For the frugal individual, try an old hard drive. For a minimal fee, you can convert it to USB operation and use it as backup. There is also the CD/DVD option, which will definitely work for some data. For the average person remember…your media files will not change, and thus can be backed up on a few DVDs rather efficient. For frequently updated information, such as application data, a copy of your registry, and your documents, you can use the old hard drive, supplemented with regular optical disc backups to back that drive up.
Category: Security & Networking
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Backup Your Windows Notebook Now or Face Dire Consequences!
We like the title of this article from the Mobility Guru a great deal. Backup is something we save for the last minute too often…and ultimately forget, dooming us in an emergency. It is not a matter of IF you need to back up your data, it is WHEN.
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Management vs. IT Security
We follow Bruce Schneier, a guru in the field of security of all types. Recently, he commented on the issues management has in understanding IT security. Management tends to see implementing IT security measures as a low priority. Security is a preventative measure…there is no easy way to point somewhere and show the profit made by implementing good security.
Security insures against loss. Perhaps there is a way to relate a cost-savings in insurance, but besides that, security is a drain on the bottom line, be it in a corporation or with an individual.
Individuals are the same when it comes to security. The managerial side of us has to ask the justification for spending money and time protecting against loss, while our IT side speaks of viruses, spyware, malware, and environmental disasters…
Data seems too intangible to people to see it as a valuable item, like the equipment protecting it, or jewelry which must be secured. Either way, we must force ourselves to listen to our IT people, or the IT voice in our head and protect our valuables…
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U3 USB Drives
Not long ago, we gave you our basic advice on buying USB flash memory drives, also known as Jumpdrives, after the popular Lexar line. We commented we did not have enough funding to review a large selection of drives.
Then we moved on to some advice on security and data protection using these drives. We suggested you visit Portableapps.com for some applications that can run on a flash drive.
But, for those of us who don’t want to put together our own Windows-based selection of portable applications, there is U3. U3 is backed by various USB flash memory producers and is a system that “turns simple storage devices into USB smart drives.” Essentially, it combines data protection, portable applications, and password protection against a single standard several companies used.
We picked up a U3 smart drive, the SanDisk 1 GB Cruzer Micro with U3 ( SDCZ6-1024-A10, Retail Package)
The biggest complaint with this item for some is the U3. The U3 software can be uninstalled, turning it back into a standard USB drive…which you can then install the same portable applications on. What the U3 software does is link in built-in encyption as well as a menu launcher. The problem is that this software launches automatically and tried to reboot the computers we put it into. It also is Windows specific. Both of these can be showstoppers if you want to be mobile. The computers of your friends, as well as public terminals, don’t appreciate something that looks like malicious software.
Ultimately, for those users willing to put up with it, U3 is a nice and convenient way to run a good basic set of applications off of a USB drive with a minimum of difficulty. And you don’t have to use it if you don’t want to.
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Taking Password Security a Bit Far
In a recent article, we wrote on the subject of Password Security. We advocated creating a secure vault to store your passwords. As a recent article by CNET news indicates, sometimes you can take password security too far.
When William Talcot, a prominent poet, died in June…his daughter couldn’t notify most of his contacts because his email account and online address book were password protected. It is a not uncommon problem. As more and more information is kept on computer and on websites, the danger that in the event of an emergency or death this information will be inaccessible to loved ones is increasing.
When William Talcot, a prominent poet, died in June…his daughter couldn’t notify most of his contacts because his email account and online address book were password protected. It is a not uncommon problem. As more and more information is kept on computer and on websites, the danger that in the event of an emergency or death this information will be inaccessible to loved ones is increasing.
Now, savvy attorneys are advising their clients to put passwords to things online into estate documents, and what they want to do with their electronic resources. The provisions governing the release of information from online providers in the event of death are not consistent amongst companies, and often require court intervention.
Our advice for safety in the event of death is as follows: We advised that passwords can be stored in a password vault program…our example is KeePass. KeePass uses one master file for your passwords. We recommend a copy of your password vault with the master password by placed with your estate files. Consider perhaps a safety deposit box for it. We recommend considering a bank safety deposit box as a backup site for a set of your backup media, updated periodically.
The important thing to remember, that in the event of your death or incapacitation, you need some provision for allowing a loved one to access your information to follow your instructions. You have to find the solution that works for you. It isn’t pleasant to think about, but we tend to find that the solution that requires the least amount of work to set up and maintain is the one you are most likely to follow through on.
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Portable Security and Data Protection
Putting all your eggs in one basket is not a good idea. Keeping all your critical data on an item you keep on your person at all times, a USB drive, ensures that it is protected. However, it also means that your data is moving around and thus increases the number of places you could be parted from it.
Now, your USB drive may include a security program for encryption. If it does not, or you wish to use a program that will work on any drive and not just on the drive you purchased, try TrueCrypt. TrueCrypt creates a virtual encrypted disk within a file and mounts it as a disk. TrueCrypt can run in Traveller Mode, which allows it to not be installed on the Operating System. You will need administrative privileges in order to run it that way and records of the mount may be left on the computer, although the data will be secure.
For portable versions of various popular applications, visit Portableapps.com. It includes portable versions of the Firefox Web Browser and the Thunderbird Email Client, as well as an IM client, a portable version of OpenOffice, and so on. Our ideal portable applicatiion USB drive contains Openoffice, Firefox, Thunderbird, TrueCrypt, KeePass(which we mentioned in a previous post), and Miranda IM Portable. Our data USB drive contains KeePass, TrueCrypt, and our secure data.
In a future post, we will discuss how to install a bootable operating system on your USB drive, if you wish to go a step further in mobile security.
Just remember when using a USB drive with portable applications that they can spread viruses and malicious code in between computers. Scan your USB drive for viruses on a regular basis, especially when it has been in strange computers. Also, back up your USB files regularly to ensure your protection.
In our next security piece, we’ll discuss strategies for backing up your data.
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Password Security
In last weeks post on Laptop Security, we explored some of the special issues of keeping your laptop secure, many of which also apply to desktops. Now, there are many commercial products to assist you in that, but we will generally focus on the free and open-source ones. Remember, free does not mean bad. The open-source community has produced a great deal of quality software.
Now, we turn to the issue of password security. A few bits of common sense advice:
- Do not base your password on a dictionary word. Brute force attacks on passwords use dictionaries.
- If possible, combine letters and numbers, even better, non-alphanumberic characters, ie ! $ % etc.
- Vary the case of letters. Remember, FoUr is a different password than four or Four.
- Passphrases can be a good idea with sites that do not limit the length of your password. If ones do, try a passphrase as a mneumonic. For example, turn The Quick Brown Fox Jumped Over the Lazy Dog into TqBfJoTlD – hard to break, but easy to assemble when you log in. Note the varying case.
- Change your password regularly.
Now, that requires a lot of work. So, try some software assistance. While several commercial software packages allow for password vaults, we offer this nice free one, KeePass. KeePass is a password manager that stores all passwords in one database locked with a master key/password or key disk. A key disk can be stored on a USB drive, a floppy disk, etc. Just remember to take a copy of it and store it in your safety deposit box, a fire-proof safe, or with a loved one, in case of unexpected loss.
KeePass is a Windows program, but doesn’t store any information in the Windows registry. Thus it will work on older versions and newer versions of Windows and will continue to be updated. It can auto-type into web browsers and other programs. It is extensible with plugins and very configurable.
Look forward to our next part in this continuing series of securing your computer use, when we will discuss more secure tools you can store on your USB key-disk, and more about USB jumpdrives in general.
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Laptop Security
Jim Rossman of the Dallas Morning News advised of his experience leaving his laptop at an airport security checkpoint. Mr. Rossman is right, a simple business card attached to your laptop will allow its owner to be idenitified.
Our colleagues at Flight Wisdom suggested that you consider STOP. Security Tracking of Office Property, despite the name, works well for personal use as well. If you want your thief to know your name and address, putting it on the laptop will certainly help them find you, although that may be a bit paranoid. A third-party is certainly helpful in these cases. Also, the security plate, cemented to your laptop, is a theft deterrent in itself.
The next step after a security tag, or equivalent label is a laptop security cable. These cables are enough theft deterrent. Given time and a hacksaw, someone can remove these cables, but the goal is such things will delay them. Most theft is dependant on stealth and speed, not hanging around with such tools. Of course, finding a place to lash it in your hotel room on vacation is usually hard.
The final step is of course, in software. Set your computer BIOS to require a password, and then prevent booting from the USB port, a floppy disk, or a CD-ROM. If you need to do any of these things, go in and override it for the time you need it. Then, set a password for logging onto the system, be it a variant of Windows, UNIX, or the Mac OS.
Of course, protecting your files can be a matter of encyption. Check out a future post, when we intend to report on Encryption Tools as well as other software security for your laptop or even your desktop.