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Feds Ask IT Execs To Throw Away Cellphones After Visiting China
sholto writes "US intelligence agencies are advising top US IT executives to weigh their laptops before and after visiting China as one of many precautions against corporate espionage. Symantec Chief Technology Officer Mark Bregman said he was also advised to buy a new cellphone for each visit and to throw it away after leaving. Bregman said he kept a separate MacBook Air for use in China, which he re-images on returning, but claimed he didn't subscribe to the strictest policies. 'Bregman said the US was also concerned about its companies employing Chinese coders, particularly in security.'"
How would one know if the coder is working for the Chinese? (Or are they using racial profiling to fit that bill?)
Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
As companies continue to send more jobs and more money over to china.
It is like asking to be raped, is it really rape anymore?
Mark Bregman needs to STFU.
Bregman said he kept a separate MacBook Air for use in China, which he re-images on returning, but claimed he didn't subscribe to the strictest policies.
Moron, they are worried about someone stealing the device, and then installing a hardware keylogger or other electronic tampering. Chances are that weighing your laptop is not going to show anything, especially if all they do is replace your BIOS chip with a modified one. On the phones, they are worried about custom eavesdropping circuitry and/or someone cloning the card itself.
Personally, when I travel overseas I use an old laptop that I don't really care much about anyhow. All my data that I need to bring gets stored on one of my hosted servers not the device itself. I do it more because I don't feel like dealing with a huge headache if it gets stolen, not because I'm concerned that Da Spize iz gunna Tap meh Kompooterz.
I blame Canada.