Average Rating: Rate this article:

U.S. Reports Missing Laptops By Elizabeth Millard September 25, 2006 9:27AM As many government organizations, associations, and enterprises are likely to find in the near future, it is not just laptops that are vulnerable to theft. "There's data co-mingling on different devices," said JupiterResearch analyst Joe Wilcox. "People take work home and store it on their home machine, where the kids could be downloading stuff that has spyware attached."   Related Topics Security Identity Theft Spyware Privacy Latest News Barnes & Noble Nook Is Delayed New Pogoplug 'Cloud' Gets Social Sony CEO Outlines Turnaround Plan Sony Ericsson Closes Sites, HQ Moves Intel Leads Retreat in World Markets The U.S. Commerce Department has admitted that more than 1,100 laptop computers have gone missing in the last five years, including almost 250 from the Census Bureau. The loss of the Bureau's laptops has been of particular concern, since that agency collects sensitive data like names, Social Security numbers, and incomes, information that could be used in identity theft attempts. The disclosure was made after the House Committee on Government Reform asked a number of federal departments to give details on any computer losses they may have incurred with potential for personal information exposure. In a private briefing for members of Congress, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez estimated that the missing laptops could contain the information of nearly 6,200 households, according to news reports. All of the Census Bureau's computers were password-protected, but only 107 had a higher-level form of encryption to protect data. Wider Impact The Commerce Department's loss is just one of many missing laptop incidents that have opened organizations to data compromise. Laptops are especially well suited for theft, noted JupiterResearch analyst Joe Wilcox. They are portable, valuable, and can be easily resold. Often, thieves do not even think about the data that resides on the machine, although some more savvy criminals can sell such information on the black market, Wilcox said. "The data is just a bonus," he noted. "Notebooks are simply high target items. This is a problem that's not going to go away anytime soon." Data Bank As many government organizations, associations, and enterprises are likely to find in the near future, it is not just laptops that are vulnerable to theft and loss with subsequent data exposure. "More and more, there's data co-mingling on different devices," said Wilcox. "People take work home and store it on their home machine, where the kids could be downloading stuff that has spyware attached." Also of concern are PDAs, smartphones, and any other device that is Web-enabled, he added. "Any information that leaves the confines of an organization's walls is a security , privacy, and regulatory risk," Wilcox said. "To really protect data, we need a change of behavior about how people treat devices and encrypt data."   Advertisement  Data Security 1.   Peer-to-Peer Software Ban Sought 2.   Los Alamos Computer Security Weak 3.   U.K. Police Make Trojan Virus Arrests 4.   Smartphones: New Security Risks 5.   FBI Says Hackers Targeting Law Firms Just How Secure Is Windows 7? Sophos, Microsoft have different views. Average Rating: Vista More Secure Than Windows XP Windows 7 security could be expensive. Average Rating: Patch Tuesday Fixes Serious Threats Three of six patches rated critical. Average Rating:

Product Information and Resources for Technology You Can Use To Boost Your Business CRM Systems   Experience CRM—and Business—Success today with Salesforce.com. Contact Centers   Run Your Entire Contact Center in the Cloud with LiveOps Enterprise Hardware   Go Green with IBM Blade Center    Enterprise I.T.    Rackspace: It makes a difference when you focus on support.   Go Green with IBM Blade Center   APC introduces server room in a box solutions!   Tell us what you think. Take a survey.   Find out how much you can save with the SQL Server value tool.   See how AT&T can help protect your network. Enterprise Software   Read the Top 10 Reasons to Upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2. Microsoft/Windows   Rackspace: It makes a difference when you focus on support   Read the Top 10 Reasons to Upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2. Network Security   See how AT&T can help protect your network.

Network Security Spotlight

House Lawmakers Push Ban on Peer-to-Peer Software Stung by an embarrassing electronic leak revealing ethics investigations into dozens of lawmakers, Congress moved to prohibit federal employees from using the file-sharing software blamed for the disclosure.   GAO: Los Alamos Computer Security Has Weaknesses Security weaknesses uncovered in Los Alamos National Laboratory's computer network increase the risk of a classified-information breach, says the Government Accountability Office.   Computer Security Firm Fortinet Plans IPO This Week Fortinet plans to go public in an initial public offering, giving investors a chance to tap a network security provider with sales that are expected to grow. The IPO could be valued at $137.5 million or more.

Enterprise Hardware Spotlight

Flat Shipments Hurt Dell Despite Increased Earnings Dell's earnings are up and expectations are solid, but the company's stock still took a hit after analysts signaled the company isn't playing a key role in the PC market recovery.   New Pogoplug 'Personal Cloud' Does Social Networking Cloud Engines has released its newest version of the Pogoplug, a small "multimedia sharing device" that connects hard drives to the Internet and allows a user to access the files remotely.   Apple Tablet Rumored Delayed as Publisher Gears Up There have been so many rumors of an Apple tablet that it has taken on legendary status. But now the legend is being revised with reports of a delay and that a major publisher is getting ready.

Mobile Enterprise Spotlight

Review: $100 Palm Pixi Is Stylish But Sluggish Palm is fighting harder than ever to snag a chunk of the smartphone market, and just six months after releasing the stylish Pre it's back with a lighter, petite and affordable version called the Pixi.   TV on the Go Leaves a Little To Be Desired You have to really love TV to spring for a portable TV like the FLO TV Personal Television. This brand new FLO handheld is a dedicated television you might schlep in addition to a phone.   AT&T Fires Back at Verizon with 'X and V' Commercial AT&T isn't holding back in responding to attacks from Verizon Wireless. After losing a court fight to stop Verizon from airing 3G commercials, AT&T is responding with its own commercial.

Enterprise Technology Spotlight

Flat Shipments Hurt Dell Despite Increased Earnings Dell's earnings are up and expectations are solid, but the company's stock still took a hit after analysts signaled the company isn't playing a key role in the PC market recovery.   Smartphones: A Bigger Target for Security Threats Smartphones are increasingly prevalent and adept at handling more tasks, including trading stocks, paying bills, and buying stuff online. That makes them attractive to thieves and hackers.   FBI Says Hackers Targeting Law Firms, PR Companies Hackers are targeting law firms and public relations companies with a sophisticated e-mail scheme that breaks into their computer networks to steal sensitive data, often linked to large corporate clients.

Navigation NewsFactor Business Home/Top News | Business Briefing | E-Commerce | Small Business | Tech Trends | Mobile Industry News | Press Releases NewsFactor Network Enterprise I.T. Sites NewsFactor Technology News | Enterprise Security Today | CRM Daily NewsFactor Business and Innovation Sites Sci-Tech Today | NewsFactor Business Report NewsFactor Services FreeNewsFeed | Free Newsletters | Free Whitepapers | About NewsFactor Network | How To Contact Us | Article Reprints | Careers @ NewsFactor | Services for PR Pros | Top Tech Wire | How To Advertise Privacy Policy | Terms of Service © Copyright 2000-2009 NewsFactor Network. All rights reserved. Article rating technology by Blogowogo.