It turns out that nail polish on screws is an unusual, but effective way to protect Linux laptops from tampering while in transit and protect users' privacy. . If you're looking for a way to ensure no one has tampered with your new laptop on transit, this manufacturer may have solved your worries. Several years ago, it was revealed that the US National Security Agency (NSA) will sometimes intercept networking gear during shipping in order to modify it to provide backdoor access to the hardware. To get around this, one company has devised a clever hack to ensure that its laptops arrive to customers without being tampered with. Just six months ago, the social purpose company Purism decided to formalize its anti-interdiction services so that they appeared as a drop-down choice as opposed to being a “hidden menu item” that was difficult to find. The laptop and smartphone maker is one of if not the only hardware vendor that offers a complete suite of custom anti-interdiction measures to prevent its devices from being tampered with during shipping. . Discover a clever method using nail polish to protect your Linux laptop from unauthorized access and ensure your data remains confidential during transport. Linux Laptop Security, Anti-Tampering Measures, Privacy Protection, Cybersecurity Tips. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
If you travel across national borders, it's time to customs-proof your laptop. Customs officials have been stepping up electronic searches of laptops at the border, where travelers enjoy little privacy and have no legal grounds to object. Laptops and other electronic devices can be seized without reason, their contents copied, and the hardware returned hours or even weeks later. Now that we're jumped ahead an hour and are seeing less snow (at least here out east), we can start moving about the world again with our trusty laptops - be sure to give a quick once over of the above article! This includes tips / tools for ALL operating systems to ensure you have properly secured your laptop - wireless hacks, encryption techniques, and general security apply.. The link for this article located at news.com is no longer available. . Safeguard your laptop against customs scrutiny with these crucial strategies and resources to maintain data security during international trips.. Customs Laptop Security, Traveling with Laptop, Data Protection Tips, Encryption Techniques, Privacy on Travel. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
You may not always be able to protect your laptop from a thief, but you can keep the data it contains safe. Two new products -- PGP Corp.'s PGP Whole Disk Encryption 9.5 and SecurStar GmbH's DriveCrypt Plus Pack 3.5 -- promise to protect your data, so that even if your computer falls into the wrong hands, its contents will remain unreadable. Both applications are easy to use and offer an impressive suite of tools, but most users will appreciate the more practical features and lower price tag of PGP's product. Both PGP and DriveCrypt offer on-the-fly, full-disk encryption, which means that they scramble all the data on your hard drive the moment you save it to disk. Both use the AES-256 algorithm, a fast, well-established and trusted mechanism for encrypting data. . Both protect a computer from the minute it's powered on, and give you a single sign-on so you have to enter your password only once per session, when you boot the PC. The initial setup for both applications -- creating an encryption key and telling the software which partitions you want to protect -- takes just a few minutes. Once that's done, you can open, change, save and close files as you normally would, and the software does all the work. Most important, the programs do their job quietly in the background and have no noticeable impact on day-to-day system performance. The link for this article located at ComputerWorld is no longer available. . Explore Veracrypt and BitLocker, two robust disk encryption solutions designed to protect your computer’s information from unauthorized access.. Disk Encryption, Data Security, Laptop Protection, Encryption Solutions. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
The IRS said that one of its laptops containing data about 291 IRS employees and job applicants went missing in early May when it was lost in transit to an agency event. The information contained on the laptop included fingerprints, names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers for the 291 individuals. . “No electronic tax records or financial information was on the missing computer, The link for this article located at GCN.com is no longer available. . An electronic device containing confidential staff information has disappeared while in transport, but it does not contain any financial documents. Discover additional details.. IRS Data Protection, Employee Data Security, Incident Reporting, Laptop Safety. . Brittany Day
All laptop computers at Hodgkins Middle School have been seized after students' passwords were circulated, officials said. Students using the passwords could obtain access to other students' work but they did not gain access to anything that would have allowed them to alter grades or otherwise hack into the school's network, said Principal Jeff Boston. "We decided to lock them up until tech support can fix the issue. I don't believe anyone hacked anything," Boston said. . The link for this article located at Boston.com is no longer available. . Devices were confiscated at Ridgeview Academy following a student-led password exchange, disrupting connectivity.. Hodgkins Middle School,Laptop Security,Password Management. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
Hundreds of government laptops with potentially sensitive information are being lost or stolen, a study shows. One in 17 key public sector workers, like government or defence officials, say they have either lost theirs or had them stolen, said security firm Thales. . .. Hundreds of government laptops with potentially sensitive information are being lost or stolen, a study shows. One in 17 key public sector workers, like government or defence officials, say they have either lost theirs or had them stolen, said security firm Thales . Those who do hold on to them admit they do not use any kind of encryption to protect sensitive information. Most rely on passwords to prevent access to files and a surprising number write their passwords down. . Hundreds of government laptops with potentially sensitive information are being lost or stolen, a st. hundreds, government, laptops, potentially, sensitive, information, being, stolen. . Anthony Pell
James Evans writes: "A car alarm blared, glass shattered and a laptop full of information was gone. That's what happened to Ravi Hariprasad in Philadelphia one day last September while seeing patients during his third year of medical school at the . . . . James Evans writes: "A car alarm blared, glass shattered and a laptop full of information was gone. That's what happened to Ravi Hariprasad in Philadelphia one day last September while seeing patients during his third year of medical school at the University of Pennsylvania." The article is about a new product called CyberTrack that " allows a stolen computer to be tracked when it is connected to an Internet connection, either through a corporate network or a phone." Personally I don't see how effective this could be as it is software-based but it is definately a step in the right direction. The link for this article located at CNN.com - Technology is no longer available. . James Evans writes: 'A car alarm blared, glass shattered and a laptop full of information was gone. . james, evans, writes, alarm, blared, glass, shattered, laptop, information. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
Get the latest Linux and open source security news straight to your inbox.