OKLAHOMA CITY -- We first told you about the theft of a state laptop containing the personal information of a million Oklahomans earlier this week. We wanted to find out just how easy it would be for a thief to access that vital information.
NewsChannel 4's Joleen Chaney talked with a laptop expert.
See found out it really all depends on the type of protection used.
The stolen laptop had names, social security numbers, and birthdates of Oklahomans who use several state services. DHS officials say the machine was password protected; a precaution that some experts say may not be enough.
"You've got to be a rocket scientist to get into it," Says George Johnson of Oklahoma DHS
DHS officials are referring to how unlikely it would be for someone to be able to access the personal information, but according to some computer experts, hacking the system may not be so difficult.
"The answer is a definite maybe. It really will depend on which technologies were used," says Dan Yost, Laptop Expert. "There are a lot of rocket scientists out there."
The ease depends on the type of precautions used such as encryption and password protection.
"This is the screen that comes up. You got to log in three different ways," Yost explains.
Log-ins at DHS they says change frequently and are not able to be used again in any two year period.
"Usually password changing is used as a mechanism to keep them from getting stale for networked systems so if you have hackers trying to get in," Yost says.
The same series of passwords won't work leaving countless potential victims uneasy.
In the meantime a million people just kind of have to wonder how tight the details on that computer are.
It's not known if the stolen laptop was protected by encryption however, DHS officials say the risk of a breach is low. If you have any questions contact DHS.
Contact KFOR News directly by clicking here if you would like to submit a news story tip or suggestion.
Copyright 2009 KFOR-TV-DT. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
kfor oklahoma news
NewsChannel 4's Joleen Chaney talked with a laptop expert.
See found out it really all depends on the type of protection used.
The stolen laptop had names, social security numbers, and birthdates of Oklahomans who use several state services. DHS officials say the machine was password protected; a precaution that some experts say may not be enough.
"You've got to be a rocket scientist to get into it," Says George Johnson of Oklahoma DHS
DHS officials are referring to how unlikely it would be for someone to be able to access the personal information, but according to some computer experts, hacking the system may not be so difficult.
"The answer is a definite maybe. It really will depend on which technologies were used," says Dan Yost, Laptop Expert. "There are a lot of rocket scientists out there."
The ease depends on the type of precautions used such as encryption and password protection.
"This is the screen that comes up. You got to log in three different ways," Yost explains.
Log-ins at DHS they says change frequently and are not able to be used again in any two year period.
"Usually password changing is used as a mechanism to keep them from getting stale for networked systems so if you have hackers trying to get in," Yost says.
The same series of passwords won't work leaving countless potential victims uneasy.
In the meantime a million people just kind of have to wonder how tight the details on that computer are.
It's not known if the stolen laptop was protected by encryption however, DHS officials say the risk of a breach is low. If you have any questions contact DHS.
Contact KFOR News directly by clicking here if you would like to submit a news story tip or suggestion.
Copyright 2009 KFOR-TV-DT. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
kfor oklahoma news
