An Absolute Theft Recovery Team has been established in Asia better facilitate our computer recovery services.

This expansion means that Computrace is now available throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, South America, Australia/New Zealand and, now,  Japan.

For more information about Computrace One as well as Computrace Mobile, Computrace for Netbooks, Computrace Data Protection, and Absolute Track in Japan, please visit www.absolute.com/japan.

The tip was to ensure that you wipe the data off your smartphone – iPhone or BlackBerry – before you trade it in. Whether you’re donating it or selling it, or just giving it to a friend, it’s important that you take all of your data off of it.

iPhone – Erasing Data

If you have the latest stable version of software on your iPhone, the data can be wiped securely. If you are running software earlier than 2.0, there is a way to hack it to dump the data.

The steps to erase the data on iPhones running 2.0 or later versions of the OS are to go to:

Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Contents and Settings

BlackBerry – Erasing Data

On the BlackBerry, thanks to BBGeeks, incorrectly enter your password 10 times then enter the code “blackberry” to trigger a wipe OR go to:

Options > Security Options > General Settings > Click the trackwheel/trackball on the Password field > Select “Wipe Handheld” > Enter “blackberry” when prompted

Also, if you’ve been following along with this blog, you’ll know that Absolute Software is beta testing Computrace Mobile for the BlackBerry right now. This will enable you to do a remote delete of your BlackBerry data in the event that your phone is lost or stolen. Stay tuned for more news on that soon!!

Images: Apple & BlackBerry

John Halamka, CIO for Caregroup, is one of our beta testers and he recently shared his experiences with the product on his blog, saying:

“Although the Absolute products are primarily encryption, tracking, and data protection systems, they are also a very cool geotracking system for Blackberry owners (with their consent).”

In addition to recognized benefits of tracking his BlackBerry, and wiping the data if it does go missing, John realized he could share the login for the Computrace Customer Care center with his family, so they’d always know where he was.

I had a chance to correspond briefly with John by email about his experience with the new service. John says that he’s never had a mobile device lost or stolen before, although had a close call when he left a Palm with personal information on an airplane. His current BlackBerry has contact information, no insecure corporate data, but the new Massachusetts Data Protection regulations have prompted an evaluation of products to encrypt / protect corporate mobile devices.

John Halamka was not a previous customer of Absolute Software, so this is his first experience using Computrace. He describes the installation process of the tracking agents to his MacBook and BlackBerry as “seamless”. You can read his full experience here.

Computrace Mobile is expected to be generally available for the BlackBerry for corporate customers in 2009. If you’re a journalist interested in doing a review, contact Absolute for a private demo.

Computrace Mobile currently is supported on all Windows Mobile 5 and 6 handheld devices including the HP iPAQ, HTC Touch, MOTO Q, Samsung BlackJack and Treo 750.

Computrace Mobile will deliver asset management, data protection and geolocation tracking, features of the Computrace protection package for laptop computers, to the BlackBerry.

“We will be able to offer our customers a single system for managing and securing their Windows and Mac laptops and desktops, Windows Mobile devices and now BlackBerry smartphones… This solution will provide them with the visibility and protection they need to reduce operational costs and losses due to theft and inefficient allocation.” – John Livingston, president and CEO of Absolute Software.

We’re quite excited about the news, and hope you are too! Although the beta is closed at the moment, if you’re a journalist interested in doing a review, contact Absolute for a private demo. Continue reading the press release here.

Computrace Mobile currently is supported on all Windows Mobile 5 and 6 handheld devices including the HP iPAQ, HTC Touch, MOTO Q, Samsung BlackJack and Treo 750.

The document, which appears to be a revised subset of their more popular “Be Alert!” document to avoid being a victim of foreign intelligence collection, breaks up the information into four sections: “You Should Know,” “Before You Travel,” “While You’re Away,” and “When You Return.” The first section is really a series of “worst case” scenarios involving travel abroad; monitored phone calls, searched hotel rooms, intercepted messages, tracked movements, etc. However, the other sections provide valuable tips that all travelers should consider.

Some of the tips include:

• Delete any information you don’t need before you go
• Use a different mobile phone when traveling, if you can
• Create strong passwords for your devices, and change them regularly (including when you return). Don’t store the passwords anywhere.
• Make sure you have all the latest security updates for your software
• Encrypt sensitive information* & have a personal firewall
  *Some countries may not allow you to enter with encrypted information, it notes
• Keep your SIM card with you if you need to stow your device
• Avoid wi-fi networks and turn off ports and features you don’t need

You can download the 2-page brochure here. [PDF]

Via Security Watch ; Tags: ncix, oncix, overseas travel, mobile security, security, it security, business security, business travel

Publication SP 800-124 provides an overview of mobile devices in use today and insights on making IT security issues regarding their use. Threats increase for handheld devices due to their size & portability and the available wireless services. These two issues increase the risk for loss / theft, unauthorized use, malware, spam, electronic eavesdropping, electronic tracking, cloning and server-resident data.

The guidelines give many examples of these types of threats as well as safeguards that can be put in place. The safeguards suggested include:

• Central management of devices – have organization-issued devices with a system to centrally configure and manage devices & their updates
• User-oriented measures – teaching employees about procedures to follow using organization devices (understanding the security features & how to use them)
• Authentication – require user authentication with PINs and passwords
• Backup data
• Reduce data exposure – avoid sensitive information being on, or accessed by, any handheld device. Encrypt any sensitive data.
• Turn off wireless interfaces – minimize risk by only turning them on when needed
• Add security software such as firewalls, antivirus, VPN, etc.

There are very detailed suggestions about how to centrally organize devices and their capabilities. Download the study here [PDF]: “Guidelines on Cell Phone and PDA Security (Draft).” In addition, you may wish to review the “Performance Measurement Guide for Information Security” Study [PDF].

Absolute Software also provides security solutions for handheld devices with Computrace Mobile. Check it out here!

Hat tip to Dan Lohrmann Tags: mobile security, data security, mobile security policy, it security, cell phone security, pda security, handheld devices

Your security policy should be generic enough to be easily understood and followed by all employees. An audit of what kinds of devices are currently in use (and what information they’re accessing) is the first step to understanding what kind of security policy you need. The audit will also reveal the operating systems that your mobility security suite will need to manage. After that, you can expect your security policy to include things such as:

• What to do if a device is lost
• Incentives for people to report lost devices quickly
• Which devices can connect to office equipment / data, and which cannot
• What type of data can be accessed
• Support VPNs for mobile devices
• A procedure in place to wipe data off of lost devices
• Secure disposal procedures for old devices
• Allowance for users to register their own devices, if they are wiped when an employee leaves the company
• What applications can and can’t be installed
• Using strong passwords and encryption

A way that you can easily manage smartphones and follow these tips is by using Computrace Mobile. As part of the Computrace suite of products, it uses the same Computrace Agent that lets you inventory your mobile population, and it offers remote data delete capabilities. You can find out more about it here.

An effective mobile security policy will balance the benefits of productivity with costs and data security needs. You can read more great tips here.

image: dpawatts @morguefile Tags: mobile data, mobile security, it security, security policy, it security policy, business security, laptop security

The webinar will be interactive and will help you understand the various security solutions available.

Register here for the Webinar.

Tags: mobile security, webinar, security webinar, hp, absolute software, microsoft