Lock-up that laptop

Over the weekend I noticed an advertisement that has been on TV lately about not leaving valuables in the car.  How many of us are guilty of leaving a laptop on the backseat or on the floor of the car? Most I would say.

In Australia, it is estimated that over 50,000 laptops get stolen each year, that’s one every 10 minutes.  The value of a laptop today is probably about $2000 for the hardware alone, but when you consider the information held on it, its highly likely to be about 8 times that figure.

The most recent survey undertaken by AUSCERT (Australian Computer Crime & Security Survey) found that 69% of respondents (389 surveyed) had suffered financial loss due to a stolen laptop. The value of that loss was estimated to be almost $16,000.

The research also showed that organisations big and small were not putting enough effort into educating their staff about security practises with mobile technology.

A Risk Update issued by the Victorian Managed Insurance Authority states that atleast 5% of laptops are stolen within a year of being purchased and 41% of laptops are actually stolen from the office. It goes on to say that the biggest exposure for a company is not the property that is lost, it’s the company information that is now public.

Although the title of this article refers to theft, it’s not only theft that is an issue.  Protecsure, one of the leading equipment insurance specialists in Australia, has found that over the last 10 years, a high proportion of their claims have come directly because of accidental damage as opposed to theft. This is probably a person dropping the laptop at work or at home. Protecsure has paid out over 45,000 claims since 1990.

Australian organisations are increasingly spending more on mobile technologies, and with the growing accessibility of data for these technologies, the risk for organisations is growing.

An article posted in May 2007 in AustralianIT, talked specifically about the corporate risk associated with mobile devises. It specifically stated that most organisations don’t understand the risk they place themselves under when they place such sensitive information on these mobile devices. When we talk about sensitive information we talk about financial records, access to client databases, access to sensitive planning documents. Information, if in the hands of the wrong people could result in financial loss as well as breaches of privacy and many other laws.

It stated that small and medium businesses are considered at particular risk, as most don’t have an IT department to employ security procedures.

So what can we do to protect ourselves? Below is a concise list of tips that every laptop (mobile device) owner should consider:

• Never leave your laptop in an unlocked car (even if it’s just for a few minutes).
• If you are going to leave your laptop in the car, ensure if is well hidden (preferably in the boot).
• If you are at a restaurant or bar with your laptop bag, keep it next to you at all times. Everyone knows what’s inside the bag.
• When travelling, always take the laptop with you as hand luggage. You might want to consider storing it in a bag other than the laptop bag (laptop bags are very obvious).
• At work, use a docking station that will keep the laptop locked or a cable lock (see Choice review).
• Regular backup of your data. If you are self employed or a small business you may want to consider an online backup service like Carbonite to protect your critical information.
• Disable the guest account on Windows.
• Ensure regular password changes.
• Don’t save your passwords on the laptop.
• Disable the infrared port on the laptop, as it provides access to files even without touching the laptop.
• Use data encryption when possible.