
Data stealing ahoy?
Published: 6 July 2004 09:20 BST
Companies should consider banning portable storage devices such as Apple's iPod from corporate networks as they can be used to introduce malware or steal corporate data, according to an analyst.
Small portable storage products can bypass perimeter defenses like firewalls and antivirus at the mailserver, and introduce malware such as Trojans or viruses onto company networks, claimed analyst house Gartner in a report issued this week. Analysts have warned for some time of the dangers of using portable devices, but the report points out these also now include "disk-based MP3 players, such as Apple's iPod, and digital cameras with smart media cards, memory sticks, compact flash and other memory media."
Another potential danger is that the devices - that typically make use of USB and FireWire - could be used to steal large amounts of company data as they are faster to download to than CDs. Also the size of the portable devices means they can be easily misplaced or stolen.
Gartner advises that companies should forbid the use of uncontrolled, privately owned devices with corporate PCs and adopt personal firewalls to limit what can be done on USB ports.
"Businesses must ensure that the right procedures and technologies are adopted to securely manage the use of portable storage devices like USB 'keychain' drives. This will help to limit damage from malicious code, loss of proprietary information or intellectual property, and consequent lawsuits and loss of reputation," the report stated.
Andrew Donoghue writes for ZDNet UK
Basically any removable device is the same securit...
Anonymous
Is this guy for real? Yes, let's ban iPods. They h...
Gene Wolf
The real story here is that Gartner is getting hea...
Anonymous
1) Any removable device has the same security bypa...
Anonymous
How about banning people who are security risks? O...
Anonymous
The ideal candidate will have a skill set to include as many of the following: CCNA or CCNP certified, Routers, Catalyst Switches 29xx, 35xx and ...
Network Engineer CCNA / Checkpoint / Firewalls Due to expansion my leading IT Managed Services client is seeking an experienced Network Engineer to ...
Cisco Security Pre-Sales Consultant required for pivotal role within a WAN IT Security Management company with offices in central London & Paris. You ...
CIO50 2008
The silicon.com CIO50 2008 profiles the most influential and innovative tech chiefs in the UK across all industries and organisation size, from the biggest FTSE100 companies to high growth dot-com start ups and the public sector. The list was voted on by the UK CIO community and a panel of experts. Find out more in our latest special report.
Stories from the web...
Copyright ©1995-2008 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. Top of page
Peter Cochrane Peter Cochrane's Blog: Is convergence a fiction? Or could it finally be happening…
Clive Longbottom Quocirca's Straight Talking: A game of two halves Microsoft Virtualisation scores while its SOA bores...