FBI's initial view - VA data not accessed

Via AP/Yahoo:

The government announced Thursday that a person officials would not identify had turned in the laptop and external drive, which were stolen from a VA data analyst on May 3. The FBI said an initial review determined that the contents had not been accessed or copied.

This turns yesterday's good news in to today's very good news. While issues surrounding privacy and computer security urgently need addressing, the most immediate concern should be the welfare of the veterans affected by the theft. The FBI is conducting additional forensic testing of the computer, but a gut read of this suggests high confidence that the data wasn't used, else the FBI would have deferred making a statement until deeper tests had been performed.

VA Secretary Jim Nicholson isn't off the hook, though. While disaster may have been avoided, the fact remains that improper handling of personal data caused a situation that could have been much worse. The recovery of the laptop should not in any way reduce the sense of urgency to investigate the causes and take corrective action.