Re: [privacy] City of Chicago Loses Voter Data

["Dr. Neal Krawetz" <hf () hackerfactor com>]

Well...
Considering that this is Chicago, I don't think there is any real loss from
losing the social security numbers for a million dead voters.

Remember: when you die, your social security number becomes public record.
They actually call it the "Social Security Death Index (SSID)".
  http://ssdi.rootsweb.com/

And the "Death Master File (DMF)" is available on DVD!  (Sounds like a bad
horror flick starring Jennifer Love Hewitt.)
  http://www.ntis.gov/products/ssa-dmf.asp
  http://www.ssdmf.com/

(Chicago has a history that includes election fraud with more dead voters
than living.  They used to have pollsters canvas the cemeteries looking
for names to put down on the voting sheets.  http://www.mises.org/story/554
and http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/784032/posts)

                                        -Neal
--
Neal Krawetz, Ph.D.
Hacker Factor Solutions
http://www.hackerfactor.com/
Author of "Introduction to Network Security" (Charles River Media, 2006)
and "Hacking Ubuntu" (Wiley, 2007)


On Mon Jan 22 16:46:01 2007, Shyaam wrote:
> THAT REALLY STINKS. At this rate there is no use for passport or SSN or any
> secure ID as everything is being lost these days, infact not by individuals
> who are educated using "Security Awareness" but the ones who are supposed to
> maintain it.
>
> Any comments ???
>
> Kind Regards,
> Shyaam
>
> On 1/22/07, Fergie <fergdawg () netzero net> wrote:
> > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> > Hash: SHA1
> >
> > Via The Chicago Sun-Times.
> >
> > [snip]
> >
> > About 100 computer discs with 1.3 million Chicago voters' Social Security
> > numbers have been distributed to aldermen and ward committeemen, and the
> > whereabouts of at least an additional six CDs with the same information
> > are
> > unknown, according to the Chicago Board of Elections.
> >
> > This follows another security lapse in October 2006, when voters' Social
> > Security numbers were available through the board's Web site. But unlike
> > the Web site flaw, which was fixed in a few minutes, it will be difficult,
> > if not impossible, for the Board of Elections to retrieve sensitive data
> > physically scattered on more than 100 discs throughout the area.
> >
> > The discs also contain voters' birth dates and addresses -- information
> > that along with Social Security numbers can be used to commit identity
> > theft.
> >
> > [snip]
> >
> > More:
> > http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/222892,CST-NWS-data22.article
> >
> > - - ferg

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