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Address:
The Guildhall
Frankwell Quay
Shrewsbury
SY3 8HQ
 
Telephone:
01743 281000
 
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Laptop Security Policy

Laptops are an easy target for thieves - they can simply be tucked under the arm or dropped into a bag and carried away. Loss of your laptop could mean loss of information, loss of confidentiality, financial loss and serious disruption to your work and the Council

Purpose of this Document

  • The policy is issued for guidance to Staff and Councillors who use Laptop Computers.
  • The Document should be read in conjunction with the other Security documents issued by Computer Services.
  • Councillors should refer to the Protocol document they were issued with.

Physical Security

Ensure the Laptop is Kept Secure at all Times

  • Never leave your laptop in open view in an unattended public place.
  • Never leave your laptop in open view in an unattended car or van.
  • When leaving a vehicle, either take your laptop with you or put it out of sight in the boot. Please note that the Council’s Insurers do not provide cover where equipment is stolen from an unattended vehicle (including the boot).
  • Never leave a laptop in a passenger area, where a thief could gain access by breaking a window.
  • When it is in your home you should make sure that it is stored safely and out of public view.

Consider the Security of Your Peripherals

  • You should take common-sense precautions to safeguard peripherals such as external drives, charger cards. Apply the same precautions as above.

Security Marking

  • All laptops are security marked by Computer Services. If yours is not please ensure that Computer Services are made aware of this.

Exercise Caution at Airports

  • If you intend taking your Laptop through an Airport the following points should be noted:
  • You may need to remove your laptop from its bag so that it can be X-rayed separately.
  • Make sure your laptop is charged before you go to the airport. Security personnel may want to see the computer in operation to verify that it is what it seems.
  • Never put your laptop on the security X-ray machine belt before you have a clear path to the end of the belt. Professional thieves operate at many airports: they may try to distract you and steal the computer while you believe it is still in the machine.

Laptop Registration and Ownership

  • All Laptop serial numbers and datatags are recorded by Computer Services and held in a central database.
  • All laptops are registered by Computer Services with the manufacturer.

Information Security

Data Security

  • The data on the laptop is your responsibility. Ensure that the information you record is not in contravention of the Data Protection Act 1984 and 1998. If you unsure on this issue please check your compliance with the Data Protection Officer.
  • Never leave your laptop logged in and unattended.
  • When using the Laptop in a public place ensure that a third party cannot see the screen contents.

Back up your data - Corporate Laptops

  • You may have spent many hours working to produce the information held on your laptop. Unless you have a separate copy of this information, theft of or damage to the laptop could mean that you have to repeat the work (in order to re-generate the information).

Take Regular Back Ups

  • To reduce the risk that data gets lost entirely, you should make regular back-up copies of any important information. Specifically, you should make back-up copies before travelling with your computer. You can reduce the risks even further by making multiple back-ups, and storing them securely in different locations.
  • Councillors have a remote back up system pre installed on their laptops. In certain circumstances this facility can also be provided to Staff. Please ask Computer Services for more information.

Protect your intellectual property

  • Someone might steal your laptop, not for its own value, but for the value of the information it holds. This could be, for example, research data, prototype designs or other intellectual property. If your laptop holds valuable intellectual property, the following measures will help to ensure that the information stays secure:-

Windows 2000

  • Laptops with Windows 2000 Professional and Windows XP Professional offer secure logon, file-level security, and the ability to encrypt data. Laptops with this operating system have been configured for users and you will have been issued with a password to access your data.

Windows 98

  • Some of the older corporate laptops have windows 98 operating systems. A thief would be able to access data on this computer. To avoid this occurring the following is recommended:-
  • A BIOS password should have been set up by Computer Services. If one has not been set then please contact Computer Services. A BIOS password can prevent a thief from accessing important data by password-protecting your laptop’s BIOS.
  • Password protect important data. When you create a new document select Save As and Options. You will then be able to set a password on the document.
  • Do not allow family members to use the equipment. The equipment is provided for your work purposes only.

Remove Data Before Returning

  • Before Corporate Laptops are returned to Computer Services Staff are responsible for deleting any data files they created.

Infrared Ports

  • Infrared ports on Laptops are disabled by Computer Services.
  • Infrared ports can be used to connect to two computers together. This may enable another computer to then browse your hard disc and access data.
  • Computer Services should have disabled this port. If you are unsure whether this has been configured please contact Computer Services on 01743 2811077.

Bluetooth

  • Bluetooth is a radio communications technology allowing computers to communicate with other devices over a short range (a few metres)
    Bluetooth should be disabled unless you have a particular requirement to use it.