RE: The Most Embarrassing Data Losses of All Time

When you read this month's Unique Scoop article titled "The Most Embarrassing Data Losses of All Time" and if you’re aware of security products' like Phoenix Technologies' FailSafe(tm), you can't help wondering why every employer and every individual is not in a hurry to protect themselves and their PCs with this type of innovative software.

People really should be demanding that companies and organizations with files that contain their personal data should be very secure. Just think about how much pain the loss of your personal data could cause you if it led to your identity being stolen.

All national governments should mandate that any organization or individual that has their citizens’ personal data stored on a mobile computing device, must have special mobile security software/service like FailSafe.

Special mobile device security should have to feature the ability to track the missing device and to be able to remotely disable it so that the files and confidential data cannot be accessed.

The Unique Scoop piece states the problem in a nutshell:

It seems totally bizarre to us that some of the most sensitive data on earth quite often is carried around on standard laptops that could be easily lost or stolen. Make no mistake this happens more than most of us realize. Don’t be under the naive illusion that sensitive data about each and every one of us is safely under lock and key at all times - or, at least, behind firewalls and passwords. It just isn’t.

Obviously, it’s time to address this issue. Whenever you give out personal information that could lead to identity theft, be sure to ask how it’s going to be protected and if it’s going to be stored on mobile computing devices. Check out FailSafe.com for background on the type of security laptops should have.

U of Colorado Laptop Stolen

There's a report out today that a University of Colorado at Colorado Springs' laptop was stolen and now over 240 students are at risk of identity theft because their Social Security numbers were on the stolen laptop.

According to the news report, students who attended the college as far back as 2003 might have had their personal information exposed and are at risk. Now, I'd be pretty annoyed if an instution I attended five years ago still had my personal information on a laptop. There's some thing wrong with this picture.

There's should be rules for what kind of information that is stored on mobile PCs and for how long. Furthermore, all laptops should have security products like FailSafe that allow the owners to disable the missing computer to protect the files and identities of individuals.

Laptop Theft Stats from CSI

Here's why you and your company should seriously consider Phoenix FailSafe(tm):

From CapeGazette.com:

According to the Computer Security Institute (CSI), in 2008, 42 percent of major corporations surveyed experienced laptop theft resulting in major losses. CSI also found the average corporation had 640 laptops, 1,075 smart phones, 1,985 memory sticks and 1,324 other data devices stolen. And according to the Ponemon Institute and Dell, more than 12,000 laptops are stolen at airports each week; most are never recovered.

“It’s just foolhardy to be blasé about the security of your laptop, especially when you travel,” said Eric Forker, president of information technology provider Forker Technologies, which services small and medium-size companies throughout Delaware, southeastern Pennsylvania and south Jersey. “There’s a lot of vital data at stake, and the headaches involved with the loss of data or outright theft of your laptop are epic. The good news is there are some easy, inexpensive things you can do to prevent it or to mitigate the potential loss to your company.”

Read the full story here:
http://www.capegazette.com/storiescurrent/200907/laptops10.html