Computer Security - My story

Computer security isn’t only about protecting your DATA from intrusions like viruses, trojans, hacks, malware, phishing and the many hundreds of other tactics used by nefarious intruders.  Computer security is also about protecting your equipment.  There are so many solutions available to prevent external virtual breaches that the perpetrators are increasingly resorting to physical theft.  That’s right! 

Stealing a computer means full access to the DATA on that computer.  Encryption, passwords, tracking are all meaningless in the hands of a professional thief.  I’m not saying that the software solutions available are inadequate.  Most software solutions offer excellent protection against virtual attacks.  No computer security solution can live without them.  But a computer security system must also include physical deterrents.

Even my bike's U-bolt would not be adequate computer security

Computer security has to include a physical lockdown of the device.  There are hundreds of solutions for physical lockdown like cables, boxes, cages, peripheral lockout and others.  Unfortunately, breaching most of these requires a simple pair of pliers or a screw driver.   I’m reminded of when I locked my bike to the street lamp and lost the only key I had.  I frantically asked everyone what to do.  I even went to the fire station and they said that there was no way of cutting a Ubolt as it was tamper proof.  I read on the internet that a grinder would do the job.  So I rented one and installed myself in front of the lock thinking that it would take a long time to cut through the lock.  To my dismay I sliced through the lock in 10 seconds.   Nothing is safe!

So although physical lockdown is a deterrent and should be used when appropriate, the best computer security includes receiving an alert when someone is tampering with the computer.  Computer security is maximized when someone is told about a breach as it happens.  Computer security that relies on after-the-fact tracking is good for recovering equipment but not very effective at preventing a DATA breach.  The best way to prevent a DATA breach and ensure computer security is to prevent the DATA from leaving the premises in the first place.

My experience with the CUDA card

When I installed a CUDA card in several of my PC’s I did it to test the card.  By coincidence, my offices (at another company) were burgled.  After receiving an alert from the central alarm system and contacting the police, I made my way to the office to find my front window smashed and two computers lying in the lobby.  One of them had the CUDA alarm still ringing an ear-piercing 110db alarm. (We designed that alarm to inflict pain).  One of the PC’s still had the monitor attached to the computer.   In total we lost 1 keyboard, 1 monitor, and a petty cash box with $43 inside.   The point is that as the thieves ran with the computers, I imagine that they realized that the alarm was inside the computer and following them.  They just dropped them and fled.  The most important part of this little anecdote is that the DATA on the PC was not compromised.  The records within did not leave the premises.  We did not have to contact clients to explain that certain records had been stolen and that we think that their confidential DATA is safe.

Computer security is also about preventing tampering with a computer during or after office hours.  To my dismay I read about how certain employees have opened computers remove or replace expensive components with cheaper ones or have removed hard drives in an effort to gain access to confidential and proprietary data.  Protecting DATA from internal breaches is also part of a sound computer security strategy.

The easiest DATA breach opportunity available today is the USB port.  Stealing DATA using a thumb drive (or USB memory stick) is called “thumbsucking” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_theft#Thumbsucking) Again, the best computer security method for handling Thumbsucking is to be alerted as soon as someone inserts a device into the USB port.  The CUDA card can sound a warning beep or can go into full alarm mode a soon as a USB is inserted.

Because the CUDA card is a hardware device combined with software, it is recognized by most computer security experts to be the best solution available.  Used in combination with an often unsightly but more or less effective physical lockdown and with a tracking system, the CUDA card enhances any computer security strategy and deters the transportation of DATA beyond the walls of your premises. 

All my PC’s now have a CUDA card installed.