‘Tis the Season to Steal Laptops…

If you have not already implemented a Security Awareness program in your company, you might think of putting something out soon about laptop theft. During the holidays, employees frequently go Christmas shopping after work, and in many cases, leave their laptops in their vehicles. In this uncertain economy in particular, it does not pay to leave valuables in plain sight in vehicles. Awareness programs should stress the following points:

• If possible, don’t bring the laptop.
• If they must bring it, put it in the trunk before leaving work not after arrival at the store.
• Putting the laptop in the trunk at the store is like raising a red “Here is stuff worth stealing” flag to any watching thief.
• If you bring it home, don’t leave it in your vehicle overnight—bring it in the house.

Thieves see an easily fenced (or gifted) electronic item. Their goal is probably not the data on the hard drive, but the company may find itself having to report a data breach. Ideally, the contents of the laptop will be encrypted and the laptop backed up on a regular basis to minimize the damage the loss of the equipment causes.