Endpoint Security: Playing it smart
There have been so many news lately about stolen hardware with important data, server hacks, security threats embedded in any new gadget that gets launched (like the iPad), that it could make anyone think all security companies and experts care about is pointing warning fingers towards anything cool someone would think of using. With all these stories, some of which we’ve shared on our Twitter stream, security becomes this two-headed monster that’s there to kill the fun in technology.
But that’s far from being true! Effective security is about playing it smart: seeing what could happen and preventing it, while allowing people to still have their share of fun. We tend to forget that, but that is the purpose to security in general and endpoint and data security in particular. iPods, iPads, colorful USB sticks, netbooks, smartphones, cameras, you should use it all as long as they help you work better and make your life easier. You should use them at home, in the office, while commuting, the idea is to know what threats they pose and how to prevent them.
Security experts to concentrate on everything bad that’s happening. The reason is simple, if companies and individuals don’t fear the consequences, they tend to ignore the risks. The all present mantra “It can’t happen to me” is their shield against all attacks and breaches. So there is a reason and a purpose behind showing off all the bad stuff, but that should never cast a shadow over the real goal of security: making your life safer and better.
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Months later, consequensces knocking on breached door
One might think that if several months have passed since an embarrsing data breach and nothing has happened, it’s all cool. One can relax, mind their own business and forget all about security.
That’s not the case if we’re talking UK health authority. Namely, London-based Camden Primary Care Trust. They thought, sometime last August, that dumping PCs containing 2,500 patients’ names, addresses and medical histories beside a skip inside the grounds of St Pancras Hospital was a good idea. They might reconsider now, as the Information Commissioner’s Office has given Camden Primary Care Trust until the end of the month to improve security, consequence of its breaching the Data Protection Act.
According to the Register, “data on the obsolete computers was left unencrypted. The machines were subsequently swiped without authorisation and never recovered”. Given such gross negligence and obvious proof of being completely irresponsible, I cannot help being extremely happy they are forced to do something about their security!
Air France tries out biometric boarding cards
Biometric security is on the rise, as new possibilities to use it come into shape, from entrance access and USB card security to the lastest trick: biometric boarding cards, a new usage thought up by Air France. What are they testing? RFID-equipped smartcards which store passenger fingerprints to allow automated boarding, according to the Register.
How does the card do the trick? It is said to contain an encrypted version of forefinger and thumb prints for each passenger. It would be used dedicated gate, which checks the card, compares it to the passenger’s finger or thumb print and if it matches, it opens the gate. No clerk, no time wasted, all simple and easy.
This little baby can be re-used up to 500 times. It also has a barcode inserted into it, containing all the information a traditional paper boarding pass. Said passenger can check in online, insert their card into a dedicated machine withing the airport, get the flight info and seat number printed onto the card. According to Air France, getting such a card takes only a couple of minutes.The also claim once the information is transmitted to the card, it isn’t stored elsewhere, so your data is safe.
If you’re as impressed as I am and want a similar gadget, you have until the end of the year to become and AF frequent flier to be eligible for one. For a first hand experience, you’ll have to fly between Paris and Amsterdam. I think I’ll wait until they extend the program though!
US 2008 data breach growth blamed on insiders
Apart from the economic downturn, the year 2008 brought another critical issue to US companies: a nearly 50% increase in data breaches, leading them to lose considerably more sensitive data. According to an Identity Theft Resources Center (ITRC) study quoted by the Register, last year 35 million data records were exposed in 656 admitted incidents, amounting to a 47% increase compared to the 446 data loss incidents reported in 2007.
ITRC also states that about 40% of security breaches are never reported, thus the true number of exposed confidential records is most likely to be far greater than the study suggests.
Computer malware, hacking, and insider theft accounted for 29.6 per cent of recorded breaches, where the root cause of the attack is known. One in six breaches (15.7 per cent) were blamed to insider theft, a figure that’s more then doubled between 2007 and 2008.
The good news is that as education regarding data loss prevention reached more companies, the number of incidents caused by human errors has decreased. But that is a very small light in a highly untrained corporate world, where most reported data breaches involved data unprotected by either encryption or the simplest password protection. Let’s hope for a better protected 2009!
