posted on Friday, January 25, 2008 12:10 PM
by
Lou Michels
It Probably Wouldn't Have Hurt to Ask
A case out of Jacksonville (where we have one of our nicer offices) once again demonstrates the linkage between people's feelings about their jobs and the importance of having a good data management and back-up system.
A woman working in an architectural firm in Jacksonville noticed an ad in the local paper's want ads for a position that looked very much like her job. When she saw that the phone number listed belonged to her boss, she assumed the worst and believed she was about to be terminated. In a fit of pique, she then erased from the firm's computers some seven years' worth of drawings and blueprints estimated to be worth more than $2 million. As with most impulsive acts, however, this one was not particularly well disguised and the company had no difficulty identifying who had done the damage.
The company was able to recover the lost data after spending some money on a recovery service. Ironically (there has to be irony), the ad that triggered this whole thing was not for the employee's position, but for a similar position in the owner's wife's company. Oops.
The woman has been charged with a felony under Florida law, but there are even more serious implications here. Deliberately damaging computer storage systems is a federal felony and could subject her to a much greater criminal sanction. Again, the now former employee probably wasn't thinking along these lines when she was hitting the "delete" button.
Some intelligent commentary on this story re data securirty is avaible at The Register.