Hundreds of thousands of notebook computers are stolen
every year. Which represents nearly 1/4 of the notebooks
sold. A statistic too high to ignore. Not to mention the
risk of losing the important and sometimes personal data
on the notebook, makes it imperative that measures be
taken to prevent this from occurring to you. The hot spots
for notebook theft are as follows: office, airports, your
car, and hotel rooms. Lastly, notebook computers are ideal
for a thief. They are portable, valuable, easy to pawn
off, and difficult to recover.
First be sure to backup the data on your notebook regularly.
Second, buy a security device to use with your notebook
even when you are nearby and don't believe it could be
taken from you. Never leave you notebook unattended. When
going through airport security, don't put you notebook
on the conveyer until it's your turn to walk through the
metal detector. Keep your notebook in an inconspicuous
case rather than an obvious notebook/laptop case. Record
your notebook serial number, or place a UV mark on it
so you can identify the notebook if it is ever recovered.
Also, be aware that some notebooks/laptops have an IRDA
(infrared data-acquisition port built in to them. These
port can allow someone to gain access to your computer
through that port with out you even knowing about it.
By covering the port with either duct tape or Mylar you
can prevent this type of hacking.
You may not. A lot of IS shops place orders for replacement
memory and processor’s under equipment maintenance
or repair parts. This being the case, you should audit
the individual line items of the PO’s or invoices
to see what parts are being ordered. Also, require that
all bad parts be turned in before replacements are ordered.
99% of the time, if memory is being replaced, it’s
not because it was bad, it’s because it was stolen.
One quick way to monitor the situation, is to see the
relationship between your companies new hardware purchases
and your maintenance expenses. If they’re running
about even, you probably have a problem.
With six-figure claims more the rule than the exception,
insurers are paying more attention to the issue of high-value
components. Furthermore, some losses are uninsurable because
they result from disappearance or inventory shortage.
Then there are the companies that have been hit several
times and are now at risk of having their policy canceled.
It was reported that in 1993 Chubb Insurance Group paid
less than $3 million to victims of high-tech robbers,
while a year later, the figure had surged to $15 million.
This year, Chubb expects another clear increase in damage
claims. In fact, the increase of high-tech crime has led
Chubb to form the Technology Theft Prevention Foundation.
This group is focusing insurance, electronics and law
enforcement resources at this growing problem.
In the future, look for insurers to increase premiums
and start requiring various security measures to be implemented
before they issue a policy.
(continued on next page...)
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