Having your own computer means never having....

[carterm@spartan.ac.brocku.ca (Mark Carter)]

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> employees can't send our proprietary plans off-site?" appears to be "Do
> you search your employees at the exit for floppies and magnetic tapes?" 

I see your point.

> Encryption being available to employees can make industrial espionage
> easier only if it opens a new channel (or clears an insecure channel) for
> bad apple employees or contractors to get their stolen memos off site. An

Encryption could be used as a secure means of storage of accumulated material
(on site) until a security gap can be found, though.  And if anyone does any
snooping, they can't see through the encryption to see if it's really company
secrets, thus protecting the spy.

> (unless higher bandwidth per incident channels like DAT or 8mm tapes risk
> exposure).

Again, encryption is sort of a nice safety net.  They can catch you with the
tape, but they've only got you on suspicion of espionage, and the evidence
is encrypted.

> fill them with garbage.  It is indeed a security risk, but the sabotage can
> more easily be performed without strong encryption.

I was thinking more about data being held hostage.

Encryption offers the possibility of restoring the information... no doubt
for a price of some sort.  Few companies would like to admit to being
blackmailed in this fashion.

Sabotage, on the other hand, is much less flexible, and hence would be the
practice of comparative amateurs.  If you destroy everything, and get caught,
what do you have to bargain with?

    Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Mark Carter
 carterm@spartan.ac.brocku.ca
 PGP key available by finger.

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