According to an independent United States-based information security consultant, when it comes to the issue of mobility in the world around us, people just aren’t taking the right precautions and security measures to protect their mobile devices.
According to an independent United States-based information security consultant, when it comes to the issue of mobility in the world around us, people just aren’t taking the right precautions and security measures to protect their mobile devices.
In a public forum held by Hewlett-Packard Canada Co., at The Sutton Place Hotel in Toronto, Ont. yesterday, Kevin Beaver, an American-based security consultant, author and speaker, specializing in information security assessments revolving around compliance and risk management, warned attendees against the danger of “bad guys” who, if given the chance, will take advantage of mobile devices that are acquired either from loss or theft. He also said that while in the workplace, managers need to smarten up when it comes to securing their business’s mobile devices.
“Security isn’t being taken as seriously as it should be,” Beaver said. “A common mistake I’m seeing people make is that they don’t really know what’s at risk. This is because the convenience of mobility is obvious, but the risks often associated with it aren’t so much.”
This is becoming an increasing challenge for businesses to try and keep up with, said Victor Garcia, chief technology officer at Hewlett-Packard Canada Co. of Mississauga, Ont.
“Workers need secure, reliable access any time, anywhere, as mobility and telecommuting increase,” Garcia said. “We need to secure and mitigate the risks associated with mobility.”
Beaver said when it comes to the access of mobile devices, people are generally too trusting of others and outside help. To help protect yourself from a security breach, Beaver suggested automating things such as user names and passwords before using applications.
“Bad guys know users are being sloppy with their computers,” Beaver said. “Because of this, the wrong people can easily bypass log-ins or they can easily guess passwords.”
In addition to automation, Beaver also suggested encrypting devices to help further deter thieves from accessing mobile devices and especially laptops.
“There’s really no excuse not to have laptop encryption,” Beaver said. “Because these are things that can easily be lost or stolen.”
It was also noted that not enough people are taking advantage of security solutions due in large part to a lack of awareness.
Vali Ali, distinguished technologist of PSG commercial notebooks at Hewlett-Packard Co., reinforced this idea.
“Security is complex,” Ali said. “We need to do more to protect ourselves and word of mouth and education is key.”
In response to ever increasing security breaches, Hewlett-Packard Co., has been making available to its commercial notebook users, HP ProtectTools Security Suite, a portfolio of various security software features that come built-in to computers.
“HP ProtectTools can protect your identity,” Ali said.
“They can protect your assets and your network. They are completely manageable and flexible solutions that help meet our customer’s needs.”
Included in the software is Credential Manager, a tool that provides authentication capabilities with log-in features. It also stores multiple logins and passwords for multiple users of the same device.
For a workgroup environment, Application Management is useful for restricting users and/or groups, access to certain applications at certain times of the day.
While these tools come already installed at no additional cost to customers at the time of purchase, their use is completely optional.
Beaver sees adequate presence of security tools and solutions within Canada but feels not enough people are using them.
“The technology is readily accessible,” Beaver said. “But managers just haven’t realized how valuable it is to buy into these solutions.”
When it comes down to it, Beaver says it’s all in the user’s hands.
“At the end of the day, security is all about visibility and the ability to control things that will assess the risks [associated] with these devices,” he said.
