Break-in at SAIC

Today's Washington Post reports a break-in at Science Applications International Corp (SAIC) on January 25, 2005.

Some of the nation's most influential former military and intelligence officials have been informed in recent days that they are at risk of identity theft after a break-in at a major government contractor netted computers containing the Social Security numbers and other personal information about tens of thousands of past and present company employees.

Apparently, the thieves got into the building by breaking windows.  Doesn't that make you feel better that this group will be handling some of this country's most sensitive information?

A spokesman for SAIC, Ben Haddid, reassures us all, though.

"We're taking this extremely seriously," Haddad said. "It's certainly not something that would reflect well on any company, let alone a company that's involved in information security. But what can I say? We're doing everything we can to get to the bottom of it."

Gary Hassen of the San Diego Police Department said there were "no leads."

Haddad said surveillance cameras are in the building where the theft took place, but he did not know whether they caught the perpetrators on tape. He also did not know whether the information that was on the pilfered computers had been encrypted.

Umm, maybe it's time to review those tapes.  It's been over two weeks since the break-in.  You guys might talk to the folks that run the local convenience store here in Middletown, Ohio.  I hear they review their tapes pretty much right away when they've had a robbery and generally catch the person pretty quickly.  Granted, maybe we're missing out on some big-city knowledge and just not doing it right.

David Kay (of WMDs search fame) says he has spent at least a dozen hours so far closing accounts and  other measures to protect his personal finances.  He's luckier than a lot of them, though.  It sounds as though many will find out with this article.

Haddad said the company has been trying through letters and e-mails to get in touch with everyone who has held company stock within the past decade, though he acknowledged that hasn't been easy since many have since left the company.

This employee-owned company has also been in the news lately for its faulty software program for the FBI and is being accused by the Air Force of submitting "defective cost or pricing data in support of its pricing proposals."

The company's alumni list reads like a roll call of the nation's highest-profile former officials, including former defense secretaries William J. Perry and Melvin R. Laird and former CIA director John Deutch. Current directors of the company include former chief counterterrorism adviser Gen. Wayne A. Downing.

Imagine the list the thieves now have in their possession.

The break-in just seems too coincidental with SAIC having been in the news so much lately.  And how does someone get into this place by breaking windows?

David Kay isn't so sure either.

"Is [the break-in] saying something about the quality of the company?" Kay said. "It's hard to say that. It's probably just random luck. But multiple occurrences of bad luck are often more than bad luck."

So, does anyone have any thoughts on what could be behind this, or is it just an 'innocent' break-in?