Tuesday, May 23, 2017

TONITE'S CHANNEL 5 REPORT, WHERE'S THE COUNTY SERVER?

By Juan Montoya
Ever since Cameron County officials were informed that one of their auctioned computer servers had been bought at a local flea market and that its purchaser – after discovering a massive amount of confidential personal data in it – had gone to the news media, they have been trying to find out how this could have happened.

The server was bought by the county in 2002 and was installed in the Tax Assessor Collector's Office until 2008, when it no longer had the storage capacity to handle that department's data. Tax Assessor-Collector Tony Yzaguirre said that the county's IT department had removed the server and replaced it with another. In fact, since the first server was replaced, the office had gone through two others.

"This is the third one we've had," Yzaguirre said. "In each case, the old servers did not have the capacity to handle the amount of data generated at the office."

In the  teasers the report to be aired tonight, Channel 5 (KRGV), the narrator speaks of the things that can be purchased at a Brownsville flea market, which include computers and servers that may contain confidential personal information which could result in identity theft. The station reports finding personal information including Social Security numbers in the server they acquired.

 We have learned that the server in the story was moved from the tax office by the county's IT Department technicians, then ended being used in the county's Elections Office. Social Security numbers are  not required from individuals doing business with those two entities, their administrators have assured us. About the only department – besides law enforcement and the courts – that requires the applicant divulge Social Security numbers on their applications is the Human Resources Department who performs background checks on job applicants.

It could be possible that the server was used for a time in other departments aside from the tax office or elections. If so, it's still up to the IT technicians to make sure that once a piece of equipment is declared salvage, its memory or hard disc has to be wiped of information before a bid is approved. Apparently, someone dropped the ball at the county on this one.

According to county officials, the server was sold along with other items that the county had declared salvage sometime in 2015. It wasn't until someone who would have use for mass data handling equipment – a computer savvy geek – saw the server at the flea market, bought it, and then found the data.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Leave it up to Juan Saldana to drop the ball not only once but twice. Dumb ass.

Anonymous said...

Balderdash!

Anonymous said...

IT Dept is responsible they must face the consequences

Anonymous said...

About 9 yrs ago, a relative of mine bought a hard drive and a computer monitor at the "PULGA". My relative IS a computer certified expert. The person bought the items for about $30.
I am NOT a computer expert but my relative is so this person was able to get music, letters, IM, and some personal information of the person that used those items. These particular items have been disposed (it has been some yrs), but I remember my relative showing me how to do this. That is DANGEROUS if critical information lands in the hands of the wrong person.

Anonymous said...

Obviously no oversight of the IT Department at Cameron County and no oversight program by the county officials. Information is treated with total disregard, as this incident demonstrates. Does the county have a procedure for clearing the information off of computers before they are salvaged??? Who are the responsible people in that process??? Does anyone in the County government give a shit....it doesn't seem so.

Anonymous said...

where is the county judge on these matters and his administration to assure this does not happen. He needs to instill some kind of checks and balances

Anonymous said...

Why isn't channel 5 covering the missing teenager instead

Anonymous said...

Well, when Meskins run things, shit happens!

Anonymous said...

Cameron County IT department sucks at doing their job!! They dropped the ball numerous times and seems to happen way to often. People should know the consequences of this information falling into the wrong hands. People in the IT department need to be reprimanded and disciplined for doing a shitty job!!

Anonymous said...

Bite me, Juan! Lies, mentiras and more lies, Guey!!!!!

Zeke Sauceda said...

Eat shit, Frank Mar - pussy!

Anonymous said...

I have a better one than that, about 8 or 9 years ago my relative bought a county computer at the flea market and it happened to have emails between the then county judge Cascos and a lady which had explicite sexual rondevou information, to include what he liked to do sexually with her.

Anonymous said...

Damn!! @ anonymous May 24th 10:54am and I LOVE Frank Mar!!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous at 10:54. It wasn't a lady. It was Cascos and Cris Valadez.

Anonymous said...

May 24th @ 10:54am - thats a very juicy comment.

rita