Most users of MS Windows will be aware of the automatic update feature but wont realize these patches will be auto downloaded on the Tuesday MS decides to release them on. If you don’t have automatic updates configured on your PC then its very easy to miss these critical downloads.

The latest patch Tuesday has just passed, 11th November 2008. So if your PC or server has not been updated yet make sure to download the latest Microsoft update.

The latest patches are critical and notification is given under Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-068 & MS08-069.

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Posted in the Data Loss DB the stolen backup tapes contained personal records of hundreds, possibly thousands of patients for Christus Health Care. The tapes had been stolen from a car in a parking lot and Christus Health Care believes the theft was random and not targeted.

A spokes women for Christus Health Care told KDFM news:

There is no indication the thief was going after the tapes and it would be very difficult to gain access to the information.

So the tape backups had actually been encrypted leaving the records extremely difficult to access?

Sadly this bad event is popular for every organization and business around the world and happens more often than enough.

The problem with using tape backups is that most companies don’t have the right procedures in place to protect the tapes the backup was created on, leaving it pointless in creating a backup in the first place.

If you are using tape backups considering using a reputable firm to secure the tapes each night and whatever you do, never leave tapes or any other office records stored in your vehicle leaving yourself open to a data breach.

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The company itself is very small, 6 employees but has a client base of approximately ten thousand people. They run a number of database applications to process their accounts which is all stored on the one server lock away in a store room at the office. The server also acts as a file share for the employees to save their office documents onto.

The owner of the business looked after the task of performing backups using a tape drive on the server but unfortunately that process only happened every couple of days, if even that. When he did bother creating a tape backup they would be taken home and left in a bag. The tape backups were not encrypted so he left himself opened to a major data breach and didn’t even realize it.

The company owner knew very little about the importance of proper data backups and encryption which is the main reason he was slack in ensuring precautions were put in place.

Suddenly one day an electrical fault in the building sparked a fire. By the time the fire service had arrived the blaze was out of control.  Eventually when the fire was out the building was totally gutted and most items inside were totally destroyed. The server that was in the store room only had minor smoke damage so the owner took home, powered it on and was able to access his data.

After the fire the company had to relocated, purchase new computers and a new server. In all, they had approximately 7 full business days of downtime before they were in full operation again so thousands was lost in revenue.

From the experience of loosing his building the owner got more proactive in learning more about how to protect his business. He started to learn the different options available on the market, the pro’s and con’s of specific solutions. He decided on using a continuous online backup solution for the server from a provider that’s less than 2 hours away from his location.

Now the company runs a disaster recovery plan and he even struck a deal with another business to rent floor space for business continuity, just in case fire should strike again.

Unfortunately it usually takes something bad to happen for someone like this company owner to realise they need to put a plan in place. When I advise my clients on offsite backups I’ll explain, it is prevention before it happens.

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• Marketing
• To Receive product updates
• Proof of ownership

If your laptop ever becomes stolen you’ll want as much help as possible to attempt to recovery the device. Registering a product or service allows to inform the manfacture that you have legal ownership of the laptop so if its ever recovered under a different owner the manufacture will know its stolen property. To reigster your laptop you’ll be ask to provide its serial number, which should be recorded as part of your asset tagging proceedure. You maybe required to provide further proof of ownership depending on the manufacture of the laptop.

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Why Record Serial Numbers Of Laptops

As a standard proceedure for every business asset tagging is one way of having the serial number recorded. If you ever need to contact the manufacture of your laptop you’ll need to have the serial number of the device to recieve support but also to register the device with them. Another important reason to record the serial number is if the laptop becomes stolen or lost it make it easier for local law enforcement to track the owners if its ever recovered.

Check The Serial Number Before Purchasing A Used Laptop

If you decide to purchase a pre-owned laptop always be sure to check the serial number before purchasing. You can check serial numbers with law enforcement and the device manufacture.

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How to protect a laptop using security software

Most tracking solutions give us the ability to download security policies onto the laptop and if it ever becomes lost or stolen then those security policies kick in.

Depending on the service provider you’ll have the ability to perform specific actions to protect data on the hard drive of a laptop such as:

Internet tracking when the laptop can contact security servers belonging to the 3rd party service provider performing an action better known as “checking in”. Basically the laptop contacts the server providing information such as the IP address it’s using to connect to the internet and what security policies are in place on that laptop.If the laptop has been stolen and has been online its IP address can be used to track the thief and raise the chances of recovery the lost property.

Security Policies that can be updated and freshly downloaded onto the laptop so if that device ever becomes stolen or lost you are still in control with what happens to the data on the laptop. Usually data encryption is one of the security policies that can be configured for the laptop by simply telling the software what to encrypt. Another common feature is the destruction of data in case of a misplacement of a device which can work without the laptop being online. Preconfigured security policies can determine what length of time a laptop needs to “check in” before the data is deleted from its hard drive.

Benefits of using tracking software on your laptop

Instead of listing the benefits of using tracking software for mobile device this video seems more appropriate. A professor at UC Berkeley had his laptop stolen and this is what he has to say.

Unfortunately I can say how much truth there is in this video but its give you an idea on how someone could track their device and how they could track its thief.

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I’ve already discussed in a previous post the importance of placing a laptop into secure storage when it’s not being used. Unfortunately not everyone could be bothered performing such an easy task when they are only stepping away from their desk for a short period of time like when they go on a lunch break or a business meeting.

By using a notebook cable lock you’ll make it more difficult for anyone to simply lift the laptop from your desk without your permission. This is an extremely cheap, easy and effective solution in preventing your laptop from being stolen during office hours.

I can also think of a few other scenarios where a laptop cable lock can come in useful such as in shops, libraries or anywhere else the laptop maybe in view of the general public. Go into any electronic shop and you’ll see these cable locks in action, most expensive electronic goods, such as a laptop, will be attached to one of these cables.

Today IT departments within an office are ensuring each and every laptop is securely attached to these locks. Of course not every employee is going to follow security procedures but some forward thinking IT people have take things a step further by lifting a laptop that’s not secured by cable and leaving a note in its place just to remind the user how easy it can be to ‘steal’ a notebook from someone’s desk.

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Common sense tells us never to leave valuables insight for an opportunist to take and laptops are no different. Even though we are comfortable in a place of business it really doesn’t mean we are safe from thieves.

Unfortunately a place of business is not always safe from crime and unfortunately a co-worker could be a thief or even a night time cleaner. Thousands of businesses are victims of crime and it’s usually performed by someone on the inside.

So how do secure a laptop inside your business?

Whenever your laptop is not being used for a considerable amount of time i.e. when you are not in the office, then it’s advisable to place the notebook in secure storage. Whether it be in a locked drawer at your desk or a secure storage unit taking it out of sight can help protect the laptop from being stolen.

Employees can’t always be trusted

That’s right, employees or co-workers cannot always be trusted. Thieves are around every corner and we simply find it difficulty to spot an opportunist, especially if they work with us and have built up a level of trust. Unfortunately, this is FACT!

Night time cleaners can have a field day

Another thief at the office could come in the form as the office cleaner because they work in an empty office at night they have all the opportunities to take what they want from your desk. It must be noted, we cannot label every cleaner as a thief, that’s simply unfair to those who are reliable workers and who can be trusted.

Office Robberies can and will happen

Every night an office somewhere gets robbed, even those offices with burglary alarms. The average break-in will last for a couple of minutes, like a typical break- in at a house or a store. Burglars will break-in, grab what they see and leave so this is one reason why securing a laptop away in storage may prevent it from being stolen. If you leave something in sight for a thief to take then they will take it, especially a laptop as they are valuable devices that can be easily sold on.

Office Robbery Caught On Camera

The below video shows a robbery taking place in an office caught on CCTV. Take a watch and see if you can spot the first thing the robbers took from the desk.

Did you see it? That’s right; the laptop was one of the first objects to be stolen. If the laptop had to be secured in storage then there would have been a 50/50 chance it wouldn’t have been stolen.

Of course all this advice on secure storage for laptops isn’t going to prevent all laptops from being stolen but if anything it can help prevent its theft.

You think that’s ridiculous advice?

A lot of people will think the above advice is absurd and that there is no need to place a laptop into secure storage at night. Our response is that if anyone thinks this then you are an easy target for crime, good luck!

This post if part of our 16 tips for protecting laptops.

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Finding an unsecure and unknown wireless network is easy; we are usually surrounded by them. In any downtown business district you’ll find countless of unsecure wireless networks including ones belonging to banks who stupidly lack any type of wireless security.

Tempting that it may be to connect to an unsecure wireless network for free internet access it’s a highly dangerous thing to do for more than one reason.

Why you should never connect to an unknown network

Connecting to an insecure wireless network for free access is easy, hit connect and wait for your laptop to receive an IP address and you are ready. It’s actually easier to connect to an insecure network than your own wireless network as no security configuration needs to be performed. Security configuration really should be highlighted here.

Not only can connecting to an unsecure wireless network land you in trouble with the law it can also land you in trouble with a hacker, without you knowing any better. Hackers can lay down what it is called a honey pot; leaving a wireless connection open in hope that some greedy user will connect thinking they’ll have free internet access. Yeah you may get free access but that hacker may intercept all the data that’s being passed through the network, passwords and credit card details included.

If you see an unsecure wireless network, pass on connecting as it can bring more trouble than what its worth.

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Laptops with wireless capabilities can be dangerous

Too many organisations that use a wireless network do so without taking the correct security precautions such as using Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). This leaves a business network vulnerable to allow an outsider to access their network and do almost anything they wish.

It’s not difficult for someone to gain access to an insecure wireless network to sniff data that could be held on a laptop or even within a company network. There are many tools available on-line (for free) that makes it easy for just about anyone to crack into a business network.

Why you should secure your wireless network

Not only is it advisable to secure your wireless network to stop someone for sniffing data on your laptop or network its also advisable to secure it to stop people from piggy backing your internet connection. Someone who piggy backs onto a wireless network has the capability of performing illegal activity with you being blamed; such activities include attacking other networks, sending spam or viruses and even hacking. An example would be the case of Nicholas Tombros who piggy backed onto wireless networks to send pornographic spam.

I don’t use a wireless network so I’m safe

Unfortunately that’s not the case if your laptop has wireless enabled; it still sends a signal that can be accessed by anyone within a distance. Once someone can piggy back onto your laptop using a wireless connection then can also get access to your wired network and who knows what they may see.

Always make sure to secure your wireless network and disable it when it’s not being used.

See more of our security tips for laptops

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