Stolen NASA laptop breached, IG says.

• Position: DATA SECURITY - Inspector General Paul K. Martin - Brief article

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently announced a major breach involving a stolen laptop containing the formulas used to control the International Space Station. An internal investigation revealed that the laptop was unencrypted.

"The March 2011 theft of an unencrypted NASA notebook computer resulted in the loss of the algorithms used to command and control the International Space Station," said NASA Inspector General Paul K. Martin in his written testimony to lawmakers in late February 2012.

During 2010 and 2011, NASA reported 5,408 computer security incidents that resulted in a loss of more than $7 million, Martin said. He told a House Science, Space, and Technology Committee investigations panel that the incidents have resulted in the "significant disruption to mission operations" and "the theft of export-controlled and otherwise sensitive data."

According to Nextgov, Martin's office is still investigating an intrusion that went undetected for a period of time at NASA's Jet Propulsion...