Network Security Beware the iPod!
Ahhh, so the Palm Pilot has been replaced and the magic box that slips under the physical security radar…
Beware the ‘pod slurping’ employee.
The headline should read “Attention Network Security Weenies… fear any device that an employee can use to store data”….
February 20th, 2006
I can’t imagine why anyone working in or familiar with IT security, or security in general would be surprised at the development of an application that “slurps” data onto a personal storage device. Thumb drives have grown immensely in popularity since their introduction a few years ago. I know many office workers who rely on them to cart data between home and office. There is nothing that prevents these folks from selling or otherwise using this same data for their own purposes at the expense of their employer. That the iPod is so prevalent these days will hopefully cause more attention to be paid and efforts made to limit further the ability of users to attach their personal devices to corporate/business/employer systems without employer consent. This is nothing new, save for scope, given the wide ownership of this particular device, and its large storage capacity. I remember folks doing this sort of thing with floppy diskettes. I’m sure they did likewise with paper tape and other media in their day.
I agree completely with your suggestion for a more appropriate headline.