900 laptops lost at Heathrow each week

A computer security probe has found as many as 900 laptops go missing at Heathrow each week; most aren't reclaimed and fewer than half are security protected.



Uncovering the stark findings, the researchers said business flyers are more likely to lose their laptop at Heathrow than at any other airport in Europe, Africa or the Middle East.



Across the home continent's eight largest airports, some 3,300 laptops are lost, stolen or reported missing each week, typically at Heathrow, Amsterdam Schipol and Paris CDG.



Of those laptops which are not stolen but arrive in the airport's lost property departments, just 43% are recovered, while the rest are kept in the airport yet subsequently destroyed.



Fewer than half of flyers said their laptop was backed-up, and almost six out of ten said the data within, typically customer, business or IP information, were not security protected.



"As a result, there are potentially millions of files containing sensitive or confidential data that may be accessible to a large number of airport employees and contractors," said the Ponemon Institute.



Having quizzed 3,600 passengers at 114 major airports, on behalf of Dell, the institute found that business flyers from the US and Europe lost 15,648 laptops each week.



Airport staff testified to the probe that security checkpoints and departure gates were the most common locations for losing laptops, often because their owners forgot to pick them back up.



Aside from these points that separate passengers from their belongings, a feeling of being rushed, carrying too many other items and worrying about flight delays were blamed for stray laptops.



Given that just one lost laptop could become a major problem for any organisation, the researchers issued the following tips to business passengers:



* Label your laptop. Provide your full contact information so that if the device is found, airport personnel will be able to reach you or your company quickly.



* Allow enough time. Airline travel is a hassle that only gets worse when you don't allow enough time. Stupid mistakes can be avoided if you slow down your pace.



* Carry less and think ahead. Have a mental strategy when removing laptops and other possessions prior to screening at a security checkpoint.



* Take appropriate security measures to protect your information. Consider the use of

encryption technologies and always backup your system.



* Think twice about the information you carry on your laptop. Is it really necessary to have so much information accessible on your computer?



* Know whom to call. Airports need to do a better job coordinating the lost and found process, especially when it concerns the loss of a laptop computer or other data-bearing devices.