Engineer stole defence agency's laptop, wiped out 'restricted' data

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#1
Ian Poh
The Straits Times

Saturday, Apr 05, 2014


A former senior associate engineer with the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) was fined $4,000 yesterday for stealing a $1,800 laptop that belonged to the agency.

On Sept 6 last year, Lee Kian Heng noticed that the HP Elitebook issued three days earlier to his colleague to use on projects was unattended and unsecured by a cable wire. He walked past his colleague's desk twice before deciding to steal the computer.

Lee, 33, reformatted the laptop and reset it to its factory settings so he could use it, deleting data classified as "restricted", said court documents. The laptop was later recovered from his home.

Calling for at least a large fine, Deputy Public Prosecutor Winston Man pointed out that Lee, then 32, had at the time been working for an agency which handled sensitive information.

Defence lawyer Louis Joseph said Lee, who was formally dismissed by DSTA the following month, had taken what "looked like a shiny object" in a moment of "unbelievable stupidity". Lee took the laptop for personal use and had no intention of selling it, added Mr Joseph.

The maximum penalty for theft is jail of three years and a fine.
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#2
I think he got off rather lightly without a jail term. However he has been punished enough. He has been given a 2nd chance.

Just my Diary
corylogics.blogspot.com/


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#3
Actually having a tainted record is equivalent to having a life sentence. It is not going to be easy going forward.
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#4
He is in Malaysia now to begin his new life.
“risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing.”
I don’t look to jump over 7-foot bars: I look around for 1-foot bars that I can step over.
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#5
Quote:He walked past his colleague's desk twice before deciding to steal the computer.

seems like they have a lot of hidden surveillance to be able to find out he walked past twice
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#6
lol, cctv in almost all offices, not to mention government agencies, especially DSTA. This borders on stupidity more than anything. Yeah greed can lead us to do stupid things.
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#7
What if he had already saved and transferred all the '' Restricted data'' before deleting it ? This action is more serious then theft .
“risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing.”
I don’t look to jump over 7-foot bars: I look around for 1-foot bars that I can step over.
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#8
His monthly pay is probably much higher than the cost of that laptop. Surely, it's plain obvious the benefit-to-cost ratio is next to zero.
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#9
Charlie munger calls it hubris... No logic

There was a senior FM took a car when he found a valet ticket in the toilet. Caught when trying to cross the causeway. Talk about smarts.
Before you speak, listen. Before you write, think. Before you spend, earn. Before you invest, investigate. Before you criticize, wait. Before you pray, forgive. Before you quit, try. Before you retire, save. Before you die, give. –William A. Ward

Think Asset-Business-Structure (ABS)
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#10
This the so called spur of the moment. A moment of folly. Such moment can happen to someone close to us too. Once in a while this happen, to keep everyone toe inline.
I doubt data has been the motive or taken advantage off, with respect to DSTA.

Just my Diary
corylogics.blogspot.com/


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