US COMPUTER THEFTS BEGIN TO RIVAL STOLEN VEHICLES Public Opinion - www.publicopiniononline.com - Chambersburg, PA: "Computer thefts begin to rival stolen vehicles
By VICKY TAYLOR
Staff writer

Theft of computer equipment is on the rise, reaching the point where it rivals car thefts in some areas, according to FBI and industry figures. Insurance statistics show that a person owning a laptop computer has a one in 14 chance of its being stolen.

Nine area schools hit 13 times by burglars who stole entire computer labs over the past six or seven months have felt the weight of those statistics, each losing dozens of computers, and at least two losing computers more than once.

So what can be done to protect yourself or your school from computer theft?

The two Franklin County schools affected by multiple burglaries and loss of computer lab computers have installed security systems that will alert police immediately if the school becomes a target of future burglars.

It was such a system that alerted Pennsylvania State Police in Cumberland County to a break in at Monroe Elementary School and resulted in the arrest of three men now suspected of being involved in many of the school burglaries.

Those systems, usually set up by firms that specialize in security systems, set off alarms when windows are broken, doors are opened or motion sensors detect movement in certain areas. Alerts can be then be sent to a central monitoring station, which notifies police.

There are computer security systems available on the market that track stolen computers also, such as the Stealth Signal and CyberAngel, or anti-theft marking deterrents like STOP Security Plates.

Many new computers are now designed with tracking devices like TheftGuard in the BIOS (basic input/output system), the built-in software that determines what a computer can do without accessing programs from a disk."

Stealth Signal and CyberAngel work much the same way, downloading tracking software on the computer's hard drive, which then signals a monitoring center when the computer is plugged into a telephone jack or taken online.

If the computer is stolen, the owner notifies the monitoring center, which then captures the Internet address where the computer is being used and sometimes the telephone number also. The center notifies police, which then try to track the address and recover the computer.

While hard drives can be reformatted in an attempt to get rid of the software, first the thieves must hit upon a preset password on the drive, making the task more difficult.

"The hard drive can't be reformatted without that password," Jennifer Toomey, a representative of Computer Security Products Inc. of Nassau, N.H., said. The firm sells Stealth Signal at its Web site, www.computersecurity.com.

Joe Taylor, owner of Computer Technical Services of Chambersburg, said software programs for both the hard drive and BIOS of a system are available locally, but a the average person's best bet is still a good security system for their home or business to make it difficult for thieves or burglars to steal their computers in the first place.

Taylor and Frank Stern, a partner in Sunrise Computers, agree that one of the most important things to do is to protect sensitive information on a computer by encrypting that information to make it difficult for thieves to access it.

Both Stealth Signal and CyberAngel make it possible for sensitive information on stolen computers to be erased remotely by the tracking center, but while that might provide some peace of mind to some people, it usually is important only to businesses or entities that keep critical information on their machines.

In the area of physical security for computer labs, Computer Security Products offers a package that can make it difficult for thieves such as burglars who stole large numbers of computers from schools in Franklin, Cumberland and Huntingdon counties.

The system uses sensor tabs that are attached to computers and equipment such as projectors and are linked to a central alarm panel. When the link is interrupted, such as when a sticker is removed, the alarm is set off, notifying a security department or monitoring service.

Although the equipment is not inexpensive, compared to the cost of replacing 10 or 20 computers and the peace of mind such security brings, it is not prohibitive either.

A complete package for 25 computers costs $1,250, plus the cost of installation and the monitoring service.

A 10-computer lab package runs $695.

Those packages include a central alarm panel, the sensors, connecting wires, adapters and security stickers.

Michael Deckert of Deckert's Communications suggests an RFID tag for computers which he says emit an electronic signal that can be tracked and would also be helpful in maintaining an accurate inventory record.

Taylor and Stern agree that for schools or businesses, such systems or tracking devices like TheftGuard, Stealth Signal and CyberAngel make sense, but for the average homeowner, making sure a home is secure and difficult to break into is a higher priority.

"(Burglars) go to schools because there are a lot of computers in one place," Stern said.

He said that traditionally schools haven't had burglar alarm systems because basically they didn't have much that thieves could resell easily.

New technology in schools, such as computer labs and audio-visual equipment, have made schools much more of a target, Stern said.

"Anytime (dishonest) people see an easy target, they will take advantage of it," he said.

The average thief who breaks into a home usually goes after higher-value items such as jewelry, he said, although a computer, especially a laptop, might also be taken if it is easily available and not too much extra work.

To prevent that, make it hard for a thief to steal computer equipment by making it hard to get to, he suggests, and make it difficult for a burglar to break into the home in the first place.

Originally published January 21, 2006