Laptop Security

By Rich Eichacker
Vibrance Technology Corporation

Have you considered all the important data that resides on your laptop: client lists, client data, personal information, financial data? What if your laptop was lost or stolen? Would the crooks have free access to all that data?

There are a number of ways to secure your laptop. These include software encryption programs and hardware “keys”.

USB Keys
USB keys provide security by creating a hard drive in Windows that is only visible when the key is in the USB port. The secure drive is actually a large file that is encrypted with a password you supply during installation. When the key is inserted into the port, the file is un-encrypted and mounted as a new hard drive. While the drive is activated, you can work with your files normally: editing, copying, deleting, etc. The encryption/decryption process is fast and does not noticeably degrade performance. When you are ready to travel with your laptop, simply unplug the key and the secure drive disappears. Keep the key in a safe place (not the laptop case) until you are ready to access the data again.

I tested 2 USB keys: the “Kanguru Wizard” and “The Saint”. Both work as described above. The Kanguru Wizard cost around $50 and was a little problematic to use: it was slow to boot and during setup it moved a couple of my desktop icons into the secure drive, which meant that they disappeared when I removed the key. It also limited the size of the secure drive to 2GB. The Saint was about $20, booted quickly with no problems, and supported a secure drive of 4GB. For these reasons, I can recommend The Saint over the Kanguru Wizard.

CryptCard
The CryptCard is a sophisticated solution that not only secures sensitive data, but the entire hard drive, including Windows. In fact, the card must be in a PCMCIA slot for the laptop to even boot up. It can also restrict access to the floppy and CD drives, as well as the serial port.

SafeBoot
SafeBoot is a software-based solution similar in features to the CryptCard. It enforces a boot-up password as well as encrypting the entire hard drive. SafeBoot can also secure PDAs, CDs, and digital memory cards.

In conclusion, if you are concerned about the data on your laptop, then a security device is a must. I found the USB devices inexpensive and relatively easy to use. In the case of both the CryptCard and SafeBoot, I was not able to find pricing on-line, which leads me to believe that in addition to being more comprehensive, they are also a lot more expensive.

Fall 2004 -Volume 14, Number 4

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