Section 15.4. Preventing Theft

15.4. Preventing Theft

In statistics trumpeted by vendors selling computer security products, the FBI reports a laptop is stolen every 53 seconds, and that 97 percent are never recovered. Even worse , the FBI announced in 2002 that 310 of its own laptopsabout two percent of its inventorywere missing.

To keep laptops and other computer equipment firmly attached to their owners , several companies sell security devices:

• Absolute Software (www.absolute.com); CyberAngel (www.sentryinc.com). Both companies sell computer recovery systems for tracking a stolen PC's whereabouts. The first time the thief connects to the Internet, the software silently and securely drops by the company's computers, which log the missing PC's IP addressa traceable number showing the PC's geographic location and Internet Service Provider. Working with the police, the company traces the IP address to the Internet account owner's billing address, and then sends in the dogs. Both companies report nearly 90 percent recovery rates.

• CaveoAntitheft (www.caveo.com). This motion-sensing PC Card shrieks when somebody moves a laptop without first disarming the alarm.

• CompuCage (www.compucage.com). Built to keep equipment from ever leaving a desk, CompuCage's products include a variety of chunky metal holders, thick cables, and bolt-on devices for PCs, laptops, and monitors .

• Kensington's Security Slot (www.kensington.com). The Kensington Security Slot comes installed on a wide range of computer hardware, including laptops (see Figure 15-8), and works with a variety of locking devices to keep computers and other devices from walking off.