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| Airports Give Data Thieves A New Place To Operate |
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| Written by Steve Jordan |
| Sunday, 12 April 2009 01:49 |
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The Ponemon Institute released a study last June that estimates over 600,000 laptops go missing in U.S. airports every year. In the largest airports, the authors believe 10,000 laptop computers are lost or stolen each week! Medium sized airports account for another 2,000 cases. The study, titled "Airport Insecurity: Case of the Lost Laptops", goes on to conclude that only about a third of the computers are every returned to their owners. Incredibly, the final tally for lost or stolen laptops adds up to a whopping 630,000, each and every year. Needless to say, laptop security has increased in awareness over the last few months. The TSA Is Not There To Protect Your Laptop Along with hotels and parked cars, airports have become prime targets for data thieves looking to steal laptop computers. The hectic, fast-paced nature of airport security checkpoints attribute to the problem, giving computer thieves the few seconds of confusion needed to grab a laptop that has been removed from its case and scanned. You simply need to look the other way, and your laptop is gone. The appalling numbers on laptop theft are a major concern for businesses and their mobile workers. More often than not, these portable devices contain sensitive financial information, if not irreplaceable data. While most casual travelers don't tend to have much sensitive information on their laptops, many business travelers are transporting an average of $525,000 worth of critical data, according to estimates from iBahn, a provider of secure broadband services to conferences and hotels. More and more security firms, as well as iBahn, are now recommending the use of encryption software to secure sensitive data on laptops. Keep Your Files Secure With Encryption No matter how careful you try to be, there is always the possibility that your laptop will end up in the wrong hands. While the computer itself may be lost, it's vitally important that the data it contains not be accessible to anyone but you. Encryption software offers the best defense against unauthorized data access. Some benefits of encryption software include: * On-the-fly 256-bit military standard encryption * Robust file and folder protection * Road warrior friendly - security for laptops, USB flash drives and other portable media There are a variety of encryption solutions capable of building a virtual fortress on your computer. These programs work quickly and provide security for your desktop or laptop computer, flash drive and other removable storage media. Protecting your files doesn't have to set you back, as most programs are can be found for $20 to $40, with most offering a free trial. There are even some free programs available as well, although they tend to be a little more complicated to use and are often lacking in documentation and support. About the Author: Intricom Technologies, led by Steve Jordan, is the developer of SensiGuard laptop file encryption software. Learn more and download a free trial at SensiGuard.com. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites                             |