In February, Pfizer, the world’s leader in biomedical and pharmaceutical research, reported stolen a laptop computer which carried classified information for 800 contractors as well as current and past employees. The individuals in question may be subject to identity theft.

The information on the laptop computer included names, credit card numbers, various addressses, phone numbers and hotel loyalty program numbers and other information.  It did not appear any social security numbers or PIN codes were revealed.

The laptop computer, stolen by burglars from the home of a contractor arranging travel and meeting plans for Pfizer, was password protected.  Many operating systems store application data in numerous locations on your computer.  Full-Disk encryption is the only means to protect your entire hard-drive.

Full disk encryption benefits outweigh those of regular file or folder encryption and vault encryption.

Full-Disk Encryption:

• Swap space and temporary folders are files which could reveal confidential information, but now can be encrypted along with most all other data, with full disk encryption
• Pre-boot Authentication (PBA) which keeps the operating system from booting until the right password is entered
• If you need it there is data destruction by ridding of the cryptograph key

In light of publicized lap-top thefts and security breaches, it is important for all users to enlist full data encryption solutions to protect all confidential data on their machines. This is the precise reason that the United States Government is in the process of comparing different FDE solutions in order to choose and implement the best one. If you have confidential data in high risk locations consider full disk encryption to protect your data.

Tags: Data In Motion, Full Disk Encryption, Hard Disk, Laptop

Author: Christopher