Seven Rules for Laptop Security
Laptop computers are the “mobile office” of meeting planners and other professionals and are the most vulnerable target for information theft today. Every month, thousands of laptops are lost and stolen at airports, taxis and hotels.
Many people believe “It won’t happen to me” and take no protective measures. Before you ignore this problem yourself, consider the case of Qualcomm CEO Irwin Jacobs, who interrupted his presentation to step into the audience to take questions. Upon returning to the podium, his laptop was gone. Several witnesses reported that Irwin stated his laptop had data that could be of great value to foreign governments.
What should you do? Your best solution is to prepare now for theft or loss of your laptop. Sam Carter, CISSP, of the eLearning Corner (www.elearningcorner.com), Gaithersburg, Maryland, who is the information technology consultant to ConventionPlanit.com, offers these seven simple rules to follow:
1. Back up your data. If you lose your laptop to theft, loss or a malfunctioning hard drive, how long would it take you to recover? Discuss backup options with someone knowledgeable to determine a strategy that is right for you. Remember: Backup data is vulnerable to data theft. Secure your backups appropriately.
2. Keep unneeded critical data off your laptop. If confidential or sensitive information isn’t necessary on your laptop, then don’t expose yourself or your company to a possible information breach.
3. Do you have PII (Personally Identifiable Information) on your laptop? Several states require public disclosure if PII information such as Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, or drivers license numbers is lost or stolen. Laws can require notifying every individual who may be affected, as well as informing certain government agencies. Estimates for legal, protective, and security expenses range from $100 to $200 per record. If you do have PII on your laptop, you have sensitive data and should take appropriate steps. Check your state regulations and prepare accordingly.
4. Password protect your laptop. This will prevent theft of opportunity when your laptop was unattended. Anyone who might benefit from your laptop information can easily copy 60 Gigabytes to an iPod while your laptop is unattended.
5. Encrypt your laptop hard drive. Password protection of your login will not prevent information loss to a determined thief. Encrypting your hard drive is the only failsafe solution available. Complexity and performance concerns make laptop encryption a last-resort technology but these concerns are of no consequence if your laptop must contain confidential or sensitive information.
6. Exercise care when using public wireless networks. Public wireless networks carry your information in plain unencrypted form visible to other wireless laptops like a postcard in transit. It is generally safe to browse the internet or check your e-mail on public wireless networks, but user names and passwords sent in clear text are prime targets for wireless thieves.
7. Never leave your password unattended and unsecured. An unattended laptop is an invitation for theft. Common mistakes include leaving your laptop unattended in a conference room during a break, leaving your laptop easily visible inside a locked car, or leaving your laptop on an airport seat to run for refreshment. When out of your office, never let your laptop leave your sight without proper security measures.
Tags: laptop security, travel