Bluetooth -The Facts
With the arrival of Bluetooth technology it is no longer sufficient to keep valuables out of sight in your car. Thieves are now using Bluetooth phones to detect whether motorists have left laptops, mobile phones or state of the art PDA’s in their cars. Even if they are out of sight in the boot or glove compartment, the Bluetooth technology enables computer-literate thieves to easily locate compatible kit.
Car Scan Scam
When a car contains a Bluetooth-enabled laptop a signal on the screen on the thief’s mobile displays not just its presence, but also its make or model. The thieves then have an easy target and are better off by one expensive laptop, which as with top of the range vehicles themselves, are often stolen to order.
One particular area of the country has been a key target for this type of crime, a police survey showed that out of thirty five recorded vehicle crimes, at least twenty involved the use of these hi-tech phones. Thieves attack busy shopping areas where they can take their pick of cars, complete with laptops etc in the boot. To counter this trend, police have launched an initiative and, as part of a four-week crack down, high-visibility officers have reduced car crime in the area by 50%.
Blue-bugging" techniques can also be used to hack into mobiles, which are increasingly used as portable data stores, with details such as passwords, PIN numbers and other sensitive information ready for the taking. In a recent experiment, a researcher standing with his laptop on the platform of a London tube station used a bluetooth intrusion programme which was able to detect 336 Bluetooth-enabled phones, 77 of them vulnerable to one or more attack methods. He later conducted similar research at the Houses of Parliament, where he discovered four vulnerable phones within 14 minutes.
These days, a great deal of confidential company information, bank account details, private emails and so on are accessible through laptops, PDA’s and even mobiles. Clients should realise that as well as equipment losses, they are at serious risk of corporate data theft if Bluetooth devices are left enabled and unsecured.
High Tech Risk Management
Common sense is the best advice – whenever possible, keep your laptop with you. Label everything as the value of a laptop is considerably reduced if there are identifying marks.
Switch everything off
If you do have to leave your laptop in the car, switch it OFF, so other devices cannot locate it.
Security Cable
One of the cheapest and most cost-effective solutions is to attach a security cable to your laptop.
Safe Portable Protection
A laptop safe is designed to protect your values whilst being stored or transported in the boot of your car. When it is locked all cards and peripherals are secure.
Alarm
Fit a motion sensor and ear piercing alarm. A 110 decibel siren is something that aspiring thieves find very discouraging.
Motion Sensor
An anti-theft card with motion sensors can be installed in the laptop to monitor its position. It can sound an alarm and the system can automatically shut down and effectively lock the computer by preventing it from booting without proper authentication.
Tracker Devices
Computer theft recovery companies sell systems that allow stolen computers to be traced and located, by installing software that can survive accidental or deliberate attempts to be removed or disabled.