Tag: portable storage device
Portable devices pose biggest risk to data security in 2011
A UK think tank has concluded that the prevalence of portable storage devices and mobile phones will be the biggest headache for those who want to protect data and ensure total system security over the coming 12 months. The Digital Systems Knowledge Transfer Network has made this announcement, with director, Tony Dyhouse, saying that devices capable of storing data in a portable form factor, will allow cybercriminals the opportunity to …
Data loss from left devices expected to have spiralled over holidays
Average UK citizens are expected to have lost thousands of devices over the Christmas period as over four million of us upped sticks and travelled by plane, train or automobile and transport hubs are collecting the laptops, smartphones and memory sticks that go missing as a result of the hustle and bustle. This news has come as the result of a study commissioned by Credant Technologies, which involved contacting major …
Value of data unrecognised by many, study finds
Research suggests that most employees are not aware of the intrinsic value of data and, as such, focus more on lessening the chances of damaging mobile devices and portable storage, rather than actively minimising the threat of loss or theft. There is clearly a confusion among most employees as 58 per cent of respondents to a recent study conducted by BlockMaster, said that they thought damaging a laptop to the …
Portable storage and mobile device management lacking in UK businesses
Figures show that UK firms are less well equipped to protect the data stored on mobile devices and portable storage solutions than their European counterparts. A study carried out by Absolute Software found that 65 per cent of IT managers working in the UK do not have any way of identifying where the mobile devices owned and operated by their business are located at a given point in time. This …
Business smartphones suffer from data encryption deficit
A new study has found worrying evidence that a majority of smartphones used by businesses do not have any kind of encryption protecting the sensitive data which they store, leaving the door open for malicious parties to steal and corrupt corporate details and private information. Seventy per cent of respondents to a survey carried out by security firm Check Point, said that the smartphones issued by their employers had no …
Data protection deficit detected in UK corporate laptops
A study has found that a majority of laptops operated by corporations in the UK are not properly secured against data loss, theft or security breaches. Security firm Check Point gathered data from 130 firms in the public and private sector and it concluded that a total of 52 per cent of laptops remain unencrypted and rife for exploitation by cybercriminals. This figure is believed to be attributable to the …
Public sector device losses revealed
The loss of portable electronic devices including laptops and smartphones is regularly the bane of centrally governed organisations in the UK and now the Metropolitan Police, Ministry of Justice and Home Office have been implicated in the latest figures, which suggest that there is still a lack of policy adherence when it comes to protecting the data stored on these devices. Since 2008 these three groups have been responsible for …
Sellafield nuclear site has secrets leaked after data loss
The Sellafield nuclear site has suffered an embarrassing data loss incident after secret details about its operation were left on an unencrypted USB storage device which was found in a hotel room in Cumbria. While this loss could have been catastrophic had the data found its way into the wrong hands, the Sellafield bosses can at least take some comfort in the fact that a member of the public handed …
Portable devices pose problems for UK IT managers
A new study has found that those in charge of IT management in the UK are failing to keep tabs on the various mobile and portable devices which are used within a given business or organisation, increasing the risks of data loss or theft. Seventy-five per cent of respondents to a survey conducted by Absolute Software, said that within larger businesses they could not reliably give the precise location of …
Experts warn tube strikes increase risk of data loss
Monday’s tube strike left many people struggling to get to work in the capital and many more chose to stay at home and work online, to reduce hassle and improve productivity. However, some experts are claiming that this has opened the floodgates for potential data loss, as employees use portable storage to transfer the sensitive information required to work at home from their offices. AEP Network’s Mark Darvill, said that …
