laptops and security

Bloody Jack Kidd · September 27, 2011, 02:45:07 PM

Thou shalt not impede performance of thy gaming rig!

Lynne Desrochers · September 27, 2011, 02:51:05 PM

Thank you everyone. Plenty to go off of. I appreciate the help. The user better not be doing any gaming.

Gene Foraker · September 28, 2011, 11:38:59 AM

A year ago, I looked into Lojak and a competitor and wrote a small white paper on it for another association. Lojak's big advantage is that you can send a signal to a stolen PC and have it delete designated files or folders. One version's software even sent you back confirmation of the data deletion that you can show regulators. Most laptop manufacturers even load Lojack into the bios so reformatting or replacing the HD won't get rid of it.

When I speak of the features of Lojack, I am really referring to their business product, Computrace. Some of the features are still in Lojack, but the Computrace has a bit more. You don't have to buy it new from the computer manufacturer to have it connect with the system bios, most laptops have that feature built into all of their laptops.

Kevin Crow · September 28, 2011, 04:09:20 PM

We used CompuTrace before switching to TrueCrypt. The flaw in CompuTrace is that if the lost or stolen device doesn't connect to the internet, the erase commands are not delivered and the data remains on the device. If that data isn't encrypted, it's easily accessed.

Gene Foraker · September 29, 2011, 11:41:52 AM

Very true, but what laptop computer doesn't ever connect to the internet? If it has a broadband wireless card, Computrace can have you issue a remote command to wake it up and connect on it own.

Still, lots of data could be accessed before it is even reported missing or the disk could be removed and read for data on another computer. If they steal the laptop to get the data, Computrace is not as effective as if they steal the laptop for the laptop. I did think the report log for the deleted data was kinda cool, though.

TrueCrypt is a better solution for extreme data security. I'd never encrypt the entire drive on my netbook, though. It is slow enough already!

Mark · September 29, 2011, 11:50:58 AM

If the laptop is locked when it's turned on (as it most likely is -- or at least SHOULD BE!) then there is no way it's going to connect to a wireless Internet connection unless you have LinkSys unsecured saved to automatically connect -- and even that is pushing your luck. Who the heck is going to plug in a laptop to the Internet if they can't even unlock the screen?

A 3G or 4G card might be a different story, but even for those, don't you usually need a login to access the Internet?

Kevin Crow · September 29, 2011, 03:00:06 PM

Quote from: Gene Foraker on September 29, 2011, 11:41:52 AM
what laptop computer doesn't ever connect to the internet?

As you say, if they know to go after the data by removing the drive, CompuTrace is no help.

With TrueCrypt and a screen locking policy in place, I know that if it goes missing, unless the thief or finder has the employee's password, they're never getting at the data. There was a news story last year about how the FBI gave up after trying unsuccessfully for 12 months to crack TrueCrypt on a Brazilian criminal's computer (http://news.techworld.com/security/3228701/fbi-hackers-fail-to-crack-truecrypt/). That's good enough for me.

Billy Welsh · September 30, 2011, 09:57:46 AM

I just got this the other day and used it for the first time yesterday. I plugged in 2 hard drives from retired PC's, and had instant access to ALL user data, including that in folders with a padlock icon.

So unless I am missing something (as I often am), the user password or screen lock without any encryption does not protect the data.

Mark · September 30, 2011, 10:00:06 AM

Quote from: Billy Welsh on September 30, 2011, 09:57:46 AM
So unless I am missing something (as I often am), the user password or screen lock without any encryption does not protect the data.

Windows 98 all over again!!

Seriously though, you are correct. Those are just locks on the door, but everything behind is still in plain sight.

Kevin Crow · October 03, 2011, 09:56:51 AM

Quote from: Billy Welsh on September 30, 2011, 09:57:46 AM
So unless I am missing something (as I often am), the user password or screen lock without any encryption does not protect the data.

Correct. And to be clear: when I mention using a screen lock on a laptop I know that doesn't lock the data. What most thieves would do in that situation, I believe, is restart the machine or pull the hard drive, both of which mean dealing with the encrypted drive and without the TrueCrypt password, they're out of luck.

Jeff Golas · October 03, 2011, 10:41:11 AM

Another option that you may see is a hard drive lock - supposedly this secures the interface of the drive (without actually encrypting it) so that any computer that drive goes into has to be programmed with the password of the drive before the drive can be accessed.

Although its pretty much free (most computers/laptops and hard drives support this now) its not the best solution - if you take the circuit board off the hard drive and swap it with another identical drive one could access the data again.