Thursday, September 4, 2008

"Left 2, right to 15... uh, no, maybe right 2, left 15..."

Former attorney general Alberto R. Gonzales told investigators that he could not recall whether he took home notes regarding the government's most sensitive national security program and that he did not know they contained classified information, despite his own markings that they were "top secret -- eyes only," according to a Justice Department report released yesterday.

Gonzales improperly carried notes about the warrantless wiretapping program in an unlocked briefcase and failed to keep them in a safe at his Northern Virginia home three years ago because he "could not remember the combination," the department's inspector general reported.

A National Security Agency official who reviewed the notes said they contained references to operational aspects of the wiretapping initiative, including a top-secret code word for the program, information that had been "zealously protected" by the agency and was "not a close call" in terms of its sensitivity, the report said. (more)

Now, before you snicker...
How well are you safeguarding your company's top secret information?

UPDATE...
One answer I received came with this office photo. Apparently, others have experienced not being able to remember a safe combination.

The answer in this case was, not leaving the door open, but rather writing the combination on a post-it note!

In days gone by, we didn't have as many gadget operational directions to remember and remembering a safe combination was easy and important. Now, there are too many directions, passwords, etc. to remember, and all of them are important. Time for a better way. Send me your ideas, please."