David Lacey's IT Security Blog

A recent Dell-sponsored survey carried out by the Ponemon Institute suggests that more than 10,000 laptops go missing each week at 36 of the largest US airports, many stolen at security check points.

Quite apart from the disturbing fact that security check points are clearly a magnet for thieves, it's interesting to note that around two thirds of lost laptops are not reclaimed, and that more than half of them contain confidential company data, two thirds of which have no security protection.   

I've mentioned before that my experience is that a typical organisation can expect to lose up to 5% of their laptops per year, though this figure can be reduced substantially by smart, educational initiatives. I don't know how many travellers with laptops went through these airports, but I'd hazard a guess that it must be a few million, suggesting a loss rate of the order of one in 200. If an executive makes 20 flights a year then that represents a loss rate of 5% loss rate per year.

These are consistent but disturbing figures, demonstrating that too many executives are careless, and why organisations need to do more to secure the data on their laptops.

Postscript - after checking these figures some time later, it's clear I got my maths wrong! I clearly meant to say 0.5% of laptops per year, which is consistent with my earlier postings. It changes the analysis, suggesting perhaps that excutives that fly might be an order of magnitude more likely to lose their laptops.