Sophos White Paper Sample

Attacks on laptop data security

To a casual observer, a laptop computer seems secure. To use a computer system, users must type credentials into a window. If users do not provide the correct username and password, they cannot access the system. Like someone who misplaces the keys to a car, someone who forgets a computer password is locked out. Without the proper credentials, access is blocked. Or is it?

Passwords alone do not protect data

The login process prevents unauthorized users from running software. But a password does not, by itself, make the data on hard drives secure. A user without a correct username and password cannot use the services of the operating system as installed and configured on that particular hard drive. However, a tech-savvy person without the appropriate credentials can still attack a computer. There are three possible attack strategies:

• Alternative boot device
• Alternative boot device + alternative boot program
• Moving a hard drive to an alternative computer system