What Are You Giving Away?
by Rick Albee
What's Your Laptop Worth...
...probably more than you think, depending on what data it contains.
How many of you would leave a two thousand dollar stack of currency sitting on a conference table while you went to lunch? Unthinkable? Not so, for that is precisely what happens every day, in meeting rooms across the country, when people walk away from their laptop during meetings. They literally leave the cost of that laptop sitting on the table for anyone who wants it.
Two thousand dollars isn't enough to intrigue you? How about several million! DataChasers is a consultant on an IP case (Intellectual Property) that involves the theft of a laptop. A corporation executive set up his PowerPoint presentation in a meeting room at a major hotel. He was out of the secured room for a short lunch break. When he returned the laptop was gone. A room full of people, and no one saw the laptop walk out. The loss of the laptop was minimal compared to the data it contained; he literally lost the keys to the kingdom. Was the laptop the target, or was the data it contained the target? We may never know, but the potential loss to the company in trade secret information is valued at several million dollars! Intellectual property disputes is a big part of our business, and we've learned that for most companies the loss of only their client list could be devastating to future profit/loss statements.
This sort of thing happens every day. People set up their laptop early, then leave it unattended while they make that last run to the restroom before their presentation, or go get a quick cup of coffee, and when they return the laptop is gone.
I recently purchased a new computer...for those of you who know me, this is no surprise. And given my line of work it is a more frequent necessity than for most people. But this computer is different. It's a laptop, but a very small laptop. Purchased for a specific purpose, it fits easily into my briefcase, is lightweight and travels with me. Unfortunately, because of this, it is also susceptible to travel with someone else, without my permission.
A Growing Concern
The statistics are staggering. I read an article that quoted Safeware, The Insurance Agency, Inc., a company that insures computers and electronic equipment of all types. Their annual report stated that laptop thefts increased 50% from 2000 to 2001, to more than 590,000 nationwide. Considering that increase, one can only guess at what the raw numbers will be for 2002 and 2003, but this is projected to be a major trend, not a one-year event.
A client of mine now mandates that the laptop never leave the immediate presence of the user. But the horse is already out of the barn, so to speak. The policy was put into effect after a laptop was stolen, and all their client lists fell into the hands of their competition. Corporate espionage used to mean going through dumpsters after closing time, but no more. It's a lot easier to steal electronic media.
Risk Levels
Regardless of the common belief, hotel rooms are rarely the point of theft for laptops or other personal property. And if it does occur, it is seldom the hotel personnel who are responsible. More likely it is because the guest flipped the security bar over the door opening so that the door won't lock while they make a quick run to get ice or a soda from the vending machine just down the hall. Simply put, it's just too easy to tell when hotel personnel are in the room, and they know it. Every time a card-key activates the electric lock there is a record made of the entry. Thefts from hotel rooms are most commonly crimes of opportunity.
However, thefts from public areas may be well-planned crimes of intent. Several reports indicate a growing trend of laptop theft rings, employing the same time-tested tricks of diversion, snatch-and-grab, or planned opportunity to steal the laptop. Large hotel settings are ripe for any of these techniques.
The risk level is making two hundred dollars immediately available to a thief. Literally. Any self-respecting thief knows where they can get two C-notes, no questions asked, for just about any laptop. Higher quality merchandise will bring more money. They don't care how much the computer cost originally, or, generally, how much the data is worth.
Prevention
There are a number of security devices on the market that are specifically designed to protect your laptop. They range in design from simple cables to motion detector alarms. It is also increasingly common find laptops equipped with security ports for attaching the devices. Your local computer super-store or electronic warehouse will have a variety to chose from.
Apart from physically securing your laptop, mentally securing it is the best advise I can give you. Mentally know where your laptop is at all times. The ladies get extra points for being ahead of us guys on this score. Women always know where their purse is, but ask a man where his briefcase is and watch his eyes go blank--probably why more briefcases than purses get stolen.
If you're like me, you travel with your computer. It has taken the place of appointment books, address books, business records, case data...everything! You have to ask yourself what safeguard precaution is too much? For me, the answer is somewhere between hiring an armed guard and equipping the computer with an automatic detonating device. This is primarily why I bought the small laptop, so I could travel and use it more than I previously had been doing, which also makes it more susceptible to theft--a reasonable compromise, as long as we take precautions to prevent the loss.