iPod: Your Portable Corporate Hellraiser

MrAndrews writes "In an article on ZDNet UK, a Gartner says that "Companies should consider banning portable storage devices such as Apple's iPod from corporate networks as they can be used to introduce malware or steal corporate data" I recently came into contact with a similar policy at a consulting firm that was concerned that top-secret information might escape through my USB watch, and made me leave it at the front desk every day. In that case, I know it was absurd overkill ... but is this concern a legitimate concern? No more music on the way into the office?"

Comments

Good old gov't

[strike2867]

Good thing the information of most of the US population isn't on any handheld devices.

ROFL

[Ag3nt]

For some reason yet unknown to me, the instant I finished reading this story, I pictured a company's network administrator hugging his file servers while morphing into Gollum..... *Caresses the file server* ......My precious.......

What?

[jsin]

What ever happened to Jon Katz?

Re:you're in the US, yes?

[YankeeInExile]

Maybe Charlton Heston would balk, but the FAA did not. Federal Air Marshall Program

5.56mm bullets don't usually overpenetrate.

[caveat]

The .223 has been gaining popularity with LE over the years due to the development of frangible bullets - they still pack enough kinetic energy to slice through body armor, which is one of the primary reasons for choosing a 5.56 instead of a 9mm, but once the bullet hits a 'resistant' material like flesh or a wall, it disintegrates into small, harmless pieces. Anecdotal evidence from tactical entry situations that even NATO M855 ball ammo (62gr steel-core) doesn't tend to overpenetrate - the bullet is traveling so fast and is so hydrodynamically unstable that it tumbles and snaps in two after about 10cm of travel through flesh.

Now, in Europe (or at least Geneva), where the army d00dz have H&K 7.62mm battle rifles, the overpenetration issue is legitimate - a 168gr 308 bullet will blow right through a man like a hot knife through butter,.

Re:you're in the US, yes?

[ViolentGreen]

"Insightful?" More like "off-topic." These are two different situations.

Your comparison is akin to comparing visitors to the White House carrying weapons with the secret service carrying weapons in the white house.