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The importance of protecting against data-loss
The past couple of years have seen a huge rise in the use of remote, wireless and mobile access to computer networks. Many people now use laptops to carry files and data from place to place and can use wireless connections to work from almost anywhere they please. But there are dangers of data loss with these new advancements.
The changes that enable business on-the-move, are leaving the networks increasingly vulnerable to attack, and the data that the businesses and organisations hold, at serious risk.
As such in the last few weeks, MPs on the Justice Select Committee have called for new laws to introduce heavy fines and/or jail terms to protect the integrity of personal data. The move was prompted by critical government data losses over the past few months, such as the loss of computer disks at HM Revenue & Customs and other organisations.
The committee called for a breach law that would make it a legal obligation for companies to notify customers if their data has been accessed and to create a system of fines for repeat offenders. Alan Beith, the committee chairman said, “the scale of the data loss by government bodies and contractors is truly shocking, but the evidence we have had points to further hidden problems. It is incredible, for example, that the measures put in place at HM Revenue & Customs were not already standard procedure.”
The Committee also called for the Information Commissioner to have powers to make spot checks on government departments to ensure that correct practice is being followed.
The Public Sector Data Security Survey found that 43 per cent of respondents admitted that no data is encrypted by their organisation. Around 45 per cent said that data on some computers carrying sensitive material is encrypted, while only 10 per cent said that data on all machines is encrypted. Another recent survey of local councils found that barely half use data encryption, even though more than a third had admitted that they had lost a laptop devices and the inadvertent or malicious threat of data leakage.
The data follows on from a recent study carried out by David Ewen Marketing into data security measures being taken by a cross section of business and organisations, suggests that the time has now come for each and every business and organisation to urgently review the way they protect their data.
“ Whether it be confidential company information on research and development, customer or supplier details, patient files or personal finance info, there is a huge and growing market for each and every piece of lost or stolen data. Reputations can be lost, fines levied and now perhaps jail sentences too for anyone found to be negligent in a data-loss/theft situation,” said Mr Ewen
In order to reduce concerns over moving IT data securely, Humberside, Dorset, Bedfordshire and Leicestershire Police Constabularies are just four of the forces who have recently taken positive steps to protect their data with the use of the new Biometric iSecure USB flash drives.
Most conventional USB flash drives have little if no security features; so if they are lost or stolen then anyone can access the data held on the USB stick via a PC. However, new Biometric USB drives have two levels of protection; a conventional password and Biometric security with the ability to store up to 10 finger print impressions so a user would need the password or the correct finger print image to gain access to either the 1Gb, 2Gb, 4Gb, 8Gb or 16Gb USB Flash drives.
Roy MacDona, information security manager at Humberside Police, said, “the USB drives are plug-and-play, so are very easy to use, while giving confidence that all data transferred is secure. The pricing of these devices enables us to replace old floppies, CDs and DVDs with the capability of going up to 2Gb and has reduced the need to move the PC or laptop.”
