A LOST LAPTOP = A $54 MILLION LAWSUIT
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As stated in the article, its not the money that matters but rather the attention given to this matter. $54 mil is just to get attention. NO jury in its right mind would give the 54 mil. She may be lucky to get the cost of the laptop back. All repairs are done with an assumtion that you have a backup. :-D
It's not about having or not having a backup, it's about personal data that was lost by Best Buy that could be used for identity theft. Granted, she could have asked them to take out the hard drive and give it to her since the problem had nothing to do with it.
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If only more would come to the same conclusion I did years ago. When a company's corporate office states, "We don't need your business that bad", I justifiably believe they don't need anyones and encourage everyone to not shop there.
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Draugnar wrote:
Do you know the meaning of frivolous?
Yes I do - and remember this: while court time is wasted debating the plausibility of handing out $54m, other more serious cases are going unheard.
But the courts aren't concerned with and don't debate the amount at this stage. Their consideration is whether or not the case has merit at all. The only times amount comes in to play is during the findings if the judge feels that the "winnable" amount is small enough for small claims court (not likely considering how she was treated and their stall tactics) and by the jury if they find the defendants were negligent and liable.
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There are plenty of companies not like that. But most of them are smaller and believe in customer service. I'm the head of IT (head of 2 people, WOOHOO!) and I spend at least 4 hours a week doing customer service handling questions that are beyond our CSRs' ability to answer. A couple of weeks ago, I walked a customer through our registration process and helped him build his emergency profile (for more info, look up Road ID online, don't want to advertise here). It took me a good half an hour and yet we only charge $20 for the ID, so we lost money on that one. But, this person knows many other people who could use our product. So it resulted in good will and a glowing review for our helpfulness. I buy all my groceries from a smaller chain. They have a great pharmacy and I've gotten to know the people. I may pay 10-15% more, but the personalized service and the attention to detail (the baggers know how finicky we are about cleaning suplies and food NOT being in the same bag, for instance). Anytime I can, I deal with small businesses as they understand customer service is the life blood of their business. When you are small and live by word of mouth referrals and return customers, customer service beyond the sale has meaning to you. So, next time you go to buy anything which may need follow-up service think about who will provide the best service after the sale. The little guy will. He knows your business is important and will do what it takes to get you to come back to him again and again.
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http://redtape.msnbc.com/2008/02/a-lost-laptop-a.html#posts If her suit is successful, I wonder what it will do to the savings Best Buy thinks it realizes from outsourcing its help desk.
Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface
It looks like BB is losing millions a day in lost sales, because of this case. They will probably lose well over 54mil before it's over.. Just look at how many comments are left on the original document link.. amazing They should be offering her several thousand dollars to resolve this immediately.. Just more corp bullsh*t, they can't do anything timely, everthing has to stamped and checked by the entire line of suits. I have always disliked extented service plans, and never purchase them. It's like paying more for a product that already has warranty, some people are just paranoid and gullable.
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Howard Richards wrote:
leaving sensitive information on a laptop leaving her possession is negligence on *her* part
Perhaps, but bear in mind that the power switch on the computer was broken so she couldn't access the data on the computer. Not everyone is able to take apart their computer, she might not have had another machine in which she could put the drive and it could've invalidated the extended warranty she bought. I think the negligence lies entirely with Best Buy and not the customer - they were in possession of her equipment and therefore it's their responsibility to ensure its security. I hope she wins the case and gets awarded a reasonable amount of cash (not $54M obviously!).
It definitely isn't definatley
Removal of sensitive data is unnecessary. Encryption - at all times - is mandatory. Whenever I type anything more sensitive than my name and Windows logon password into my computer, I encrypt it using a program I wrote called AESPad (think WordPad meets Crypto++). It encrypts the data using 256-bit AES (in CBC mode) - combining a password with a key stored on a hardware token to enforce full two-factor authentication. Every time you hit the save button, data is encrypted - cleartext is never placed on the hard drive. (Needless to say, I have two copies of the key device to protect against coffee spills. They are never within five feet of each other.) Regarding backups, I back up all of my data onto an external HDD every week (sometimes more often if I do something really important). Every few months, everything truly critical gets burned to DVD and mailed to out-of-state relatives for secure offsite storage. Her only expenses should be replacement of the hardware (Best Buy already offered this) and the cost of recreating a few DAYS (not years) of data. When she dropped off the computer for servicing, she probably signed a contract stating that Best Buy would NOT be liable for lost data, only for damaged or stolen equipment. Settle for $3000 or $4000 and call it quits before the judge throws your case out.
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As stated in the article, its not the money that matters but rather the attention given to this matter. $54 mil is just to get attention. NO jury in its right mind would give the 54 mil. She may be lucky to get the cost of the laptop back. All repairs are done with an assumtion that you have a backup. :-D
raphael_kc wrote:
NO jury in its right mind would give the 54 mil.
Two words for you "spilt coffee"
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Removal of sensitive data is unnecessary. Encryption - at all times - is mandatory. Whenever I type anything more sensitive than my name and Windows logon password into my computer, I encrypt it using a program I wrote called AESPad (think WordPad meets Crypto++). It encrypts the data using 256-bit AES (in CBC mode) - combining a password with a key stored on a hardware token to enforce full two-factor authentication. Every time you hit the save button, data is encrypted - cleartext is never placed on the hard drive. (Needless to say, I have two copies of the key device to protect against coffee spills. They are never within five feet of each other.) Regarding backups, I back up all of my data onto an external HDD every week (sometimes more often if I do something really important). Every few months, everything truly critical gets burned to DVD and mailed to out-of-state relatives for secure offsite storage. Her only expenses should be replacement of the hardware (Best Buy already offered this) and the cost of recreating a few DAYS (not years) of data. When she dropped off the computer for servicing, she probably signed a contract stating that Best Buy would NOT be liable for lost data, only for damaged or stolen equipment. Settle for $3000 or $4000 and call it quits before the judge throws your case out.
azonenberg wrote:
Removal of sensitive data is unnecessary. Encryption - at all times - is mandatory.
That's an easy philosophy to preach (and FWIW, something I agree with) but realisically, how many IT professionals do you know that encrypt all their data? Hell, how many do you know that do regular backups?! You've had to write your own implementation - how is your typical user supposed to do that? Data security gets loads of press (especially over here in the UK at the moment) but there aren't any real solutions available to the general public.
It definitely isn't definatley
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http://redtape.msnbc.com/2008/02/a-lost-laptop-a.html#posts If her suit is successful, I wonder what it will do to the savings Best Buy thinks it realizes from outsourcing its help desk.
Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface
This is nothing but another frivolous lawsuit. She should have read her contract before signing it. Systems can get lost or damaged in shipping, I have never hard of any repair shop guaranty no lost data. Your data is only worth to you what you are willing to pay to back it up. Its her own fault, she could have easily asked to have the hard drive removed or a data backup performed for her. If she was just being cheap and did not want to pay for the backup, she could have purchased a USB adapter for the harddrive from BB, Wal-Mart or any other retailer. Then if she treated them the way she wanted to be treated, they would offer to show her how to do it herself for free. Best Buy should only have to cover the cost of replacing the laptop with a comparable model. If its older then 6 months, guess what it is now not worth what you paid for it, same as a car. Shopping at small or big retailers, you always treat the people you deal with respect. When I worked retail, any customer who thought giving me a hard time was going to get their way was always wrong. They received the minimum effort it took, if I would deal with them without passing them off to a manager. The ones who treated me nice, and understood problems can happen, I would bend over backwards to make sure they where treated the same way. Yes, I worked for the Geek Squad at Best Buy (and other big and small retailers) and have seen all types of customers. I've seen a couple of lost computers, it does take time to track down where it might have gotten lost at. The customers who treated the manager and staff with respect and where patient where given brand new computers, always better then the one they sent in with free service and a gift card. Those that cussed or treated the employees as scum, did not get the new laptop.
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Removal of sensitive data is unnecessary. Encryption - at all times - is mandatory. Whenever I type anything more sensitive than my name and Windows logon password into my computer, I encrypt it using a program I wrote called AESPad (think WordPad meets Crypto++). It encrypts the data using 256-bit AES (in CBC mode) - combining a password with a key stored on a hardware token to enforce full two-factor authentication. Every time you hit the save button, data is encrypted - cleartext is never placed on the hard drive. (Needless to say, I have two copies of the key device to protect against coffee spills. They are never within five feet of each other.) Regarding backups, I back up all of my data onto an external HDD every week (sometimes more often if I do something really important). Every few months, everything truly critical gets burned to DVD and mailed to out-of-state relatives for secure offsite storage. Her only expenses should be replacement of the hardware (Best Buy already offered this) and the cost of recreating a few DAYS (not years) of data. When she dropped off the computer for servicing, she probably signed a contract stating that Best Buy would NOT be liable for lost data, only for damaged or stolen equipment. Settle for $3000 or $4000 and call it quits before the judge throws your case out.
azonenberg wrote:
Whenever I type anything more sensitive than my name and Windows logon password into my computer, I encrypt it using a program I wrote called AESPad (think WordPad meets Crypto++). It encrypts the data using 256-bit AES (in CBC mode) - combining a password with a key stored on a hardware token to enforce full two-factor authentication. Every time you hit the save button, data is encrypted - cleartext is never placed on the hard drive. (Needless to say, I have two copies of the key device to protect against coffee spills. They are never within five feet of each other.)
Which is irrelevant. There is nothing in the article that suggests that the customer is even aware that such utilities exist much less being capable of writing them herself.
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While Best Buy may have lost the laptop (and behaved badly in not refunding her properly, etc.), leaving sensitive information on a laptop leaving her possession is negligence on *her* part, so she is very unlikely to get any damages for that. I had to have my laptop repaired last year, I can assure you every single byte of personal and company data was removed before it left my house.
'Howard
Howard Richards wrote:
While Best Buy may have lost the laptop (and behaved badly in not refunding her properly, etc.), leaving sensitive information on a laptop leaving her possession is negligence on *her* part, so she is very unlikely to get any damages for that.
If I take my car in to have the oil changed does that mean I am responsible for cleaning absolutely everything out of it that isn't nailed down (glove compartement, spare tire, etc) because the garage is not responsible for any thefts of any sort? If I have plumber in to fix my sink and they steal my TV is that also negligence on my part? Best Buy has a business unit, can businesses also expect that when they contract for an on-site repair call that the customer company, and not Best Buy, is responsible for insuring that the repair technician does not have access to any business information of any sort? And Best Buy need not do anything at all in regard to preventing that including minimal background checks? After all if Best Buy has absolutely no liability in that regard then why should they? If that is the case then what is the point of even having a on-site service contract? What about when son-in-law agrees to fix a parent's computer and steals their credit card numbers? Does that mean that the parent's are responsible for any actual merchant losses rather than the son?
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As stated in the article, its not the money that matters but rather the attention given to this matter. $54 mil is just to get attention. NO jury in its right mind would give the 54 mil. She may be lucky to get the cost of the laptop back. All repairs are done with an assumtion that you have a backup. :-D
raphael_kc wrote:
NO jury in its right mind would give the 54 mil. She may be lucky to get the cost of the laptop back.
And no jury in its right mind would award mega-millions for some dumb :mad: sticking hot coffee in her crotch, then spilling the coffee and burning herself as she drives away, right?
Gary
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This is nothing but another frivolous lawsuit. She should have read her contract before signing it. Systems can get lost or damaged in shipping, I have never hard of any repair shop guaranty no lost data. Your data is only worth to you what you are willing to pay to back it up. Its her own fault, she could have easily asked to have the hard drive removed or a data backup performed for her. If she was just being cheap and did not want to pay for the backup, she could have purchased a USB adapter for the harddrive from BB, Wal-Mart or any other retailer. Then if she treated them the way she wanted to be treated, they would offer to show her how to do it herself for free. Best Buy should only have to cover the cost of replacing the laptop with a comparable model. If its older then 6 months, guess what it is now not worth what you paid for it, same as a car. Shopping at small or big retailers, you always treat the people you deal with respect. When I worked retail, any customer who thought giving me a hard time was going to get their way was always wrong. They received the minimum effort it took, if I would deal with them without passing them off to a manager. The ones who treated me nice, and understood problems can happen, I would bend over backwards to make sure they where treated the same way. Yes, I worked for the Geek Squad at Best Buy (and other big and small retailers) and have seen all types of customers. I've seen a couple of lost computers, it does take time to track down where it might have gotten lost at. The customers who treated the manager and staff with respect and where patient where given brand new computers, always better then the one they sent in with free service and a gift card. Those that cussed or treated the employees as scum, did not get the new laptop.
buckruss wrote:
She should have read her contract before signing it.
Best Buy should read the law so they know how to react when loosing her personal information. Tax Returns, none the less!!! She can't delete or back up the stuff if she can't turn the thing on. Even if it were backed up (does any one know that it was not), they still exposed the info to the world. There is ABSOLUTELY no reasonable excuse for loosing the laptop with today's technology, cameras, RFID, bar codes. Every time the thing moves, you make a record of it. Period. Works for FedEx. Maybe poorly trained geeks are the problem, but that is correctable and inexcusable. This was not a TV, blender or a microwave. The onus is on Best Buy to treat everything on a hard drive securely, even the OS license key is valuable to someone. Good girl.
Gary
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buckruss wrote:
She should have read her contract before signing it.
Best Buy should read the law so they know how to react when loosing her personal information. Tax Returns, none the less!!! She can't delete or back up the stuff if she can't turn the thing on. Even if it were backed up (does any one know that it was not), they still exposed the info to the world. There is ABSOLUTELY no reasonable excuse for loosing the laptop with today's technology, cameras, RFID, bar codes. Every time the thing moves, you make a record of it. Period. Works for FedEx. Maybe poorly trained geeks are the problem, but that is correctable and inexcusable. This was not a TV, blender or a microwave. The onus is on Best Buy to treat everything on a hard drive securely, even the OS license key is valuable to someone. Good girl.
Gary
ghle wrote:
There is ABSOLUTELY no reasonable excuse for loosing the laptop with today's technology, cameras, RFID, bar codes. Every time the thing moves, you make a record of it. Period. Works for FedEx.
Remember even FedEx, UPS, USPS and all the others loss packages. Thats why they offer you the option to buy insurance. Even with all of todays technology you still have humans involved. There is no excuse for not backing up your own information, even if a system will not power on it can still be easily done. That is why I always stressed backing up before sending off to service centers. How is Best Buy to know that she left sensitive personal info on her system, unless you want a repair center to go through your information. One thing to note, once it leaves the store it is no longer in the hands of the geek squad, but as somebody else has pointed out a third party repair center. It would be nice to see the big retail chains counter sue for lost revenue for frivolous law suits like this.
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ghle wrote:
There is ABSOLUTELY no reasonable excuse for loosing the laptop with today's technology, cameras, RFID, bar codes. Every time the thing moves, you make a record of it. Period. Works for FedEx.
Remember even FedEx, UPS, USPS and all the others loss packages. Thats why they offer you the option to buy insurance. Even with all of todays technology you still have humans involved. There is no excuse for not backing up your own information, even if a system will not power on it can still be easily done. That is why I always stressed backing up before sending off to service centers. How is Best Buy to know that she left sensitive personal info on her system, unless you want a repair center to go through your information. One thing to note, once it leaves the store it is no longer in the hands of the geek squad, but as somebody else has pointed out a third party repair center. It would be nice to see the big retail chains counter sue for lost revenue for frivolous law suits like this.
buckruss wrote:
Even with all of todays technology you still have humans involved.
Then those $7.50/hour humans don't belong in that job. Ergo BB fault.
buckruss wrote:
here is no excuse for not backing up your own information, even if a system will not power on it can still be easily done
A) Laptop won't turn on. B) Can't get drive out without voiding warrantee. C) BB should do it as a matter of business practice. Ergo BB fault. They sold the defective equipment.
buckruss wrote:
once it leaves the store it is no longer in the hands of the geek squad,
Geek Squad / BB is still responsible. It is out of the owner's hands, and BB/Geek Squad has responsibility for A) the laptop, B) the data, C) the whereabouts, D) the security. Ergo, BB fault. She absolutely has merit to her case. BB has not followed FEDERAL laws by loosing her data and not reporting it. The ON/OFF switch should have been replaced WHILE SHE WAITED. She should not have been lied to. Ergo, BB fault. No frivolity is involved at all. Not only were they irresponsible, they violated federal law! BB is not clean in this one. It is more than an OOPS, that requires only an apology for being arrogant and condescending. If pants are worth $54 million in a judges mind, then a laptop and data is worth at least that much.
Gary
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buckruss wrote:
Even with all of todays technology you still have humans involved.
Then those $7.50/hour humans don't belong in that job. Ergo BB fault.
buckruss wrote:
here is no excuse for not backing up your own information, even if a system will not power on it can still be easily done
A) Laptop won't turn on. B) Can't get drive out without voiding warrantee. C) BB should do it as a matter of business practice. Ergo BB fault. They sold the defective equipment.
buckruss wrote:
once it leaves the store it is no longer in the hands of the geek squad,
Geek Squad / BB is still responsible. It is out of the owner's hands, and BB/Geek Squad has responsibility for A) the laptop, B) the data, C) the whereabouts, D) the security. Ergo, BB fault. She absolutely has merit to her case. BB has not followed FEDERAL laws by loosing her data and not reporting it. The ON/OFF switch should have been replaced WHILE SHE WAITED. She should not have been lied to. Ergo, BB fault. No frivolity is involved at all. Not only were they irresponsible, they violated federal law! BB is not clean in this one. It is more than an OOPS, that requires only an apology for being arrogant and condescending. If pants are worth $54 million in a judges mind, then a laptop and data is worth at least that much.
Gary
- Humans make mistake, do you want to be fired every time you make a mistake big or small. I am most certain BB will take disciplinary action up to termination when they can pin point where the mistake happened. 2)Again, removing the harddrive to perform a data backup does not void the warranty. Installing additional RAM, upgrading the video and other hardware does not void the warranty. There is a service plan that does cover data backups, it can be a very lengthly process and does cost the company. No they should not do it automatically for everybody, but should offer it as a service (wait they do that). It might not be cheap but if your data is worth $54 mil, then spending $200 to make sure you don't lose it might have been worth it. 3) Manufactures carry the warranty on the products not the retailers, unless they offer a service plan that takes over after the manufactures warranty. I agree that retailers should back the product up for the first month, after that it is the manufactures warranty. Do you go to any retailer and buy a name brand TV, then turn around and tell your friend you bought a Retailers Name TV, nope you say you bought the brand of TV. Same products are sold at multiple retailers. BBY does offer the service that they will ship your item to the manufacture or authorized repair center for free under manufacturers warranty. 4) I never said BBY was not responsible for the laptop, just informed you that once it leaves the store it is out of Geek Squads hands. The only info they have at that point is what the service center puts into the service computer database. If it was still under manufactures warranty then it would have been shipped to them for repair. Manufactures do not always update the database as they should, since they are working for the customer, not BBY. 5) The on\off switch cannot be replaced WHILE SHE WAITED in the store, it would be a logistical nightmare to stock all the parts at each store for every laptop. Common sense. 6) I am not saying BBY has done no wrong here. Yes they should have contacted her when the laptop could not be located and offered her compensation for the hardware only. She had the option to have BBY backup the data before sending it off, she had the option to back it up herself, she had the option of taking it anywhere else to have it backed up. She did not think her data was worth enough at the time to back it up. So now its worth $54 mil. Give me a break. 6) Remember the judge lost the law suit. 7) $54 Mill for data you would not pay
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- Humans make mistake, do you want to be fired every time you make a mistake big or small. I am most certain BB will take disciplinary action up to termination when they can pin point where the mistake happened. 2)Again, removing the harddrive to perform a data backup does not void the warranty. Installing additional RAM, upgrading the video and other hardware does not void the warranty. There is a service plan that does cover data backups, it can be a very lengthly process and does cost the company. No they should not do it automatically for everybody, but should offer it as a service (wait they do that). It might not be cheap but if your data is worth $54 mil, then spending $200 to make sure you don't lose it might have been worth it. 3) Manufactures carry the warranty on the products not the retailers, unless they offer a service plan that takes over after the manufactures warranty. I agree that retailers should back the product up for the first month, after that it is the manufactures warranty. Do you go to any retailer and buy a name brand TV, then turn around and tell your friend you bought a Retailers Name TV, nope you say you bought the brand of TV. Same products are sold at multiple retailers. BBY does offer the service that they will ship your item to the manufacture or authorized repair center for free under manufacturers warranty. 4) I never said BBY was not responsible for the laptop, just informed you that once it leaves the store it is out of Geek Squads hands. The only info they have at that point is what the service center puts into the service computer database. If it was still under manufactures warranty then it would have been shipped to them for repair. Manufactures do not always update the database as they should, since they are working for the customer, not BBY. 5) The on\off switch cannot be replaced WHILE SHE WAITED in the store, it would be a logistical nightmare to stock all the parts at each store for every laptop. Common sense. 6) I am not saying BBY has done no wrong here. Yes they should have contacted her when the laptop could not be located and offered her compensation for the hardware only. She had the option to have BBY backup the data before sending it off, she had the option to back it up herself, she had the option of taking it anywhere else to have it backed up. She did not think her data was worth enough at the time to back it up. So now its worth $54 mil. Give me a break. 6) Remember the judge lost the law suit. 7) $54 Mill for data you would not pay
- Humans make mistakes. Yes. If it harms others due to there errors (car accident, surgery, data exposure, theft), then they should pay. We're not talking a SMALL mistake here. You ignore that BB broke Federal law, besides just downright dishonesty. They tried to screw her when she wanted to work with them. They ignored her. We're not talking little kids on the playground here. BB showed NO sense of responsibility at all. 2) You expect a normal user to know how to, and have the resources to, remove a hard drive from a non-functioning laptop, back it up and reinstall it? She is not a geek squad, and probably any of the geek squad members I have spoken too wouldn't know how to do it, either. Real conversation with Geek at BB. Me: "What's a powered USB port?" Geek: "That's the ones on the front of the case." Me: "You sure about that?" Geek: "Yes, the ones on the back are not powered." And he would know how to remove a hard drive from a laptop??? You're bonkers. 3) We're talking BB's extended warranty here so I think it is totally in BB's hands to resolve through whatever means. 4) Doesn't matter physically who has possession. Regardless, she was told it never left the store, so it is 100% BB's problem, or they lied to her. 5) BB can't replace an on/off switch, but she can remove, back up and replace a hard drive herself? Give me a break. Alternative - we'll have the part overnighted, come back tomorrow with the laptop and we'll install for you. 6) Backups. A physical backup might take a while, but it should be a matter of business with BB/GS. It is very easy to do for a techy, as you point out. You don't know what she thought her data was worth. How was she to even in her worst nightmare to expect that the laptop would leave the building, that the laptop would be lost, that her data would be lost? The hard drive should NEVER have been compromised. Even I would not have expected a Hard Drive data loss when taking the computer in for a friggin ON/OFF switch. Let's see, a lengthy backup, you say. They had the laptop for months. How long does it take? How difficult? BB decision to ship it out. Um, insert media, press a button, walk away. I think that's about it. You need to understand users don't typically know what a hard disk is, what it's used for, how it is different from a CD, floppy, or "memory", nor how to back it up. (I'm not saying they shouldn't, I'm saying they don't.) Ask yourself why you first backed up data. Not because you should, but because you didn't
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azonenberg wrote:
Whenever I type anything more sensitive than my name and Windows logon password into my computer, I encrypt it using a program I wrote called AESPad (think WordPad meets Crypto++). It encrypts the data using 256-bit AES (in CBC mode) - combining a password with a key stored on a hardware token to enforce full two-factor authentication. Every time you hit the save button, data is encrypted - cleartext is never placed on the hard drive. (Needless to say, I have two copies of the key device to protect against coffee spills. They are never within five feet of each other.)
Which is irrelevant. There is nothing in the article that suggests that the customer is even aware that such utilities exist much less being capable of writing them herself.
There are plenty of commercial crypto solutions out there (think BitLocker, PGP, and EFS) that do the same job. I simply felt that I could meet my specific needs best with a custom system. She was complaining about tax returns. IIRC, most tax software allows you to password protect your return. Unless the TurboTax people were stupid, they probably used AES with a 128-bit key. Show me a hacker who can break THAT. (Of course, weak passwords are always a threat...) Same with backups. I just use Vista's backup utility. XP's NTBackup is perfectly serviceable too. Why didn't she use them?
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While Best Buy may have lost the laptop (and behaved badly in not refunding her properly, etc.), leaving sensitive information on a laptop leaving her possession is negligence on *her* part, so she is very unlikely to get any damages for that. I had to have my laptop repaired last year, I can assure you every single byte of personal and company data was removed before it left my house.
'Howard
EXACTLY my thought. She definitely has a beef here, and I hope that it comes to something so that Best Buy is penalized and makes constructive changes to their tactics, behaviors, and policies. However, it is ALSO a person's responsibility to not let any information out of his/her hands that s/he doesn't want exposed/misused, so cleaning all personal data off the machine as well as backing it up, as well as encrypting any possible leftovers there might be (I'm no security expert - sorry) is the smart thing. I'm not looking at the article right at this moment - did the computer simply stop working altogether so she couldn't back stuff up/delete it, or did she just not do it?
_________________________________________________ Have a great day!!! -- L.J.
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http://redtape.msnbc.com/2008/02/a-lost-laptop-a.html#posts If her suit is successful, I wonder what it will do to the savings Best Buy thinks it realizes from outsourcing its help desk.
Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface