JPT Solutions » Security

Laptop security

admin — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 08:03:35 +0000

As you may be aware we recently started to promote a range of laptop security products which, while inexpensive, are very effective should you have your laptop stolen or you loose it. While the situation may be a little far fetched it is not as impossible as it may seem. For example most people think of laptop theft as being taken while you are out and carrying it with you but that is not the only time this can happen. For example the recent trend is “walk in” thefts from houses. This tends to happen each summer and what will typically happen is that the thief will wait for you to arrive home and simply “follow” you in and take your goods. In this type of crime typical takings are car keys (car), work bag including laptop, handbags and basically anything near the door.

As a result of this we decided that a product was needed to help ensure that should the worst happen and your laptop is started back up then your data is deleted from the drive and, where possible, the location is traced so the police can recover it. We decided on Laptop Cop which met all of the criteria that we set out plus much more. For those of you out there who love the “cool” stuff then you will love some of the features that Laptop Cop has. For example once your laptop is stolen or lost then you log on to a web portal and put the unit in “Stolen” mode. In this state you will be asked what you want to do about your data, either recover then delete or delete only. At all times, even when not in stolen mode, the Laptop is on and connected to the Internet the location is being broadcast back to the portal so that you know where it is. What also happens when in stolen mode is the tables are turned on the thief and everything that they do is recorded, all keystrokes are recorded and if there is a webcam built in to the laptop then this is used to capture evidence about the thief.

When you combine this is our encryption & backup solutions you the perfect solutions to mobile computer security. If you want to know more about our laptop security solutions or require a demonstration then contact our sales team for more information.

Mobile Security

admin — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:30:11 +0000

The use of Blackberry’s, iPhone’s, smartphone’s and Windows Mobile devices are becoming increasingly common in businesses today however what many of the users do not consider is the security of the device. Let’s start by taking a look at what these devices are typically used for; First and foremost they are used to telephone clients as well as loved ones. They are also used for emails both from and to clients as well as friends and family. Many of these devices are also used to store files (spreadsheets etc) as well as photos, music etc.

The problem is that typically when you ask these users what security they have enabled or purchased for these devices the answer is either “nothing” or “no idea”. The fact is that the information contained on these devices is typically just as sensitive and confidential as the information contained on the company network so why are these devices being treated differently? The directors, managers or any one else using these devices need to understand that they are no longer carrying a phone anymore and that these devices are in actual fact a part of the business network and they need to ensure that the proper precautions are taken to ensure that the data contained on them is kept safe.
One simple question to ask is does your device have a password or PIN set on it to prevent unauthorised
access to the device?

Another consideration is what is your procedure in the event of the loss of one of these handsets? Do you have the facility to remotely wipe the handheld device or indeed do you know how to do this? The fact is that this can be achieved with Corporate Blackberry handsets, also with Apple iPhone 3G units using ActiveSync for Exchange as well as Windows Mobile devices that are using ActiveSync for Exchange.
If you would like to know more about mobile security solutions or would like to know what can be done to secure your existing devices please contact us by emailing sales@jpt-solutions.co.uk

Microsoft release update for serious security flaw in IE

robfranklin — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:05:22 +0000

Microsoft have now released the critical updated which addresses a major security issue with Internet Explorer that was identified earlier this week. You can obtain the update from the Microsoft Update website or system administrators can visit the Microsoft Technet website.

Serious security flaw found in IE

robfranklin — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 07:07:37 +0000

It has been announced today that due to a serious flaw in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer users are being advised to use an alternate browser, such as Firefox, until a security fix becomes available from Microsoft.

It is believed that the identified flaw could allow criminals to take control of people’s computers and steal their password.

We recommend that any users who are concerned about this issue should download and use Firefox until such time as an update has been release by Microsoft.

UPDATE: Microsoft have now release an update to resolve this issue, please see here.

Lock up your data, don’t let them get away with IT

robfranklin — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:01:32 +0000

Ok tacky punchline but in all seriousness we have had yet another massive data loss this time it concerns prison officers which have now been put at massive risk through this. What compounded the matter is that it would appear that this “lost data” took almost a year to discover. Now at best the persons whose information was on this disk can hope that someone simply found the data, wiped it and re-used the disk but at worst it has been used for other purposes.

Data security is something that should not be taken lightly in any business regardless of whether you have 1 PC or a 1,000. The information you hold has great value to someone whether that be your competitor or a crimal aspiring to identity fraud. It is your responsibility to keep this information safe and away from people who should not have access to it.

Most businesses that utilise a server will have individual logins for each user which will allow the business to limit that amount of information that the user has access to but this also provides accountability for which person(s) has accessed what data. However, this concept generally goes out of the window because of one of the following reasons:

Password Sharing – the users allow one-another to have access their password
Simple passwords – the users password is something simple like “password”, “letmein”, the dogs name, childs name etc
Unattended workstations – the users walks away from their computer for lunch and leaves it “unlocked” allowing anyone access to information

All of these items make the best security practises fall flat on their face before you evan get started.

What can be done to fix this

Most of the above issues can be simply resolved by implementing a policy on the server which sets down a standard on all network computers which forces a password changed periodically; forces complex passwords and locks the computer after a period without use i.e. 5 minutes.

Other thoughts

The other issue which is becoming more prevalent these days is the Digital Nomad aka the notebook user. The Digital Nomad is a new breed of user who essentially speaking is able to work regardless of location. This work style is becoming more popular with the recent fuel increases however with this new style of mobile computing comes it’s own challenges. This type of worker will generally carry a quantity of data with them and this information is what they need to do their job. This can be something as simple as a drawing or can be an entire client database complete with business and personal details. If this notebook was to be lost/stolen etc then all of this information would be available to anyone who has the computer. The best resolution to this is to implement encryption software/hardware which can be installed to the notebook. There are many software solutions available which range from completely free to not so free. Most of these can provide either encrypted volumes (additional drives which only appear once a passphrase has been entered) or they are able to encrypt the entire drive so no one can use the computer without the passphrase. Both of these solutions have their own merits and the implementation will be a personnal choice however it should not be overlooked.

Any lost data can and will inevitably cost your business money and will tarnish your reputation. A recent data loss has resulted in a contract worth £1.5 million being lost, don’t let this be your business.

For more information on data security solutions then please contact us at sales@jpt-solutions.co.uk

UPS Virus/XP Antivirus Removal

admin — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:59:15 +0000

JPT Solutions can not be held responsible for any problems that may occur as result of using this information. If you have any doubts what so ever about performing this procedure then please consult our support team to arrange removal.

Firstly to be with you should ensure that you have these instructions written down as you will be require to restart your computer into safe mode at which time you will not have internet access from that computer to see these instructions.

Before we begin you will need to download “SDFix” from AndyManchesta.com. Once you have downloaded “SDFix.exe” then double click the application and in the destination folder leave as default then click on “Install”. When the files have uncompressed you will need to reboot the computer into “Safe Mode”, if your computer is a network computer then ensure the you know the local administrator password before attempting to boot into “Safe Mode”. In order to get into “Safe Mode” as the computer first begins to power on press the “F8″ key repeatedly until you get the following menu screen:

From this screen press the up arrow until you reach the “Safe mode” option and then press enter. Once you are in Windows XP then navigate to the folder “C:\SDFix” and run the file “RunThis.cmd” by double clicking it. You will then see a screen as below, press the Y key to continue.

Once you select “Y” you simply wait, this process may take up to 20 minutes so please be patient. Once it has completed then you will be asked to reboot. After the PC has rebooted the fix tool will run once again to ensure that all traces have been removed from the PC. Once completed a summary report will be displayed to show the outcome of the scan. At this point it would be advisable to ensure that you run a full virus scan using one of the online scanners as your installed anti-virus package could have been damaged. Click here for a list of available online scanners.

Alternatively if you do not feel comfortable with any of the steps outlined above then please contact our support desk.

Best kept secrets

admin — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 21:51:36 +0000

There has been a great deal of press coverage recently regarding lost laptops and data CD’s most of which was unsecured data. While this has caused public outrage many business users do not secure the data that they carry with them each day in the same way that has caused so much outrage. Many users will carry data with them on their laptops so that they can either work on it at home, on the train or evan to show their client. However, while that data is in transit it is completely insecure and the question you need to ask yourself is “How important is that data?”. The importance of data varies between who is receiving it; for example how valuable would you staff wages be to your competition or to a headhunter? How important would the data you carry regarding your client to your clients competitors?

Typically the answer to both of these will be very important, we can help with this problem. We have a number of encryption packages that can be installed onto your system that can either create an encrypted storage container on your hard disk or on a USB memory stick. This container will only be un-encrypted while you are using it which typically will be while you are using your notebook, at all other times the container is locked using 256bit encryption. Which means you can safely carry the data knowing that should the worst happen and you loose your notebook the data will be inaccessible to anyone else.

If you would like to know more about this or other security solutions then please contact us for more info.