Why encrypt all USB and other removable media?

By | May 20, 2010

There are many reasons why you should encrypt ALL of your company laptops, USB sticks and and other removable media – without exception. You must also CONTROL who can export / access data in the first place…

Don’t believe us? Take a look at a some high profile cases which caused financial loss for all concerned, loss of reputation, legal litigation cases, fraud, identity theft, much pain for those affected by their details becoming public knowledge.

Things to think about…

* leeds council lose childrens data from lost thumb drive Manchester Police hit by conficker from unsecured USB stick
Greater Manchester Police has been hit by the Conficker virus after an infected memory stick was plugged into the network. The infection has left officers unable to carry out their own computer checks on criminals and suspect vehicles for over three days. All officers have been warned against using ‘unauthorised memory sticks’ as investigators try to isolate the damage caused by the virus.

* leeds council lose childrens data from lost thumb drive Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council lose memory stick containing disabled peoples personal data

* leeds council lose childrens data from lost thumb drive Teachers Union in breach of rules, Softek comment after losing 7,000 personal details

* Lost Royal Navy memory stick contained information on manoeuvres and UK personnel

* ICO says NHS puts records at risk

* Leeds Council Lose Childrens Data on Unencrypted USB Stick

* Home Office gets slap on the wrist after losing unencrypted memory stick.

* The UK Information commissioner is given sweeping new powers to fine bosses

* West Midlands Police lose USB stick with Terrorist Data

* 5000 UK Prison Officers personal details lost

* NHS reprimanded for data loss potential

* July 2008: MoD admit to losing 121 unencrypted USB sticks containing “Top Secret” information.

* Daily Mail lose laptop

* Japanese military lose USB stick containing Troop Movement Maps

* July 2008. Health worker loses patient data on unencrypted USB stick.

* 999 calls disc ‘lost’ by courier.

* The Ministry of Justice is missing four CDs with personal details of witnesses and victims.

* More patient records are found on unencrypted USB drive.

* MOD lose 600,00 recruit details on stolen non-encrypted laptop.

* 9 NHS trusts admit to losing hundreds of thousands of patients data.

* A “Catastrophic” failure at the UK’s HM Revenue & Customs mean that 25 million individuals, and 7.5 million families personal, bank, social security and other details may have be compromised, and all concerned have been placed on high fraud alert following the loss of unencrypted CD’s.

* 10,000 laptops a year left in London Taxi’s.

* A laptop is stolen from an employee of Worcestershire Council’s IT supplier, Serco, containing confidential data on 16,239 people.

* Nationwide were fined nearly £980,000 for losing 11,000,000 customer details.

* Marks and Spencers lost a laptop containing personal details and employment records of 26,000 employees.

* A Laptop with details of 11,000 children aged between eight months and eight years has been stolen from a Nottingham hospital.

* An HM Revenue and Customs employee’s laptop containing the personal data of around 400 individuals was lost in transit by an external courier. Nearly 15,000 customers have been warned to be on high alert for potential scams.

* 200,000 Hewlett-Packard (HP) employees were at risk of identity theft after a laptop containing their data was stolen from a Fidelity Investments.

* A US Military Veteran department lost an unencrypted laptop containing personal information on more then 26,000,000 members.

* Gap Inc have a laptop stolen containing unencrypted personal information for 800,000 people who applied for jobs.

* An analyst employed by Brazos had his house broken into. His unencrypted laptop contained names, home addresses, social security numbers, credit information and account balances of 550,000 people who applied for student loans.

* A VeriSign worker had laptop stolen. The laptop was stolen from a car parked in the garage. The laptop contained personal information – name, Social Security number, date of birth, salary information, telephone numbers, and home addresses – of an unknown number of VeriSign employees.

* Boeing have a laptop stolen containing 382,000 employees’ records.

They Wish They’d Encrypted…

GiliSoft.com provides a lot of tools that can help you encryt your USB or other removable media.

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