Air travel restrictions

[drofgnal]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Windows to go is a fully encrypted Windows install that is heavily encrypted and leaves no traces. It also costs big business nothing to deploy. It's part of their existing licensing. If your IT gods have to deal with a laptop ban that is the path of least resistance. Current policies will adjust.

They will never allow any usb device to be used on a computer provided by a third party, particularly one outside the country, encrypted or not. It's not the encryption they are worried about, it's the idea that someone could plant a virus or trojan to the usb drive, you then bring home and plug into the network. Same idea with a laptop. That's why they give you a loaner and then erase it's memory when it comes back in the country.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by HarryT

In my company, the most common way that people lose laptops is having them stolen from cars. I imagine that happens in the US, too .

That problem is easily solved. Prohibit storage in a car.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

That problem is easily solved. Prohibit storage in a car.

It's not that people store them in cars. More commonly they'll just nip into a shop on the way home from work, and an opportunist thief will see it on the passenger seat, smash the window, and grab it. You can't prohibit that kind of thing .

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It's not that people store them in cars. More commonly they'll just nip into a shop on the way home from work, and an opportunist thief will see it on the passenger seat, smash the window, and grab it. You can't prohibit that kind of thing .

Sure you can. Carry it into the store. But if that's too much of an inconvenience, then it deserves to be stolen.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Sure you can. Carry it into the store. But if that's too much of an inconvenience, then it deserves to be stolen.

You're kind of missing the point here, monkey, which is that if you have commercially sensitive information on any portable device, it needs to be encrypted. You can make all the rules you want about not losing it, but people can and do lose stuff, and if it gets into the wrong hands, that could be catastrophic to a business.

[drofgnal]

It's impossible to not have to keep your laptop in car at all times. The guidance we are given is lock it in the trunk. It' s encrypted. If there is information on it that sensitive, it shouldn't be on the laptop anyway, but left at work on a server.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by drofgnal

It's impossible to not have to keep your laptop in car at all times. The guidance we are given is lock it in the trunk. It' s encrypted. If there is information on it that sensitive, it shouldn't be on the laptop anyway, but left at work on a server.

It's a matter of using the appropriate level of protection for your data. My employer uses whole-disk encryption software called Becrypt which is approved by the British government to protect data up to a certain level of classification. Everything above that and, as you say, it lives on a secure server.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by HarryT

That seems slightly curious to me. Why would a laptop be at a greater risk of being stolen in a country outside the US? If it contains commercially valuable information, surely the same level of encryption should be applied to it regardless of its location?

Because when you bring the laptop back into the US, it's possible that the custom agents will confiscate it, especially if the disk in encrypted. It apparently has happened.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by HarryT

You're kind of missing the point here, monkey, which is that if you have commercially sensitive information on any portable device, it needs to be encrypted. You can make all the rules you want about not losing it, but people can and do lose stuff, and if it gets into the wrong hands, that could be catastrophic to a business.

I didn't miss the point of encryption. I was only addressing laptop theft.

[AnotherCat]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Many large corporations in the US won't let you take company owned laptops outside the US. They give special laptops to individuals who have a need to take them overseas.

Originally Posted by HarryT

That seems slightly curious to me. Why would a laptop be at a greater risk of being stolen in a country outside the US? If it contains commercially valuable information, surely the same level of encryption should be applied to it regardless of its location?

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Because when you bring the laptop back into the US, it's possible that the custom agents will confiscate it, especially if the disk in encrypted. It apparently has happened.

The cases that I am aware of where companies have restrictions on taking encrypted laptops out of the USA are due to the risk of coming foul of the USA's regulations regarding the export of encryption products; and other countries have regulations regarding the import of such products. In either case confiscation and penalties may be applied.

If there is restricted encryption software on the device then any required export (or import) documentation can be applied for but is inconvenient. The practices that I have come across either the company (or organization, such as a university) only allows "loaner" devices to be taken or, in some cases, the "personal" device to be scanned by IT and any encryption software removed.

A number of countries are parties to the Wassenaar Arrangement controlling international transfer of arms and dual use technology, and includes the USA, the UK and my own among others (all "Five Eyes" Alliance countries are parties, plus others). For encryption software on personal use devices accompanying the user for their personal use there is an exemption among those countries (but not all I think(?) ) for travel between them.

I have never travelled internationally with encrypted data or encryption software on a device {EDIT: apart from my phone on which permanent memory is encrypted but removable memory card never is}{EDIT 2: it comes to mind that on my notebook when travelling my password manager is encrypted-in the unlikely event one was inspected I doubt such would attract attention, however, in my case the software is open source and that is generally not restricted}.

[Gardenman]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It's not that people store them in cars. More commonly they'll just nip into a shop on the way home from work, and an opportunist thief will see it on the passenger seat, smash the window, and grab it. You can't prohibit that kind of thing .

If they are going to get out of the car, put it under the seat or in the car trunk.

[fjtorres]

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

http://www.kansascity.com/news/local...8384019.html#0

Can it get to be any more of a hassle to fly? Apparently so.
Passengers at Kansas City International Airport say they recently have been asked to remove all paper products from their carry-ons while going through security screening checkpoints.
That includes all books, loose-leaf paper, Post-It notes and files. They’ve been told by screeners that the new procedures are part of a pilot program that is being rolled out nationwide.
“Like federalized airports, random and unpredictable screening measures may be used,” the TSA said an in emailed statement to The Star. “As a result, passengers may be asked to remove certain items from their carry-on luggage during the security screening process.”
The additional screening procedures were implemented by the contractor, which it is allowed to do if it follows TSA guidelines, a TSA spokesman said Wednesday evening.

Akal Security Inc., based in Española, N.M., is contracted to provide security at KCI through the TSA’s Screening Partnership Program. The company took over security at KCI in 2015 under a five-year, $108 million contract.
The TSA, however, asked the contractor to stop the additional screening Tuesday because it was affecting operations, the TSA spokesman said.
It’s believed the contractor started the added screening procedures over the weekend.
The TSA also has no plans to roll out the additional screening nationwide, the spokesman said.

...For now, anyway.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

http://www.kansascity.com/news/local...8384019.html#0



...For now, anyway.

Maybe they're checking to see what people are reading so they can put them on a subversive list for reading stuff not deemed "proper"

[JSWolf]

How the heck is paper a security threat unless they are afraid of paper cuts?

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

How the heck is paper a security threat unless they are afraid of paper cuts?

TSA claims they need to look between the pages for contraband.