Notebook computer security.

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Author: Socka, George

TOOL KIT

Notebook PCs are increasingly used to au-tomate sales forces and allow executives to access corporate data and electronic mail while on the road. Notebook PCs are also increasingly stolen, both as high-value items that can be "fenced" by the thief, as well as for the data that they might contain. Corporate data is a valuable commodity from a competition and industrial espionage perspective. Network access telephone numbers and passwords are valuable to computer hackers and phone freaks. Reducing the possibility of theft of portables is an important part of overall system security. There are a number of tools that can help.

Security cables firmly affixed to the body of the notebook can be locked through the arm of a chair or through an appropriate hole in a desk, making it harder to steal the PC without attracting attention and without causing enough damage to make it un-saleable or inoperative. At the least, this move will slow the thief down and prevent casual, walk-by thefts. Security cables are available from mail order companies such as Inmac.

Elegant notebook computer carrying cases may make the user look important and well organized, but they virtually scream "Steal me!" when left on airport seats. Notebooks are designed to fit into briefcases where their presence is not outwardly noticeable. If there is no room in the user's regular briefcase, a separate,modest-looking briefcase used as a notebook carrying bag will attract less attention, and probably provide more storage space than many specialty cases. Leather, multi-com-partment briefcases provide more protection than rigid ones.

Notebooks with re-movable disk drives provide data security by allowing the data to be stored separately. This of course presumes that the traveller will in fact remove the drive when the machine is unattended, and store it in a separate piece of luggage when travelling. Without removable hard disks, keeping sensitive data on diskettes stored separately is an alternative for smaller amounts of data. Notebooks without diskette drives make it harder but not impossible, for data to be copied surreptitiously. Diskette-less systems also prevent the computer from being booted with a DOS diskette that by-passes software-based security systems.

System passwords and passwords in software such as Wordperfect will prevent casual browsing, but will not prevent access by a hacker who has actually stolen the machine itself and has the time to break codes or reset passwords. Encryption software can be used to make data itself unreadable, and communications programs that encrypt passwords and log-on scripts are more secure than those that store such data in plain ASCII files.

Sometimes the loss of data is costly, not because of the use that others can make of it, but because of the time it will take to recreate it, if that is at all possible. Regular backups of data onto easily and separately carried diskettes will allow the system to be recreated even if the PC is stolen. Cus-tom-written application software should also be backed up, but commodity software such as word processors and spread sheet programs are readily available every where, and would take up too 'many diskettes to back up anyway. MS-DOS 6 has backup routines that will pack up to 5 megabytes of data onto one 1.44 mb diskette through compression. These backup routines do not require hard disk compression, such as DoubleSpace to be active, but they cannot be restored onto systems with previous DOS versions.

PHOTO (COLOR): Computer

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By George Socka, CMA

George Socka, CMA, CMC, is a management consultant specializing in information systems strategic planning and management. He can be reached at CMA magazine, 120 King Street West, Box 176, Hamilton ON L8N 3C3 or by fax at (905) 690-5858.