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Citibank admits: We've lost the backup tape
The Register ^ | Tuesday 7th June 2005 | Andrew Orlowski

Posted on 06/08/2005 2:22:59 PM PDT by softengine

The retail finance division of Citigroup has admitted that a backup tape containing personal information on almost 4 million customers has gone missing. The United Parcel Service lost the tape on May 2nd, and it hasn't been seen since. CitiFinancial only noticed the tape was missing on May 20. The tape contains Social Security numbers and transaction histories on both open and closed accounts at the bank’s lending branches.

Citigroup says it has no reason to believe the tape has been stolen, but alarmingly, the tape hasn't shown up at any UPS depot despite six weeks of searching.

The company admitted that it doesn't use encryption on its electronic transmissions, nor explained why it took so long to notify the public.

Earlier this year a backup tape belonging to Ameritrade went astray, with personal information on 200,000 customers; Time Warner lost a tape containing information on 600,000 individuals, and Bank of America and Wachovia suffered a data breach affecting 100,000 customers each in May.

Customers are advised to call 866-452-2484 ®


TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bank; banking; citigroup; database; datasecurity; identitytheft; missing; ups
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"The company admitted that it doesn't use encryption..."

All together now folks - Holy Sh.......

1 posted on 06/08/2005 2:23:01 PM PDT by softengine
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To: softengine
"The company admitted that it doesn't use encryption..."

That is flat out stupid. Granted the encrypion built into most backup software is week, but not using it is unacceptable for a financial institution.

2 posted on 06/08/2005 2:25:06 PM PDT by Dinsdale
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To: softengine

Whoa.


3 posted on 06/08/2005 2:25:26 PM PDT by mewzilla
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To: softengine

If you knew some of the stuff that I have seen about the data that banks have sent through UPS without encryption or security safeguards or even checking out where they are sending it, you'd drop a cinder block.


4 posted on 06/08/2005 2:25:51 PM PDT by dirtboy (Drooling moron since 1998...)
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To: softengine

Did they ever stop to think to use UPS package tracking? My guess is at this point, the tape is stolen.


5 posted on 06/08/2005 2:26:19 PM PDT by BigSkyFreeper (Whop-bobaloobop a WHOP BAM BOOM!!)
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To: softengine

Does anybody ever get fired over this? Geez, this is data security 101.


6 posted on 06/08/2005 2:26:57 PM PDT by Unknown Freeper (Doing my part...)
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To: Unknown Freeper

I'll bet some high-ranking CEO got promoted over this fiasco.


7 posted on 06/08/2005 2:27:57 PM PDT by BigSkyFreeper (Whop-bobaloobop a WHOP BAM BOOM!!)
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To: BigSkyFreeper

Pachage tracking, who'd have thunk... Lol.


8 posted on 06/08/2005 2:28:18 PM PDT by softengine (The revolution will be televised.)
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To: softengine
"The company admitted that it doesn't use encryption..." All together now folks - Holy Sh.......

You wouldn't encrypt a backup... but then wouldn't/shouldn't ship your off-site backup tape via UPS so it could get lost

9 posted on 06/08/2005 2:30:32 PM PDT by tophat9000 (When the State ASSUMES death...It makes an ASH out of you and me..)
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To: softengine
Banks are dinosaurs. They're using old-fashioned tape technology and plain-text. I'm surprised the headline wasn't "Bank loses deck of punch cards".
10 posted on 06/08/2005 2:31:09 PM PDT by FreedomAvatar (Gravity is only a theory - Teach the controversy)
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To: softengine

Well, people like me who depend on UPS in the future will "benefit" from the higher shipping fees amid lawsuits from angry Citibank customers. You just know lawsuits are in the pipe.


11 posted on 06/08/2005 2:32:10 PM PDT by BigSkyFreeper (Whop-bobaloobop a WHOP BAM BOOM!!)
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To: softengine

Aaaaaarrrrgh!

Citibank is *my* bank!

But then, everybody already knows that by now....


12 posted on 06/08/2005 2:32:45 PM PDT by highball
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To: FreedomAvatar
Banks are dinosaurs.

I got a friend in Mississippi who repairs and fixes bank teller machines. He said the ones he works on use OS/2 Warp.

13 posted on 06/08/2005 2:33:16 PM PDT by BigSkyFreeper (Whop-bobaloobop a WHOP BAM BOOM!!)
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To: tophat9000
You wouldn't encrypt a backup... but then wouldn't/shouldn't ship your off-site backup tape via UPS so it could get lost.

Agreed. I've worked at several banks and the backups weren't encrypted. But the tapes were hand-couriered to and from the "iron mountain" offsite storage and checked in/checked out on both ends. We never sent them via common carrier!

Speaking of bank screwups, a very large bank who shall remain nameless keeps sending me CDs of customer data for the wrong company. I've told them repeatedly to cease and desist but it happens 2 or 3 times a year.

LQ

14 posted on 06/08/2005 2:33:45 PM PDT by LizardQueen (The world is not out to get you, except in the sense that the world is out to get everyone.)
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To: softengine
["The company admitted that it doesn't use encryption..."

All together now folks - Holy Sh.......]

What part about 'security' do these folks not understand?

Who are these people, really?

15 posted on 06/08/2005 2:35:48 PM PDT by cricket
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To: softengine

They should have sent it regular US Mail. The credit card bill they send me every month never fails to get here. NEVER,NEVER,NEVER.


16 posted on 06/08/2005 2:36:44 PM PDT by DancesWithTrout
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To: highball
"Citibank is *my* bank! But then, everybody already knows that by now...."

LOL. . .but no laughing matter, of course.

17 posted on 06/08/2005 2:37:24 PM PDT by cricket
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To: softengine

on tape??? tape???

not encrypted???

sent by UPS???

How can these people be so stupid???

Not only should people be fired, the whole division should be shut down for incompetence. If laws were broken, they should be prosecuted to the max. This is unbelievable.


18 posted on 06/08/2005 2:39:13 PM PDT by JWinNC (www.anailinhisplace.net)
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To: BigSkyFreeper
I'll bet some high-ranking CEO got promoted over this fiasco.

Then promptly has his identity stolen if there's any justice.

19 posted on 06/08/2005 2:40:32 PM PDT by mewzilla
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To: softengine

_______________________ you-are-scrd
Customers are advised to call 866-452-2484


20 posted on 06/08/2005 2:40:44 PM PDT by OB1kNOb (Excrementum Occurum)
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