Happy Holidays, New Year, etc

2009-12-22 by d2d

What does the coffee shop, the mall, the discount super center, the grocery store, the post office, the laundromat, and your favorite local restaurant have in common?

Aside from a fundamental desire to part you from your money, they also are a common stopping point on the way home from work, or while out shopping. This week and next, think about your data while you get that double mocha latte, or run in for a last-minute holiday gift. Leave the laptop someplace safe (not in the back seat of your car), lest you want to ring in the new year with your company in the headlines. Better yet, don't store anything sensitive on it to begin with. New Years resolution in the making, perhaps?

Several data loss incidents occurred this year and last over the holidays, and there are reports that Santa's naughty/nice list may have been compromised. This suggests that the holidays are indeed a chaotic time, and that chaos can desensitize you to the value of the data you may be carrying, or leaving behind (understandably). Unfortunately, there are no "I forgot cousin Eddy was coming and needed that last minute gift..." exemptions in the various data breach laws. These holiday incidents also shows us that thieves enjoy our "vacation", and celebrate the holidays by breaking into our offices! So keep that in mind as well when you leave work this week.

And last, if you've already filled the stockings, and bought everything you need for the holidays, and happen to have a few dollars left over, consider a donation to OSF to keep these projects running.

Happy Holidays and Such,
The DataLossDB Team