Tip of the Week: Patch the Jugular First…Or Just Patch Something First

People tend to get overwhelmed. We all do. Our ToDo lists are ten miles long and getting longer. We are long on good intentions and short on implementation, often with valid reasons.
As I’ve been wading through study after study, report after report, commentary upon commentary, it seems clear that there are, well, a lot of [...]

New Study: Only Half of CEOs Strongly Support Data Security Efforts

In yet another very interesting Ponemon Institute study, more than half of IT and security professionals worldwide believe their companies’ laptops and other mobile devices pose security risks, and only half of them have CEOs who are strong advocates and supporters of data security efforts.
Kelly Jackson Higgins’ article at Dark Reading gives a good summary.
And, [...]

Laptop Computer Security Firm Launches MyLaptopGPS Encryption and Remote Decryption Kill to Provide the Industry-Leading Laptop Protection Technology

Addition of Encryption Functionalities Renders MyLaptopGPS’ Product an All-in-One, One-of-a-Kind Approach to Laptop Computer Security: “Encrypt. Track. Recover.”
(STILLWATER, Okla. – Oct. 27, 2009 – IDTheftSecurity.com) Laptop computer security firm MyLaptopGPS, featured in Inc. Magazine, TechRepublic and elsewhere, has introduced patent-pending laptop encryption to its already robust Internet-based laptop tracking product. MyLaptopGPS™, whose unmatched industry theft [...]

Tip of the Week: Use a Screen Shield

Most folks pay no attention to security. Other folks overestimate the problem–they overestimate the vulnerabilities that exist. Neither of these is the best approach, of course.
The overestimators will assume that every person in the airport is studying their laptop screen over their shoulder–like the song made freshly famous in the GEICO commercials (Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching [...]

Tip of the Week: Encrypt!

In keeping with the faithful mantra about “no silver bullet” in the security world, let me highlight a crucial piece of the laptop security puzzle: encryption.
Encryption is a must when it comes to effective mobile data security. Key factors to keep in mind include:

Use a strong key (password, that is, pass PHRASE). Do not use [...]

Tip of the Week: Use a BIOS Password

Since layered security is so fundamental to effective security, it helps to have yet another layer. This one is actually fairly strong, at least in one sense.
Set a password in your laptop’s BIOS. This is not the Windows password that would be used to access Windows, but a low-level password that is set right in [...]

Rip of the Week: 1,700 School District Employees Breached

In a cookie-cutter breach incident with all the normal characteristics, the Francis Howell School District is warning employees that a laptop computer theft could have compromised personal information.
Thanks much to Redemtech for the summary on this one.
The laptop was “password protected” according to the district, and thus “it is unlikely the information has been accessed.” [...]

Tip of the Week: There is No Silver Bullet

When it comes to effective data security, there is perhaps one absolutely Golden Rule: there is no silver bullet.
Some security protocols, measures, technology, algorithms, methods and ideas are much stronger than others. Some are more comprehensive. Some are less vulnerable. Some are more easily implemented.
But one thing remains true, and that is that absolutely no [...]