[pchelpers] Article:Encryption a simple tool to protect data
- From: John Durham <john.modec@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: PC-Helpers <pchelpers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 18 Jun 2006 08:03:58 +1200
STEPHEN MANNING
Associated Press
Posted on Sat, Jun. 17, 2006
ROCKVILLE, Md. - Reports of data theft often conjure up images of
malicious hackers breaking into remote databases to filch Social
Security numbers, credit card records and other personal information.
But a lot of the time, the scenario is much simpler: A careless worker
at company or agency with weak security policies falls prey to a
low-tech street thug who runs off with a laptop loaded with private data.
In the biggest case, the Department of Veterans Affairs recently lost
data on 26.5 million veterans and military personnel stored on a laptop
and external drive stolen from the suburban Washington home of a VA
employee.
Security experts and some privacy groups say simple measures could
protect data if a laptop falls into nefarious hands. They include
encrypting the information so it's nearly impossible to access without
the correct credentials.
"It is shocking how many of these are stolen laptops and that fact that
the users of the laptops did not use encryption to secure the data,"
Beth Givens, director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, said of
recent data losses. "If thieves read the newspaper, they can readily
figure out that they have got more than just a piece of hardware."
More here:
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/business/technology/14843202.htm?source=rss&channel=siliconvalley_technology
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