Pretty Much Everybody Is Losing Laptops With Personal Data
from the somebody-call-a-data-plumber dept
If you thought you'd been seeing a lot of stories about companies losing laptops containing personal information, here's why: more than 80 percent of companies have lost a laptop with "sensitive data" on it in the past year, according to a new survey. The biggest problem, according to the company behind the survey, is that firms don't keep track of where personal and other sensitive data is kept, which would seem to evoke the old saying that you should never attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence. The most obvious solution would appear to be for companies to figure out exactly where all this data is living, and come up with some rules limiting employees' access to it and preventing them from carrying it around unless it's absolutely necessary. As an added benefit, the mere existence of such a policy, even if it isn't enforced, or soundly written can be enough to get a company off the hook should they leak personal data -- just another way companies are being motivated to really take these things seriously. So many of these instances, at least the ones that come to light, aren't taken seriously because the leaked data never gets used, with many companies not taking any proactive steps to secure their data, banking on a variation of security via obscurity that's more like security-via-can't-be-bothered. But with people advertising the value of leaked data, security policies founded on thieves' ignorance can't be effective much longer.![Hide This Hide this](https://ii.techdirt.com/s/t/i/topclose.png)
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Security
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Re:
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sensitive data
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Re: sensitive data
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I then directly called Fitness 24 and they said they would never do such a thing and that our account is fine.
That is just a basic scam. Its BS that companies can get away with just loosing data like that. Where are the real law suits when we need them?
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Re: Who cares?
Virtual Private Networksing is relatively eay. We can even use VPNs for home networking. It works. It's secure. It can be accessed from anywhere. It requires less hard drive space (all data doesn't need to be copied to client computers). All personel would have access to the exact same data at the same time.
You must admit, the future of storage is not on portable devices. Imagine being able to access your personal desktop from any capable computer, PDA, phone, digital tablet, eInk display, or even a wall at some random place.
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Re: sensitive data
The world is fubar.
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simple solutions for not so simple business...
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/personaltechnology/2003209737_ptinbo19.html
Apparent ly this software also has an app that can be used to encrypt data on a computer. Only someone who is authorized can then unscramble and access the data....
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VPN
VPN is a great tool for security but it's not the end all solution. Education coupled with responsible employees is the answer.
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VPN, yeah but......
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VPN - disconnect
What about having to work disconnected guys? That is - NO VPN, no connectivity at all - if it is feasible for all remote workers to be "connected" all the time - then load NO APPS but the basic OS and let all workers remote in - using CITRIX or something equivalent - dumb terminals come to mind... but wait that's a mainframe term...
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Great solution for this issue
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Re: Re: sensitive data
Hey, you know what? There were wartime cartoons they made for soldiers about an officer Snafu, showing you what NOT to do as a soldier, like keeping your trap shut around ladies of the night, keeping your equipment in good condition, reading manuals, yatta yatta. Why not have Employee Snafu films, warning cubicle dwellers not to put their girlfriend's phone number where thier wife can see it. Maybe an Earth2 fanfic or two, but that's it.
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Re: Re: Re: sensitive data
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Re: Re: sensitive data
i could just be a 15 year old in Kansas with a rudimentary knowledge of data security and too much time on his hand (lost one to a combine)
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Call Me
I'm guessing the majority of thieves don't steal a laptop and start looking for personal info. They probably steal and sell only when their stolen goods are announced to have millions of personal records do they actually think and say darn I wish I sold that stolen laptop for more than $100 now that I know there were thousands of personal records worth thousands of dollars on it.
In short news folk: shut up about it you possibly cause more harm than good. Company folk: Get my personal data off your laptops! In fact get my personal data off all of your computers you don’t need it! If it gets stolen you can bet I'm coming after you.
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