Cyber-Ark notes lap top theft security hole

Cyber-Ark, a digital vaulting specialist, said the theft of the Irish Gas Board laptop that contained bank details of over 75,000 companies shows a serious lack of security precautions against such an accident.

Cyber-Ark’s UK and Ireland director, Mark Fulbrook, went on to state that the major problem is that the data was not encrypted on the laptop, which should be standard protocol for information that is as sensitive as a bank account details.

Fulbrook went on to say that while this alone should be worrisome enough, the fact is that proper IT security would have dictated that sensitive customer data was never placed on a laptop at all.

Plus, not only should it have been encrypted, but it should have been only accessible via an authenticated log-in procedure.

This is not the first time recently that a laptop has compromised sensitive customer data, as software firm NorthgateArinso lost a laptop in Marlow on March 23rd that contained the pension plans and details of over 109,000 members.

However, in this case the data was protected by a password and the company believes the theft was for the value of the laptop not for the information.

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