Computing and theft.

Computer equipment and theft.

Computer equipment and theft

In one of the previous issues of the magazine, an article was published entitled “A New Misfortune – Theft of Computer Chips” (based on foreign press materials). We continue publishing on this topic, as we believe that the experience of fighting thieves in the West will be useful in Russia as well.

It is quite difficult to steal a desktop computer – it is inconvenient to take it out. But this problem is easily solved, you just need to stock up on a screwdriver. And you can get to work:

1. Unscrew 6 (or less) screws.

2. Remove the computer cover.

3. Remove chips and boards from the connectors. There are several options here. The first is to completely ruin the computer (with loss of its functionality), taking out everything that can be quickly removed and that is quite expensive (video card, memory chips, processor, or the entire motherboard). But in this case, the theft will be immediately discovered.

The second option — partial theft without complete loss of functionality — is less noticeable, since often the inventory of accountable property of many organizations simply lists IBM486DX-66, but does not specify the size of RAM, type of video card and other parameters. This gives fraudsters the opportunity to partially remove memory chips, replace the video card with a worse one in terms of parameters, remove the SCSI controller. Such operations will not completely disable the equipment and therefore can go unnoticed. And why the performance has decreased is a subtle question,

Since the chips are very small, they can simply be put in your pocket and taken out of the organization. However, for the motherboard you will need a briefcase.

And then you can sell the kit to a company that assembles computers, or just at a flea market where they sell electronic components. The financial results of such activities can be analyzed using the table below.

It is easy to calculate that «re-equipping» even one computer can bring in a good income. Therefore, do not forget that reliable protection is needed not only and not so much for the computing equipment itself, but also for its precious «filling». Recently, due to the fact that the problem of theft of expensive microcircuits is becoming more and more intrusive, various companies are paying more and more attention to the protection of office equipment.

For example, the American company Innovative Security Products, whose official representative in Russia is the Association for the Protection of Information «Confident», manufactures equipment that is designed to protect computer equipment from theft.

The Universal Lock Down protects your monitor and system unit from theft. It can also be used to protect laptops, printers, scanners, copiers, fax machines, telephones, audio and video equipment from thieves.

It should also be noted that when stealing «high technology», profit is not always the goal. Sometimes theft can be caused by the desire to improve the parameters of «one's» computer to the detriment of the «neighbor's». Let's give an example from our practice. The «Confident» Association supplied one of the commercial banks with means of protecting computers from unauthorized access. After that, the user complained that the new high-performance computer was working as slowly as the old one. An employee of the service center's operation group removed the protection system, but the machine's operation did not speed up. When they opened the case in order to remove the hardware part of the protection system from the expansion slot, they discovered that an old dusty motherboard was inserted into the new case. The stolen board was found in one of the automation service computers, it was returned to its place, and the computer's performance became excellent again.

To prevent the processor, memory chips and other boards from being “removed” from the system unit, Innovative Security Products offers a Secure Lid Lock for the case cover. In less than 1 minute, it is installed on one of the screws that secure the case cover, after which only those with the keys have access to the inside of the computer. The entire structure is metal and resistant to destruction.

Usually, certificates issued for computer protection tools against unauthorized access specify the need to ensure that the hardware of the protection systems cannot be removed. It is very easy to remove the board from the motherboard expansion slot. Companies selling such protection tools are not interested in including equipment for the physical protection of the computers themselves in the cost of their systems. To protect electronic components, you can use the Entrapments protective casing. It is made of thin steel and is used for Compaq, IBM, Apple, NEC, Sun Micro, Dell, AST, Gateway, Digital, etc. cases.

In bank fires, the most common type of computer that “burns” is the notebook. In one bank, very few desktop systems and an extremely large number of portable systems burned down during the firefighting. Only the firefighters and bank employees who participated in extinguishing the fire know how they “burned” to the ground.

The Safe Notebook portable computer guard protects portable computers from theft. The kit includes 1.5 m of steel cable, a bronze padlock and a unique security clip.

Safe Notebook 2 protects laptops from theft, virus infection and unauthorized file copying. Installed in a 3.5-inch drive. The kit includes 1.5 m of steel cable, a bronze padlock.

A notebook costs between $1,000 and $8,000. An average workhorse costs around $2,000. That's why its small size and ease of portability (unlike desktop models) attract the attention of dishonest personnel and station «professionals.» Owners of special briefcases of a characteristic type often become victims of theft in public places (at the station or airport).

During Operation Desert Storm in Kuwait, a notebook containing flight data for the US Air Force was stolen. The data was not made public, but the owner regretted not using equipment from Innovative Security Products. In the West, it is considered normal for a notebook to be “chained” to a workstation and for a briefcase containing a portable computer to be equipped with a special alarm system, the Proximity Alarm. This device sounds an alarm when its parts are separated by more than 4.5 m. It can be used in two ways: first, if you attach the transmitter to the protected item and keep the receiver, the sound signals from the receiver can be heard if the two parts are separated; second, if you attach the receiver to the protected item and keep the transmitter, the sound signals from the receiver will help identify the thief before he escapes.

As we can see, the means of protecting computers from hacking and theft are quite simple, but even they can save expensive equipment and even protect against the loss of all information (along with the computer).