June 2017

Here comes summer – and the annual spike in laptop thefts

Laptops are a double-edged sword. They enable the workforce to be massively productive. Employees don’t need to be tethered to the physical office, and suppliers can come and work at your site just by plugging their laptop into your network. But laptops also present big risks. They are a target for theft outside the office, and allowing third party access to your network risks importing malware and exporting your sensitive data on unencrypted devices.

People are only human: they get distracted and laptops get lost. Summer should be a time to enjoy, not to have to deal with the impact of a data breach. In this month’s newsletter, we share basic steps that you should include in your security policy to reduce the likelihood of sensitive data falling into the hands of the wrong people.

Summer is also a time for young people to learn life-long skills at camp. Normally associated with outdoor activities, there’s a growing number of

coding camps teaching IT and tech skills that will be vital for them in the future. Our CEO, Ebba Blitz has first-hand experience of the benefits for her daughters and you can read her story below. Let’s have a great summer!

Read about establishing a security policy

Data protection

Creating your security policy

Basic IT security measures should mean a lost laptop is an inconvenience rather than a data breach. Here are 5 steps to include in your security policy:

Conduct a security assessment. Ensure that every device is encrypted – phones, tablets and laptops. As many as one in four data breaches are a result of lost or stolen laptops.
Understand where sensitive data is located in the organization and how it is protected in the day-to-day process of doing business.
Employ multi-factor authentication. 81% of hacking-related breaches leveraged either stolen or weak passwords.
Ensure software is kept up to date. Unpatched systems enables the spread of ransomware, like the recent devastating Petya & WannaCry worm infections.
Extend your security assessment to third party vendors. Ensure that only encrypted devices are allowed access to your network and data.

For help with your cyber security policy, contact our help desk team.

Contact our help desk

HIPAA compliance breaches

Third party error compromised unencrypted PHI

A mistake by a third-party vendor left unencrypted patient data exposed, leading to a data breach for New York’s Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center.

The highly sensitive medical records of over 7,000 patients were not encrypted or protected with a password. They were reportedly left accessible as a result of a mis-configured backup server hosted by a third-party records management vendor.

Read more ...

Stolen laptop leads to breach

Lifespan, Rhode Island's largest health network, informed 20,000 patients that an employee laptop containing patient data went missing. The computer, which was unencrypted and not password protected, was stolen from an employee’s car in February. The employee’s work emails stored on the MacBook contained patient information.

Read more ...

Help to address the IT Skills shortage

The computing industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in the U.S. but the percentage of women taking degrees in computing has decreased over time. Girls are avid users and consumers of technology and coding camps are an important first step in encouraging them to make a career in IT and tech.

Alertsec CEO, Ebba Blitz has seen first hand how girls can become enthused about IT. Read about how she is helping to address the gender gap in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

Future proof your daughters

Here comes summer – and the annual spike in laptop thefts

Creating your security policy

Third party error compromised unencrypted PHI

Stolen laptop leads to breach

Help to address the IT Skills shortage

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