Forwarded From: Nicholas Charles Brawn <ncb05at_private> 02Jun98 CANADA: REPORT ON COMPUTERS - LOOSE LIPS SINK CHIPS. Special to The Globe and Mail OTTAWA There's a story making the rounds at an Ottawa company about a man who arrived regularly at the company headquarters, strolled past the reception desk clutching what looked like a waybill and then disappeared into the bowels of the building. It was only after his visits had gone on unchallenged for some months - and after some laptop computers, toner and other items had started disappearing - that someone finally challenged him. He was last seen running to an idling car. Richard Bernes, a former FBI agent who now serves as executive director of the California-based Technology Theft Prevention Foundation, says the thief wouldn't have made it past the front door if the company's employees had followed the first commandment of industrial crime prevention: security is the responsibility of every employee, and all suspicious activities or unknown persons should be reported to a supervisor. He says this is particularly true in the high-tech field, where new companies are being created regularly and may be too small to have their own security departments. "Security will be the last thing on their mind, and then they grow too fast and find out why they need a security department after something happens." The foundation has developed a series of tips designed to protect both property and personnel. Loose lips sink chips: Don't talk about shipments of equipment with anyone outside the company or on CB radios in trucks. Guard your identification badge, and never wear it outside work. If you don't know the person you are talking to, keep mum about your company's affairs and procedures. Consider company secrets the same as equipment, and guard them. "It's the lifeblood of the company," says Mr. Bernes. "Do not discuss company operations in public." Don't surprise a thief: If something looks wrong, it probably is. Report it. If threatened, do not resist. Be observant, and become a good witness. Toronto Globe and Mail -o- Subscribe: mail majordomoat_private with "subscribe isn". Today's ISN Sponsor: Repent Security Incorporated [www.repsec.com]
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