One of the biggest security risks associated with traveling users is that their laptops, tablets and other mobile devices will be stolen. What are the most dangerous places to bring laptops?
Many laptops are stolen while users are in transit, often at airports, according to a recent study from Absolute Software, a company that perform computer theft recovery. Due to the makeup of Absolute’s customer base, most of the incidents studied involved corporate machines stolen from business travelers.
Airports are a common place for thefts to occur, the report says, because criminals know it’s a place where they will have countless opportunities to steal computers, many of which contain valuable corporate data. Often, thefts are the result of a user’s carelessness, but some of the incidents also involved organized criminal rings in which some members distract a user while others steal the machine.
Some incidents also involved airport employees using their access to steal devices from travelers and sell them for a profit.
One valuable lesson Absolute’s study should have for the users in your company: Never take your eyes off the machine at any point during the trip.
For thefts that took place in airports, the biggest chunk (29%) of the machines were stolen in luggage and storage areas, followed by terminals and boarding areas (22%). However, many were also stolen on the plane itself (18%) and at check-in locations and security areas (12%).