Why weren't the Congressional computers secured?

[dansolo]

I realize that people were ushered out quickly, but who knows what information could have been taken from unlocked computers. Wasn't the guy in Nancy's office showing a picture of her unlocked computer? Anyone could have stolen information or planted a virus.

[kirby]

1. IT / security sucks

People complain about screensavers / locking too quickly, so they get disabled or really long timeouts.

Federal Govt is one of the worst when it comes to security of their own stuff.

[handmade34]

2. I have gone through many trainings

for Government contract work and ALWAYS one of the prioritized issues has been security and NEVER leave an open computer screen

[BannonsLiver]

11. Yes

How dare they not sit there and wait while their machines shut down, and update, and all of that before seeking to escape a violent murderous mob.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

12. No way. The first thing you do when a terrorist is at your door is erase everything on your computer

[BannonsLiver]

14. Silly me!

[Disaffected]

16. I suspect all they would have to do is

shut off power to the computer (pull the plug or flip a switch). Wouldn't take long at all.

[Disaffected]

29. Yeah, easy as taking cheap shots eh?

[OriginalGeek]

17. as you're getting up

hold down the windows key and the L button

Lock screen comes up immediately. I never get up from my desk without locking my computer and if I'm sitting here staring at it for too long it locks itself.

I am on a Windows 10 computer but I'm sure other OSes have a similar feature.

[OriginalGeek]

30. we drill for it

regularly. Bomb threats, disgruntled employees, fire/hurricane etc... We don't always know it's a drill either. Nobody is trying to be a tough guy. My shit sure ain't worth getting blown up over and I still manage to hit 2 keys as I am getting up out of my chair. Maybe they should try training so it isn't such a huge inconvenience to keep sensitive material away from dopes in bear bikinis.

[whopis01]

23. A simple keystroke would lock the computer.

You hit the windows key and the L key. Done. It should be done anytime you get up from a computer with secure information on it.

[whopis01]

27. I guarantee you I would have done that.

Whenever I stand up from my desk, I do it.

It doesn't take any effort at all. Unlike the exaggerated procedure you described.

[LuvNewcastle]

3. I read one account from a Congress member who said that

they were stuck in a spot with no way out but through the crowd. Sounds like they just barely escaped, and they either didn't have time to secure them or couldn't get to their computers.

[Klaralven]

6. You secure your stuff before you leave your office, whenever you leave your office.

Actually, Pelosi's laptop should not have had any classified information on it.

[LuvNewcastle]

9. Well, we all know that rules and common practice are often

at odds in the workplace. I'll bet they pay attention from now on.

[kwolf68]

4. Does it really matter?

Assuming those jackasses can read, most of the fools in the offices wouldn't probably know sensitive information if it bit them on the ass. That jackass in Pelosi's office stole some mail I understand. He probably got the envelope from Publishers Clearinghouse instead of the one from a senior state executive.

While there were absolutely pros on the scene of the failed insurrection to me they looked like they were there to take hostages (ie, "arrest people&quot . But the ones who appeared to have access to the offices were not from the high rent district intellectually.

[meadowlander]

21. Those are just the ones who were dumb enough to phootograph themselves.

We don't know how many people actually had access to those areas.

[NoRoadUntravelled]

5. I'm sure there are skilled cyber people on this.

But your point is a good one. Could this have been Trump's final gift to Putin? Incite insurrection on the Capitol Building so the Russian agents among his devoted followers could seek out information?
Speaker Pelosi's office was ransacked per the photos. There was paperwork everywhere. Someone was looking for something.

[Montauk6]

7. Papers were ransacked too

Who's to say these thugs didn't steal anything to sell to questionable parties later? Yah, it's tinfoil but I feel entitled...

[JHB]

18. Not tinfoil at all.

While the delusion-drunk goofballs were probably hoping to find a "smoking gun" that would prove all their jackass conspiracy theories, there were some people who were acting with real purpose and might be more focused on what might be useful to unauthorized outside parties.

[honest.abe]

8. Yeah, in our office we are trained to never leave laptop unsecured without a cable...

unless we are physically present with the device.

[BannonsLiver]

10. You answered the question in your first sentence.

[HipChick]

13. Think of an active shooter situation happening in. your workplace

last thing on mind is going to be thinking about my work computer

that said, these computers typically required a CAC card to work and disks are encrypted..

[stillcool]

15. I'm sure from now on..

any time anyone in the Capitol buildings will make sure they're locked and loaded, with armored vests, and all is secured before leaving their office. The next time they are attacked they will make sure all is removed from the floor of the Senate and House. Happy?

[2naSalit]

19. I had work computers at two federal agencies in the recent past...

ALL of our computers (laptops mostly) would lock themselves after a few minutes if left open without keystrokes or mouse movement. They also do that if quickly closed with files open. If it was a desk top computer, there were additional protections all of which are updates at short intervals of days to weeks. Every worker is trained in security protocols. I suspect that little will be gained.

[meadowlander]

22. Yes, ours too.

It means if they did get access to one of the computers it's because they got into the offices within 2-3 minutes of staff being evacuated from them.

[Demsrule86]

20. For fucks sakes...we barely got them out alive. Is there no end to criticizing Democrats.

[apnu]

28. end-user training and crisis time

First the users have to be trained to lock systems and secure them when they leave. Users fail this 90% of the time. I know because its what I do. I have to set my company's systems to lock after 5 minutes, and even that fails to go because Microsoft is trash.

The second is time in a crisis. They had no real warning, it was business as usual there until they got alerts that the building was breached. So they followed instructions which was, essentially, GTFO. Just like a fire -- don't grab anything, not even your coat, and get out. So they did.

Whatever was on their desk was fair game, whatever computers were open and on, were on. Someone stole a laptop from Pelosi's office.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

31. Do we know the computers weren't secured?

My "work" laptop (when I used to work) was simple. Close the lid, and it requires a password to unlock. It requires another password to run the decryption software. without that, the whole hard drive is just one encrypted glob of bits. Remove the drive, attach it to another computer to look at it, and it's still one big encrypted blob of bits.

And the info on my computer was not classified. Not even sensitive, as in "health" or "personnel" data.

How hard is it to put encryption on congressional computers?

They should be secured so they're of no use to a thief who wants the data.