From: security curmudgeon (jerichoattrition.org)
Date: Tue Jun 23 2009 - 15:04:22 CDT

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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Rob, grandpa of Ryan, Trevor, Devon & Hannah" <rmsladeshaw.ca>

UBC graduate students and instructors visited Ghana, China (the world's
largest electronic waste dump, in Guiyi), and India to find out what
happens to electronic trash. Criminals scour the hard drives for credit
card information and other personal information. (The electronic waste
also pollutes the environment and poisons scavengers seeking to extract
metals.)

In Ghana, students bought a hard drive originally used by U.S. defence
contractor Northrop Grumman, containing about 50 files marked as
competitive and sensitive, including information on government contracts
for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Northrop spokesman Thomas
Henson said that the company has a detailed procedure to dispose of
electronics and the drive was likely stolen from a vendor that handles its
disposed electronics. (Yeah, right.)

(Maybe the Chinese don't have to hack into important computers to get
sensitive info ...)

http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/media/releases/2009/mr-09-077.html

http://www.vancouversun.com/News/team+uncovers+sensitive+defence+records/1723318/story.html

http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/ghana804/

http://www.timescolonist.com/Technology/secrets+found+trash/1723812/story.html

http://fergdawg.blogspot.com/2009/06/ubc-journalism-students-find-sensitive.html
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