Great Circle Associates Firewalls
(September 1997)
 

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Subject: Re: Security of Laptop Computers
From: Mark Teicher <mht @ clark . net>
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 20:53:32 -0400 (EDT)
To: Phil Burton <philb @ thejudge . Corp . Sun . COM>
Cc: "Carol A. Ardanowski" <carol-ardanowski @ delta-security . com>, firewalls @ GreatCircle . COM
In-reply-to: <Roam2 . 0 . 6 . 874446525 . 3979 . philb @ thejudge>

I think NBC did a special on this a while back :)

<comments within>

On Wed, 17 Sep 1997, Phil Burton wrote:

> 
> >Larry Riley wrote:
> >> 
> >>      Hi everyone,
> [snip]
> 
> >>      been a great help to me in the past.
> >> 
> >>      My problem is that I have a lot of mobile users that take laptop
> [snip again]
> 
> >
> >The only way to prevent someone walking off with your laptop once you 
> >lay it on the conveyor to be scanned, is to not place your bag on the 
> >conveyor until you are at the front of the line to walk through the 
> >x-ray machines.  If there is a line of people, or if someone in front of 
> >you is having problems getting through the x-ray (because of keys, 
> >jewelry, belts, etc.) and you have to wait, your laptop is going to be a 
> >prime target for theft when it's sitting unattended at the end of the 
> >conveyor.  If you place it on the belt as you are walking through, 

I always alert the security people ahead of time, that I have some
expensive pieces of equipment going through.  Or usually wait until the
line is short enough to watch the laptop go through the machine as I am
walking through the detectors..

I have actually seen people at the end of the other side of the machine
and walk off with other people's bags in like seconds..



 > 
> Same applies for expensive cameras.  
> 
> With this scenario, all a thief has to do is go to a long line of people
> waiting to pass through the security gate, then have his/her accomplish get on
> line right as the "mark" is about to get on line.  Or just try a typical
> "businss flight."  The accomplice has trouble going through the gate.  The
> rest is an insurance claim.

Sometimes these type of thieves work in pairs or threes.  Usually one is
the look out, the other causes a distraction in the metal detector and the
bag man is waiting atthe end of the conveyoor belt getting the goods..

There are some solutions to this.

A sort of distance away from bag device, you wear a gizmo on your person
and the other is attached inside the bag.  When a the bag is x number of
feet away, the gizmo on the your person goes off.  I can't remember who
makes this device, but I saw the add in some airport magazine..

I personally like the devices they use at banks when there is a 
bank robbery.. You know those red or blue dye type cannisters.

That is my two cents worth.

/mark
 > 
> 
> >chances are that you are going to be ready and waiting for it when it 
> >comes down the belt.
> >
> >Carol Ardanowski
> >Security Analyst
> >Delta Security Engineering
> >www.delta-security.com
> >>
> 
> 

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References:
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From: Paul Ferguson <ferguson @ cisco . com>
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From: Jason Burton <webmaster @ starloop . com>
Indexed By Thread Previous: Re: Security of Laptop Computers
From: Phil Burton <philb @ thejudge . Corp . Sun . COM>
Next: RE: Security of Laptop Computers
From: William Curtiss <wcurtiss @ mail . cybg . com>

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