WASHINGTON SENATOR MURRAY SEEKS FEDERAL CURBS ON ID THEFT http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003060044_idtheft14m.html


Murray seeks federal curbs on ID theft
By Alex Fryer
Seattle Times staff reporter

Recent news about the theft of Social Security numbers and other personal information held by the Veterans Administration and the Department of Energy shows the government hasn't taken computer security seriously, Sen. Patty Murray said Tuesday.

"The issue of identity theft is catching up with the government that has incredible, vast information about a lot of people and is not taking the steps needed to be taken to protect and encrypt that information," the Washington state Democrat said.

Murray is among five Senate Democrats who today plan to call for an independent investigation into the VA theft, and announce new legislation to increase security of personal information kept in federal databases.

On Monday, officials said the names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, phone numbers and other data of about 575,000 Washington state veterans was contained in a Veterans Administration laptop computer stolen in an apparently random burglary outside Washington, D.C., last month.

A day earlier, the Department of Energy began warning about 4,000 current and former workers at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation that their personal information may have been compromised after police found a 1996 list with workers' names and other personal information in a home during an unrelated drug raid.

The Energy Department also is contacting 1,502 people — about half from New Mexico — to tell them their Social Security numbers and other personal information may have been compromised when a hacker gained entry to a department computer system eight months ago.

The personal information of the 575,000 Washington state veterans was among data on 26 million veterans nationwide contained on the computer stolen last month.

VA officials said the data loss potentially affects all veterans who have ever filed a claim for disability compensation, pension or education benefits, or taken out a VA insurance policy.

About 670,000 veterans currently live in Washington.
Murray, a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, said the VA was unable to pinpoint whose information may have been lost.

"Nobody can tell us exact numbers," she said.

Murray said the VA estimates it may cost $10 million to write letters and contact all those whose personal information may have been lost.