NASA Leak Puts JPL Workers at Risk

Workers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Los Angeles called for a congressional investigation Wednesday in response to the theft of a laptop computer they say could put thousands of workers at risk for identity theft.

JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, is currently under a contract with NASA. 

The unattended NASA laptop was stolen Oct. 31 out of a parked car in Washington D.C. Two weeks later, NASA informed its employees that personal information had been compromised, according to JPL attorney Dan Stormer.

Stormer has written to numerous congressional representatives across the greater Los Angeles area asking for an immediate investigation into "NASA's behavior in this unsavory affair."

"To add insult to injury, NASA recklessly allows repeated releases of this private information," Stormer said. "This is a scandal and a shame."

In response NASA spokesman Allard Beutel said the agency has since encrypted all personal information and no longer allows laptops with personal information to leave the agency's facilities.

"We take this very seriously," Beutel said. "We get the importance. There's no disagreement."