Computer Theft and Identity Theft are concerns for everyone across the world today. The media reports every day of another breach of un-protected data from various sources including stolen computers. Computers are one of the top 3 items stolen in home break-ins, at work, and on campus. We know that there are different needs for different industries, and even in the different sectors of those industries, but there are some commonalities across the board.
For organizations that use personal electronic records to handle private customer information, the need to protect data has never been greater. Identity theft has reached epidemic proportions; and since 2005, over 500 million records containing sensitive personal information have been involved in security breaches.
- Stolen or lost laptops account for 36% of all data breach cases. Data breaches concerning lost, missing or stolen laptops are more expensive than other data breach incidents
- More than 82% of the companies surveyed had more than one data breach during 2009 involving 1,000 or more records containing Personal Information
- The average organizational cost of a data breach increased from $6.65 million in 2008 to $6.75 million in 2009
- Data breaches cost their companies an average of $204 per compromised record – of which $144 pertained to indirect cost. Highly trusted industries per compromised record costs were higher, with Energy $237, Financial $249, Services $256, Research $266, Healthcare $294 and Pharma $310 per compromised record.
As news stories announcing the latest breaches continue, Members of Congress consistently voice their support for uniform national laws. Whatever the final text of data privacy legislation, we are likely to see this Congress pass federal data security legislation. Congressional leaders have emphasized that data privacy and breach notification are top priorities.
Senators and Representatives from both sides of the aisle have introduced several new pieces of legislation proposing sweeping new frameworks for data privacy law:
S. 239 (“Notification of Risk to Personal Data Act”);
H.R. 958 (“Data Accountability and Trust Act”);
H.R. 836 (“Cyber-Security Enhancement and Consumer Data Protection Act of 2007”);
S. 495 (“Personal Data Privacy and Security Act of 2007”).
HITECH (“Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health”
Red Flag Rules (requires financial institutions and creditors to develop and implement written identity theft prevention programs)
Massachusetts CMR 17.00 (Securing the personal and integrity of personal information)
For more information on recent and pending legislation, please visit our Resource Center
The CyberAngel® Security Software offers a comprehensive set of security features that provide User Authentication, Data Protection, Remote Access Restriction, and Tracking and Recovery of lost of stolen computers. We ensure that the confidential information is encrypted and secure at time of boot-up, and proper Authentication allows full access to that machine. Violation of the Authentication keeps that information encrypted, locks USB and COM ports to prevent unauthorized data transfer, protects data-in-transit, and provides location information to our Security Monitoring Center to use in the recovery of that stolen asset. The CyberAngel® Security Software can help keep you in compliance with existing and new data / privacy laws and provide your end-users with the ability to recover their stolen assets. Our Wi-Trac technology is the only available product that can track a computer through a wireless network. With this increase in Privacy and Security Breach laws, and the over 65% wireless penetration of suburban America, The CyberAngel® Security software just makes sense as an effective tool for Data Protection and Theft Recovery.