(IDTheftSecurity.com) In 2006, a multitude of data security breaches affected government agencies, companies, and organizations alike across the full spectrum of human endeavor, from the military, to aeronautics, to education. Robert Siciliano, a personal security and identity theft expert speaker, stressed the necessity for a better year in 2007, citing laptop security, in particular, as an area in need of improvement, and pointing to GPS tracking from companies such as MyLaptopGPS as part of the solution.
Siciliano, president of IDTheftSecurity.com, provides consumer education solutions to Fortune 500 companies and their clients. The Privacy Learning Institute has featured him on its Web site. This year, Siciliano has discussed identity theft on CNBC's "On the Money" multiple times, on NBC's "Today Show," and on FOX News. He is author of "The Safety Minute: 01."
The final months alone of 2006 witnessed a string of high-profile laptop thefts. Following is an abbreviated list of them. For a chronicling, stretching back to May, of last year's laptop thefts visit the following link at Siciliano's Web site: "
Laptop Thefts in 2006."
- On Dec. 13, the Associated Press reported the loss of a Boeing Co.–owned laptop computer, the third laptop belonging to the company to go missing in over a year.
- On Nov. 16, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported the loss of a laptop that houses the Social Security numbers of possibly 43,000 current and former employees of T-Mobile USA Inc.
- On Nov. 15, Washington, D.C.’s WTOP Radio reported that the U.S. Internal Revenue Service lost 478 laptop computers between 2002 and the time of the radio station’s report. An unspecified number were lost to thieves.
- On Nov. 1, the Dailypress.com reported that a laptop computer containing sensitive, identifying information on 4,600 high school senior ROTC scholarship candidates had been stolen from the U.S. Army Cadet Command’s Fort Monroe, Virginia headquarters.
- In October, the Department of Homeland Security released a report that found laptop computers at its own Inspector General’s Office in many ways unsecured, and a House Government Reform Committee found each of the U.S. government’s 19 agencies reporting at least one loss of data since 2003.
- In September, Reuters and others reported on the theft of a laptop computer belonging to General Electric Co. The machine, stolen from a locked hotel room where a GE employee authorized to use the computer had left it, contained the Social Security numbers of approximately 50,000 current and former employees of the company.
Symantec has found that a laptop computer is stolen every 53 seconds, and that 97 percent of these machines lost to theft are never recovered. Research from Gartner Group has shown that the cost of laptop computer theft can exceed $6,000 for even just one machine.
Siciliano urged laptop computer users to equip their machines with security solutions from firms such as
MyLaptopGPS, a company that offers GPS tracking and encryption technology as security for mobile computers. Internet-based GPS, the technology MyLaptopGPS™ uses, is more affordable and user-friendly than other types of GPS tracking and effectively tracks lost machines.
"We rarely see follow-up stories in the news, ones that report the apprehension of laptop thieves," said Dan Yost, chief technology officer at MyLaptopGPS. "Once they've made off with their loot, laptop thieves are difficult to find. But simple, affordable technologies such as GPS, encryption, and remote data retrieval, installed on laptop computers, can make all the difference."
MyLaptopGPS not only tracks lost laptops with Internet-based GPS, but also installs software that encrypts and silently removes and retrieves files from the machines—at once returning the data to its rightful owner and deleting it on the stolen computer. Users can invoke MyLaptopGPS's functions remotely.
"Smart organizations that store sensitive data on theft-prone mobile computing devices understand the implications," Siciliano concluded. "Secure laptops with GPS, encryption, and other technologies, or continue to suffer the data breach–associated costs we saw in 2006 with ever increasing frequency."
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About IDTheftSecurity.comIdentity theft affects us all, which is why Robert Siciliano, president of IDTheftSecurity.com, makes it his mission to provide consumer education solutions on identity theft to Fortune 500 companies and their clients. A leader of personal safety and security seminars nationwide, Siciliano has been featured on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, "The Suze Orman Show," "ABC News with Sam Donaldson," "The Montel Williams Show," "Maury Povich," "Sally Jesse Raphael," and "The Howard Stern Show." Visit Siciliano's Web site, www.IDTheftSecurity.com, or his blog, www.IDTheftSecurity.blogspot.com.
About MyLaptopGPSSince 1984, the minds behind AIT Solutions, LLC (DBA MyLaptopGPS.com) have specialized in complete system integration. From real-time electronic payment processing software to renowned mid-market ERP implementations, the executive team at MyLaptopGPS has been servicing leading enterprises and implementing world-class data systems. With MyLaptopGPS™, AIT Solutions, LLC brings a level of expertise, dedication, knowledge and service that is unmatched. MyLaptopGPS™'s rock-solid performance, security, and reliability flow directly from the company's commitment to top-notch software products and services.
The media are encouraged to get in touch directly with the following individuals:
Robert Siciliano
Personal Security Expert
PHONE: 888-SICILIANO (742-4542)
FAX: 877-2-FAX-NOW (232-9669)
Robert@IDTheftSecurity.com
www.idtheftsecurity.com
John Dunivan
MyLaptopGPS Media Relations
PHONE: (405) 747-6654 (direct line)
jd@MyLaptopGPS.com
www.MyLaptopGPS.com
The media may also contact:
Brent W. Skinner, President
STETrevisions
PHONE: 617-875-4859
FAX: 866-663-6557
BrentSkinner@STETrevisions.biz
www.STETrevisions.biz
