33,000 TSA Clear Identities Lost then Found Again

Earlier yesterday, a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) laptop containing the unencrypted identity information of some estimated 33,000 Clear passengers was stolen from a locked office at San Francisco International Airport. The Clear program, operated by Verified Identity Pass, allows registered travelers to bypass airport security lines by showing their Clear cards at the cost of $100 per year. The 33,000 affected victims were mostly those who had registered online but had not yet completed the in-person enrollment. The laptop contained private information including drivers license numbers, addresses, birth dates, and passport numbers but no Social Security or credit card numbers. Whether or not the registrants had finalized registration is no excuse for not encrypting the data.

“We don’t believe the security or privacy of these would-be members will be compromised in any way,” Verified Identity Pass CEO Steven Brill said in a statement. “There is no reason to believe this is anything other than the simple burglary of a laptop, which the local police are investigating.”

Upon discovery of the stolen information, the TSA then halted new registration of the Clear program as it tried sorted out the mess and secure remaining unencrypted laptops with encryption software. Fortunately, the laptop was recovered later that day and preliminary investigation revealed that the sensitive data remained untouched pending further forensic analysis.

“We apologize for the confusion but in an abundance of caution, we treated this unaccounted-for laptop as a serious potential breach. We’re glad to confirm that a preliminary investigation shows no personal information was compromised,” said Brill during the announcement that the laptop had been recovered.

The Clear program currently has 190,000 travelers registered nationwide and has been adopted by 18 airports around the country since its inception in July 2005.

(source: flyclear.com)
Image/Verified Identity Pass