t from a company’s damaged reputation is responsible for US$144 (70 per cent) of the US$204 average cost of a compromised record.
Strict new regulations
To help protect clients and consumers, regulatory bodies are passing increasingly strict laws both in Europe and North America.
In the United States, most states now have a data-breach notification law or similar legislation that regulates data security and accountability. These state laws include requirements for public disclosure of breaches as well as potential fines or other sanctions.
Managing and mitigating risk: A robust, layered approach
In today’s high-risk environment, the security of assets and sensitive data requires a layered approach (see Figure 1) that reaches beyond the OS and BIOS down into hardware. By implementing intelligent hardware-based technologies (such as tying encryption to a laptop’s hardware), IT administrators can better protect sensitive data. This protection extends even after a laptop goes missing and even if a thief has access to security credentials.
Figure 1. A layered approach to protect assets and sensitive data on laptops. Security is installed at the OS level, integrated in BIOS and firmware, and also designed into hardware. This layered approach helps businesses manage and mitigate risk and improve compliance with new regulations.
Intel® AT: Intelligent, automated policy-based protection
Intel® Anti-Theft Technology (Intel® AT) adds a deep layer of protection for laptops. An intelligent and automated technology, Intel AT is built directly into laptop hardware. Intel AT can detect theft conditions and respond locally and automatically based on IT policy, or respond to a remote poison pill sent by a central server. Remote poison pills (and reactivation messages) can be sent over an IP-based or 3G-based network.
IT administrators can now be more assured that a laptop is under control of the authorised user. If lost or stolen, the laptop can be rapidly and automatically locked down based on IT policy, and its encryption information can be protected. This helps IT administrators improve compliance with strict regulations, minimise data breaches even after a laptop goes missing, and reduce post-incident costs.
Rapid local or remote policy-based detection and response
Security vendors are taking advantage of local and remote tamper-resistant triggers that can detect a suspicious condition:
- Excessive login attempts (local). Multiple failed login attempts in a pre-boot authentication (PBA) screen.
- PBA login timer expires (local). If the user does not log into the PBA screen successfully within the IT-specified time frame, the laptop enters theft mode.
- Rendezvous timer expires (local). A local, hardware-based timer expires if the laptop does not check in with the central server within an IT-specified interval of time. This feature is a local trigger implemented in hardware; it works regardless of network connectivity.
- Notification from server (remote) via IP-based network. A flag set in the central server triggers a poison pill, which is sent to the laptop via a wired or wireless LAN the next time the system checks in.
- Notification from server (remote) via 3G-based network. IT administrators can automatically or manually send a poison pill via an encrypted SMS text message over a 3G network. This allows IT administrators to remotely and rapidly trigger a lock down even without LAN/WLAN-based connectivity.
- PC tampering (local). A lock down can be triggered when Intel AT detects changes in the firmware of the laptop or removal of the CMOS battery.
These flexible responses allow IT to specify the conditions that determine a lock down or trigger the disabling of encryption credentials. Laptops themselves can now respond automatically, intelligently, and rapidly to a variety of suspicious circumstances.
Protect the asset, protect the data
When a suspicious condition is encountered, Intel AT responds based on IT policy. For example, Intel AT can disable the laptop by blocking its boot process at the hardware level. This prevents the s