Laptop theft
Encyclopedia
Laptop theft is a significant threat
to users of laptop
computers. Many methods to protect the data and to prevent theft
have been developed, including alarms, laptop locks, and visual deterrents such as stickers or labels. Victims of laptop theft can lose hardware, software, and essential data that has not been backed up
. Thieves also may have access to sensitive data and personal information. Some systems authorise access based on credentials stored on the laptop including MAC address
es, web cookies, cryptographic keys and stored password
s.
According to the FBI, losses due to laptop theft totalled more than $3.5 million dollars in 2005. The Computer Security Institute
/FBI Computer Crime & Security Survey found the average theft of a laptop to cost a company $31,975. The incidence of laptop theft has been growing at a steady rate as laptop use continues to grow, and more than 1 in 10 laptops will be stolen within their lifetime.
files, documents containing passwords, addresses, as well as employee and customer information stored on company laptops.
(FDE) is an increasingly popular and cost-effective approach. Full disk encryption can be taken on from a software-based approach, a hardware-based approach, or both - end-based approach. FDE provides protection before the operating system starts up with pre-boot authentication
, however precautions still need to be taken against cold boot attack
s.
There are a number of tools available, both commercial and open source that enable a user to circumvent passwords for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.
Passwords provide a basic security measure for files stored on a laptop, though combined with disk encryption software
they can reliably protect data against unauthorized access. Remote Laptop Security (RLS) is available to confidently secure data even when the laptop is not in the owner's possession. With Remote Laptop Security, the owner of a laptop can deny access rights
to the stolen laptop from any computer with Internet
access.
measures have emerged that aim at protecting data. The Kensington Security Slot
along with a locking cable provides physical security against thefts of opportunity.
devices to field employees instead of conventional laptops, so that all data will reside on the server and therefore may be less liable to loss or compromise. If a thin client is lost or stolen, it can easily and inexpensively be replaced. However, a thin client depends on network access to the server, which is not available aboard airliners or any other location without network access.
This approach can be coupled with strong authentication as such Single sign on.
In 2010 VA reported the theft of the laptop from an unidentified contractor; the computer contained personally identifiable information on 644 veterans, including data from some VA medical centers' records.
After learning about the unencrypted laptop, VA investigated how many VA contractors might not be complying with the encryption requirement and learned that 578 vendors had refused to sign new contract clauses that required them to encrypt veteran data on their computers, an apparent violation of rules.
Threat (computer)
In Computer security a threat is a possible danger that might exploit a vulnerability to breach security and thus cause possible harm.A threat can be either "intentional" or "accidental" In Computer security a threat is a possible danger that might exploit a vulnerability to breach security and...
to users of laptop
Laptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
computers. Many methods to protect the data and to prevent theft
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
have been developed, including alarms, laptop locks, and visual deterrents such as stickers or labels. Victims of laptop theft can lose hardware, software, and essential data that has not been backed up
Backup
In information technology, a backup or the process of backing up is making copies of data which may be used to restore the original after a data loss event. The verb form is back up in two words, whereas the noun is backup....
. Thieves also may have access to sensitive data and personal information. Some systems authorise access based on credentials stored on the laptop including MAC address
MAC address
A Media Access Control address is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces for communications on the physical network segment. MAC addresses are used for numerous network technologies and most IEEE 802 network technologies, including Ethernet...
es, web cookies, cryptographic keys and stored password
Password
A password is a secret word or string of characters that is used for authentication, to prove identity or gain access to a resource . The password should be kept secret from those not allowed access....
s.
According to the FBI, losses due to laptop theft totalled more than $3.5 million dollars in 2005. The Computer Security Institute
Computer Security Institute
The Computer Security Institute is a professional membership organization serving practitioners of information, network, and computer-enabled physical security, from the level of system administrator to the chief information security officer. It was founded in 1974.CSI conducts two conferences per...
/FBI Computer Crime & Security Survey found the average theft of a laptop to cost a company $31,975. The incidence of laptop theft has been growing at a steady rate as laptop use continues to grow, and more than 1 in 10 laptops will be stolen within their lifetime.
Best practices against laptop theft
Depending on what is kept on a particular laptop, lack of proper security precautions allows a thief to easily acquire such information as personal bookkeepingBookkeeping
Bookkeeping is the recording of financial transactions. Transactions include sales, purchases, income, receipts and payments by an individual or organization. Bookkeeping is usually performed by a bookkeeper. Bookkeeping should not be confused with accounting. The accounting process is usually...
files, documents containing passwords, addresses, as well as employee and customer information stored on company laptops.
Inside protection
Passwords are no longer adequate to protect laptops. There are many solutions that can improve the strength of a laptop's protection. Full disk encryptionFull disk encryption
Disk encryption uses disk encryption software or hardware to encrypt every bit of data that goes on a disk or disk volume. Disk encryption prevents unauthorized access to data storage. The term "full disk encryption" is often used to signify that everything on a disk is encrypted, including the...
(FDE) is an increasingly popular and cost-effective approach. Full disk encryption can be taken on from a software-based approach, a hardware-based approach, or both - end-based approach. FDE provides protection before the operating system starts up with pre-boot authentication
Pre-boot authentication
Pre-Boot Authentication or Power-On Authentication serves as an extension of the BIOS or boot firmware and guarantees a secure, tamper-proof environment external to the operating system as a trusted authentication layer...
, however precautions still need to be taken against cold boot attack
Cold boot attack
In cryptography, a cold boot attack is a type of side channel attack in which an attacker with physical access to a computer is able to retrieve encryption keys from a running operating system after using a cold reboot to restart the machine from a completely "off" state...
s.
There are a number of tools available, both commercial and open source that enable a user to circumvent passwords for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.
Passwords provide a basic security measure for files stored on a laptop, though combined with disk encryption software
Disk encryption software
To protect confidentiality of the data stored on a computer disk a computer security technique called disk encryption is used. This article discusses software that is used to implement the technique...
they can reliably protect data against unauthorized access. Remote Laptop Security (RLS) is available to confidently secure data even when the laptop is not in the owner's possession. With Remote Laptop Security, the owner of a laptop can deny access rights
Access rights
Access rights can refer to:*Access to Information Act, a Canadian act that allows public access to government information*Disability rights movement, disabled access to public and private locations is a key issue...
to the stolen laptop from any computer with Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
access.
Physical protection
A number of computer securityComputer security
Computer security is a branch of computer technology known as information security as applied to computers and networks. The objective of computer security includes protection of information and property from theft, corruption, or natural disaster, while allowing the information and property to...
measures have emerged that aim at protecting data. The Kensington Security Slot
Kensington Security Slot
A Kensington Security Slot is part of an anti-theft system designed by Kensington Computer Products Group,Ltd....
along with a locking cable provides physical security against thefts of opportunity.
Centralization of laptop data
Another possible approach to limiting the consequences of laptop theft is to issue thin clientThin client
A thin client is a computer or a computer program which depends heavily on some other computer to fulfill its traditional computational roles. This stands in contrast to the traditional fat client, a computer designed to take on these roles by itself...
devices to field employees instead of conventional laptops, so that all data will reside on the server and therefore may be less liable to loss or compromise. If a thin client is lost or stolen, it can easily and inexpensively be replaced. However, a thin client depends on network access to the server, which is not available aboard airliners or any other location without network access.
This approach can be coupled with strong authentication as such Single sign on.
Department of Veterans Affairs
In 2006 a laptop in custody of a data analyst was stolen. It contains personal and health data of about 26.5 million active duty troops and veterans. The agency has estimated that it will cost between $100 million to $500 million to prevent and cover possible losses from the data theft. In 2007 VA accepted to pay $20 million to current and former military personnel to settle a class action lawsuit.In 2010 VA reported the theft of the laptop from an unidentified contractor; the computer contained personally identifiable information on 644 veterans, including data from some VA medical centers' records.
After learning about the unencrypted laptop, VA investigated how many VA contractors might not be complying with the encryption requirement and learned that 578 vendors had refused to sign new contract clauses that required them to encrypt veteran data on their computers, an apparent violation of rules.
See also
- Comparison of Device Tracking SoftwareComparison of device tracking softwareThe following tables compare general and technical information between a number of device tracking software programs. This article is not all-inclusive or necessarily up-to-date.- For desktop/laptop PCs :...
- IT riskIT riskInformation technology risk, or IT risk, IT-related risk, is a risk related to information technology. This relatively new term due to an increasing awareness that information security is simply one facet of a multitude of risks that are relevant to IT and the real world processes it...
- Pre-boot authenticationPre-boot authenticationPre-Boot Authentication or Power-On Authentication serves as an extension of the BIOS or boot firmware and guarantees a secure, tamper-proof environment external to the operating system as a trusted authentication layer...
External links
- The spy who lost me - laptop thefts from the British Ministry of DefenceMinistry of Defence (United Kingdom)The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
- Anti theft - laptop thefts software alerta laptop
- 2005 CSI/FBI Computer Crime and Security Survey - statistics and information about computer crime