Data Protection

Trinus Technologies is now an official partner and re-seller of SecureDoc® software and solutions. The information access protection and hardware security products are produced by WinMagic^TM. SecurDoc® is widely used by agencies such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in instances where portable computer hardware, such as laptops, need to be fully secured against intrusion. In essence, the hardrive is encrypted so that access cannot be achieved even if the device is stolen and the hardrive removed from the laptop. Departments such as the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET) and Coordinated Organized Crimes Enforcement teams utilize this technology as added protection against unauthorized or accidental access to restricted data. The Departmental Security Branch of the RCMP mandates this software as a standard tool for data security of highly protected and classified electronic data.

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Latest News Reports

Next Wave in Security: Protecting Smart Phones, PDAs

Security analysts and specialists at the RSA Conference said that smart phone and mobile device security needs to become a bigger priority for corporations. According to a survey of 680 executives by Business Forum Management Program in 2006, about 49 percent of respondents were "mobile" or "very mobile," about 80 percent plan on increasing the number of mobile devices they have in the next few years, 25 percent have critical data saved on mobile devices, 40 percent said they had no security on mobile devices, and only 17.2 percent said they were concerned about a security breach in mobile communications. Some experts believe the next wave of security features will focus on smart phones and mobile devices, and say that there has been a recent surge in corporate interest in mobile device security. Gartner analyst John Pescatore says that because of the continuously changing software for mobile devices and smart phones, the best practice for security is to establish solid policies to educate employees about the danger of mobile devices and to govern their use.

Source: ASIS 

The Key to Secure Remote Computing

A smart card-enabled cryptographic device integrated with a managed public key infrastructure (PKI) platform could be the answer to the problems facing remote computing security. Virtual Private Network infrastructures have been relied on by organizations for some time, but the danger of man-made and natural disasters has highlighted the shortcomings of security techniques, and increasingly strict guidelines have made security management far more complex. Currently, VPNs are considered the most common source of viruses and worms on company networks. Some companies are even scaling back remote access, but this does not solve the problem since expanded connectivity is vital for business. Ultra-portable technology could be an answer to these problems since it allows users flexible and scalable access to their enterprise applications by "plugging into" a USB port on any computer, without having the information go outside the corporate firewall or being written onto the hard drive of a remote computer. The system uses two asymmetrical, mathematically related keys, one public and one private, which can be used after connection is established to verify the operation of each other. Every employee would have two keys, with each private key being unique and each public key being identical, and both are needed for access, so a key is ineffective if stolen. This system would remove the need for thousands of individual applications on various remote computers, and the risk of rogue access points.

Source: ASIS Communications News


U.S. Tally of Data Breach Victims Tops 100M

An unencrypted laptop stolen from a Boeing employee's car earlier this month contained files with information on 382,000 current and former Boeing employees. The data included Social Security numbers, names, and addresses. Beth Givens at the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse says the number of U.S. data breach victims has now reached over 100 million after this incident, but may be more. "I think the number 100 million is largely a fictional number, but what it really indicates is that this is a very significant problem," says Givens. "It's quite obvious from the listing that we've compiled that we're in a very leaky boat when it comes to data security. I don't think that consumers can feel confident about the protection that their personal information receives." Privacy Rights Clearinghouse started tracking data breaches last February after ChoicePoint revealed that information on 163,000 individuals from its database was stolen. Givens says other companies followed suit after that incident and started publicly disclosing data breaches.

Source: ASIS IDG News Service (12/15/06) ; McMillan, Robert

Missing Starbucks Laptops Had Data on 60,000 People

Starbucks acknowledged Friday that four laptops went missing from its Seattle headquarters in September and have not been found, including two laptops containing the personal data of 60,000 former employees and contractors. The company conducted a two-month investigation into the matter but could not locate the computers. The data on the computers--which was password-protected--includes Social Security numbers, names, and addresses. A Starbucks representative explains that the company does not believe the laptops were stolen by someone who intends to use the data for nefarious purposes. In light of the incident, Starbucks has taken steps to increase its security measures for personal data and is offering free credit-protection services for people whose data is on the computers. One of Starbucks' current security policies prohibits Social Security numbers and other crucial types of personal data from being placed on laptops and mobile devices, but that policy went into effect after the personal data had been placed on the missing laptops.

Source: ASIS Seattle Times (11/04/06) P. A1 ; Allison, Melissa

Major Breach of UCLA's Computer Files

The Los Angeles FBI is currently investigating what is being called the largest computer breach in history at an American University. Hackers exploited a flaw in a UCLA database and gained access to the personal information of about 800,000 current and former students, faculty, and staff members. The incident started back in October 2005. UCLA officials say the database contains names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and contact information. UCLA is not the only university to experience a major breach. An Educause survey found that about 25 percent of 400 colleges have experienced a security incident related to confidential information in the past 12 months. This year, there have been at least 29 security incidents at colleges, putting the records of 845,000 people at risk. "Universities tend to have a lot of information floating around in a lot of different places," says Jay Foley, at the Identity Theft Resource Center. "They are places we send our children to share ideas, and it's hard to mix the open sharing of ideas with the need to tighten down on security." So far, there is no evidence the exposed information has been misused, according to UCLA Chancellor Norman Abrams. Potential victims have been notified and are being urged to check their consumer files and place fraud alerts.

Source: Los Angeles Times (12/12/06) ; Trounson, Rebecca