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Security is always a bad enough problem. In the last few months, someone hijacked my Facebook account to send out offers for iPods. I just got one of those offers-from-Nigeria messages via Facebook and someone else took over one of my email addresses to send out salacious emails to hundreds of folks. But anyone who studies security knows that the biggest danger to data is from lost and stolen equipment. Just the thing everyone wants to here as the stampede to mobile continues.

Everyone faces threats from the laptop-left-in-car phenomena which has resulted well-publicized lost of personal information. It's always easy enough to have someone walk away with a server at many firms. And then there are the thumb drives, which have become throw-away devices that can contain megabytes of business information.

Now, take that and throw in smartphones and tablet computers, which are easy enough to lose under a pile of files or simply leave on the bus or in the airport, and there is all kinds of potential for business data to end up in the wrong hands.

Password protection is only the start--it deters the quick theft of convenience, but not the pros. Encryption is certainly a must if devices and communications are moving around. Certainly, there are devices that can be turned off remotely, once it's been realized they are missing.

But good practices remain one of the strongest defenses about loss. I was thinking this as I moved up to the ATM machine after the prior user walked away leaving her newly deposited check image on screen with the check routing numbers and other information easily displayed. It's easy enough to have data (and money is data most of the time) stolen. Don't make it any easier. And I'm thinking as it becomes increasingly possible to make payments by phone it's increasingly easier to have that information rerouted.

Mobile phones represent a particular problem because they usually don't belong to the firm, but to the employee. Still, they provide access to the company and are increasingly likely to carry valuable data or entry points to the firm.

Security is getting more difficult, not easier, as devices proliferate and more and more data is crammed into smaller and smaller devices that can move around.

 

 

 

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PMG360 is committed to protecting the privacy of the personal data we collect from our subscribers/agents/customers/exhibitors and sponsors. On May 25th, the European's GDPR policy will be enforced. Nothing is changing about your current settings or how your information is processed, however, we have made a few changes. We have updated our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy to make it easier for you to understand what information we collect, how and why we collect it.