefts. Real criminals
are getting involved in this very lucrative business and a loose laptop
is obviously a prime target. I note that many of these Big 4 pros carry
laptops in "Big 4" logo marked laptop bags - hey, why not just put a
sign on the bag saying 'likely sensitive data on board, steal me!' My
bag is, and always has been, basic black and does not leave my side.

In fact, many of the above Big 4 firms report annually security surveys
about precisely these trends in security. At the very least, I would
have expected some managing partners of these firms in the US and other
partnerships around the world to immediately advise staff of precautions
to take with this critically sensitive data and for the partners to be
transparent about it.

Isn't that what they are requiring of companies via SOX and other audit
requirements related work? Isn't transparency and accountability what
they talk about everyday? Why aren't they being held to the same
standard they require of all their clients?

Best regards,

[Name Supplied]

The points raised in this letter are key.

Ernst & Young has refused repeated requests to provide more information
as to why an employee left this laptop in a place where it could be
stolen, and if anyone has been held accountable for the incident or what
measures it's taking to prevent future problems. In addition, the
company has maintained a code of silence around the incidents, instead
of coming forward in a transparent manner as it would have customers do.

Ernst & Young has only admitted to these laptop losses on a case-by-case
basis after being confronted by The Register in our string of exclusive
stories on this matter. The company was also outed as having lost four
more laptops last month in Miami when a police report was made public.

Oddly, no other major publication has reported on the Ernst & Young
incidents. The mainstream press, however, rushed to follow on our
revelation <http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/03/22/fidelity_laptop_hp/>
that Fidelity had lost a laptop containing data on 200,000 HP workers. R




----- End forwarded message -----

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