Safety first for IT executives in China

CRN ^ | Sep 16, 2009 | Sholto Macpherson

[SpaceBar]

US Government recommends weighing laptop before and after each visit.

Senior executives in US IT companies have been advised by the US Government to follow extremely strict policies for visits to China which extend far beyond standard software protection.

The policies encourage them to leave their standard IT equipment at home and to buy separate gear only for use in China.

Mark Bregman, chief technology officer at security firm Symantec said he left his MacBook Pro behind in the US and took his MacBook Air whenever he flew to China. Bregman said he only ever used the Air in China and re-imaged the machine every time he returned home.

However, he said he was "pretty relaxed" when it came to following the security policies. "I don't let my IT department near my laptop," he said.

"I was advised by people in three-letter agencies in the US Government to weigh the machine before I left and when I got back," Bregman said.

"They also don't want me to take my phone. They said to buy a mobile phone in the US and throw it away when you come back."

Bregman said the US was also concerned about its companies employing Chinese coders, particularly in security.

He said the "software supply concern" was due to fears that Chinese developers would insert malicious code into software sold to American companies or the US government.

"If you're a big company doing development in China the US government asks, ‘Why should we trust you? We won't buy from you.'"

However, he said every software company used developers in China including Microsoft, Oracle and others.

And Bregman asked why the US should fear Chinese developers but not US developers, when terrorist attacks were carried out in the US by American citizens.

[Dr. Sivana]

"I was advised by people in three-letter agencies in the US Government to weigh the machine before I left and when I got back," Bregman said.

?!?! If they add or remove data, the machine weighs different?!

[SpaceBar]

Sounds like some sort of hardware surreptitiously being put on peoples' laptops. Perhaps in a hotel room when it is left there unsupervised. That's what it sounds like.

[luckybogey]

Strange article. Weight issue could only be hardware.

[snowsislander]

"They also don't want me to take my phone. They said to buy a mobile phone in the US and throw it away when you come back."

He should buy a new netbook for the trip, and also throw it away when he returns. $300 doesn't add that much to a business-class ticket to Red China.

[SpaceBar]

Yup. Like I said above it would have to be some sort of hardware added to the machine like a tracking chip for example.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

...weighing laptop before and after each visit.

That doesn't make a bit of sense. I'm always adding new files and deleting old ones. The weight of all those bits being added to and subtracted from the disk means the weight of my machine is always changing, right?

[texas booster]

Yet another reason why I stay away from Symantec.

Modern code has become so bloated and huge that I wonder if anyone really knows all that goes on inside a program, especially security programs.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Ping!

[Tainan]

Its about time people figured this out. If you work for an alphabet agency, or any other Gov't group for that matter, this should be something you already know. Sadly, many do not.
Get your laptop inspected, however briefly, away from your sight - IT JUST GOT COPIED...ALL OF IT.

PRC/CCP IT geekazoids are excellent with drive imaging...do it in two shakes of a fat cat.

Forewarned is forearmed.