Unless you've been hiding in a cave for years, you know that everything sent over Wi-Fi is vulnerable to eavesdropping. A handful of hotspots now encrypt user data—usually with WPA—but the vast majority still expect customers to protect themselves. Sadly, many users continue to ignore even this simple threat. So if you carry your laptop with you when you travel, what does this mean? There was much discussion of this during the recent BlackHat meeting of hackers in Las Vegas where there were demos of several software programs for hijacking your data. One way to avoid this is to not carry your laptop with you, but that’s not a particularly convenient solution. Security being something I think about a lot, I was intrigued by the prospect of software that would encrypt my data and mirror my home PC so I could carry it in my pocket.
I’m a big fan of flash memory, either on cards or in a flash drive, and I can’t wait for the first all-flash drive PC, so when I had the opportunity to attend a workshop presented by the founder of Migo software, I jumped at the chance and was glad I did.
Jay Elliot has an incredible resume, having 30+ years with IBM, Apple and Intel. He founded Migo in 2002 and has continued to expand its reach ever since.
What MigoSynch does for you is provide a safe (read encrypted), portable way to carry all your important data with you and use it on any computer. As if that in itself isn’t enough, what you work with on any computer is a replica of your own so there is no need to figure out what the host computer has setup, you use your own. MigoSync captures the information that is critical to you. You tell MigoSync what is important and it seamlessly transfers the information to your portable device. This includes synchronized Email. Just add all the items in your desktop email program – Inbox, Calendar, Tasks, Sent Mail, and more to your MigoSync profile. Most popular mail programs are supported and Universal Mail format enables you to access your synced email on any PC even if the resident email program is different from the one on your home PC (e.g. read, send/receive Lotus Notes emails on a guest PC with Outlook.)
Keep in mind that all this is done via a strong encryption program so that should you lose your flash drive, your data is not accessible. The other really neat aspect is auto-synch; when you return to your home computer, all the changes you have made are auto-synched. Finally, whatever you do on a guest computer leaves no trace when you are finished.
The following screen shots will give you an idea of how MigoSynch works:
Easily manage your work, school or portable device profiles and a simple one-click synchronizes your computer and its profile with your latest data.
Surf safely - not only access your web favorites, but also leave no trace of your web activities behind.
Take your email anywhere - even if the computer you're using doesn't have your preferred email program installed.
Take only the files and email that you need - the storage usage indicator lets you know how much you'll be transferring.
The new Advanced Configuration Tool gives you detailed information on each data item you have synched while allowing you to modify the settings.
Thinking about all the buzz regarding laptop thefts, I decided it would make more sense to clean off all the sensitive data from the laptop I carry and put it on a flash drive with MigoSynch. That way, if my laptop is stolen, I don’t have the additional heartburn of dealing with the loss of all that data! I could also continue to use the data immediately on a borrowed or replacement machine!
For additional info on this program, to check out all the other Migo programs, and to see what is on deck for the future, visit www.migosoftware.com.
Some final security advice: There are so many security issues with today's computing experience that we need lots of security programs running in order to protect ourselves. The biggest threat to our security is generally US, (u, me and those that we allow to use our computers (family, friends, employees, etc.).
Don't expect a patch, update, security program or even things like firewalls to help you if you break any of the following 10 immutable laws of computer security! These appear in their complete form on a Microsoft webpage which you can visit at: http://tinyurl.com/n9trw It is worth the time it takes to review them all.
Law #1: If a bad guy can persuade you to run his program on your computer, it's not your computer anymore
Law #2: If a bad guy can alter the operating system on your computer, it's not your computer anymore
Law #3: If a bad guy has unrestricted physical access to your computer, it's not your computer anymore
Law #4: If you allow a bad guy to upload programs to your website, it's not your website any more
Law #5: Weak passwords trump strong security
Law #6: A computer is only as secure as the administrator is trustworthy
Law #7: Encrypted data is only as secure as the decryption key
Law #8: An out of date virus scanner is only marginally better than no virus scanner at all
Law #9: Absolute anonymity isn't practical, in real life or on the Web
Law #10: Technology is not a panacea
That’s it for now, remember, be careful out there as you enjoy all the consumer electronic goodies that are available.
Aloha, Lou
