All the recent news about stolen laptops with sensitive has got me thinking: hard drive encryption software goes a long way in protecting the information on a lost laptop. However, laptops are not the only digital devices that would benefit from the use of disk encryption.
The story of laptops being stolen from cars is an old one. The story of an employee downloading a sensitive file to a laptop (an ill-advised move), and that laptop getting stolen is also an old one. Laptops, however, are not the only portable devices that can lead to a data breach. USB memory sticks, too, have been at the center of some egregious data breaches around the world. And how could they not be? They're even more portable than laptops, their capacities are counted in the tens of gigabytes, and their price point have not so much as dipped as they've cratered--so much so that I know people who'll reach for a USB stick over a stack of DVDs at a Staples. The latter might be cheaper on a per-byte basis, but the former is more convenient (stick it into your pocket--how much more portable can it get?) not to mention its rewriting capacity is pretty much unlimited.
The story of laptops being stolen from cars is an old one. The story of an employee downloading a sensitive file to a laptop (an ill-advised move), and that laptop getting stolen is also an old one.
Laptops, however, are not the only portable devices that can lead to a data breach. USB memory sticks, too, have been at the center of some egregious data breaches around the world.
And how could they not be? They're even more portable than laptops, their capacities are counted in the tens of gigabytes, and their price point have not so much as dipped as they've cratered--so much so that I know people who'll reach for a USB stick over a stack of DVDs at a Staples. The latter might be cheaper on a per-byte basis, but the former is more convenient (stick it into your pocket--how much more portable can it get?) not to mention its rewriting capacity is pretty much unlimited.
Now, a lot of people know that memory sticks can be a source of data breaches. However, they may give you a blank stare if asked how to control it. The biggest problem by far is the fact that USB ports are ubiquitous and USB flashdrives are as well. In an office with ten employees, chances are at least half of them have a personal USB drive. Furthermore, chances are they're being used for copying files. How to control this? Superglue and pennies? To begin with, you want to have a computer usage policy covering such behavior. Of course, such policies are often ignored (or forgotten about), so you may need something with a little more bite as well. One approach to control is to automatically encrypt any USB drives that are plugged into an office computer, a setting that can be turned on in AlertBoot endpoint encryption. Basically, if you plug that USB stick in, it starts getting encrypted--and, it will only work with the group of computers that encrypted the device (in other words, the USB drive won't work at home). A less invasive approach is to use port control software. The use of such software ensures that only approved devices can communicate with a computer via the USB slot. For example, you could set up the port control software so that all mice work with a computer, but only select USB memory stick models can read and write data from the same computer.
Now, a lot of people know that memory sticks can be a source of data breaches. However, they may give you a blank stare if asked how to control it. The biggest problem by far is the fact that USB ports are ubiquitous and USB flashdrives are as well. In an office with ten employees, chances are at least half of them have a personal USB drive. Furthermore, chances are they're being used for copying files. How to control this? Superglue and pennies?
To begin with, you want to have a computer usage policy covering such behavior. Of course, such policies are often ignored (or forgotten about), so you may need something with a little more bite as well.
One approach to control is to automatically encrypt any USB drives that are plugged into an office computer, a setting that can be turned on in AlertBoot endpoint encryption. Basically, if you plug that USB stick in, it starts getting encrypted--and, it will only work with the group of computers that encrypted the device (in other words, the USB drive won't work at home).
A less invasive approach is to use port control software. The use of such software ensures that only approved devices can communicate with a computer via the USB slot. For example, you could set up the port control software so that all mice work with a computer, but only select USB memory stick models can read and write data from the same computer.