The Human Factor: Reason #1 to Lock Your Computer Ports and Connectors

    HUNTSVILLE, AL, December 31, 2018 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The associates and employees within an organization have proven to be – by some measures – the greatest threat of all in cybersecurity. Natural human curiosity and the unfounded trust people still feel for data and web interaction combine to produce behavior that is an open invitation to malware, ransomware, viruses, and all manner of disruptions – from small to debilitating to barely-survivable – in the data networks and information systems that your enterprise depends on for operations, profit, and continuity. Never before has there been so broad a body of reasons to make a locking USB connector and lockable USB key an integral component in every line connection of your network.

A comprehensive report of 2018 cybersecurity threats entitled, "The Human Factor," asserts that, "people-centered threats define the landscape." In this environment, a locking USB connector and lockable USB key are not only good ideas, but also security necessities. The nature of the threat actually doubles the importance of the locking USB connector and lockable USB key, because the human factor includes both malicious attacks and unintentional contamination. Both depend on the behavior of people and their roles within your organization.

Because unintentional contamination that characterizes the human factor in cybersecurity is even more common than the burgeoning world of malicious attacks, let's look at that wider threat first. Now, consider that every associate or employee carries at least one device – a mobile phone – that is exposed to the Web and any other digital delivery system the world can dream up. The phone provides the primary day-to-day exposure, but not the only one. The USB flash drive they use to bring work home – and even unknown flash drives that they might find inadvertently – all have the potential to infect the vital data networks and information systems to which they have access at work.

Are your associates and employees well trained and indoctrinated in company cybersecurity policy? Even if you believe they are, experience demonstrates it doesn't really matter, as even intelligence agents and analysts with classified security clearance are prone to plugging unknown USB flash drives into office computer ports. In a widely reported 2011 experiment, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security randomly dropped USB and optical drives in government and private contractor parking lots – and more than half of those who picked one up readily plugged it into their work computer. Bloomberg News reported that 90% of found drives stamped with official government logos were plugged in.

The lesson learned? Even the most secure and disciplined workplace needs a locking USB connector and lockable USB key.

Where to Get Your Locking USB Connector and Lockable USB Key

Unfortunately, in the digital age, sabotage is easy and casual contamination occurs somewhere every hour of every day. Securing the connectors that turn PCs into information systems and protecting the physical data ports through which the most damaging and historically impactful cyber-attacks were perpetrated is our mission at The Connectivity Center.

Among the hundreds of solutions you'll find from The Connectivity Center are a variety of locking 4K high-speed cables and both the Enterprise and Professional series of the Smart Keeper USB Port Lock Key. Together with the Smart Keeper collection of computer and laptop security devices, they provide you with the PC security you need, without sacrificing the access that makes your system so vital to operations. Our Link Lock connectors and the Link Lock Hub serve not only as secure USB connections, but also lock your devices so that they cannot be removed without authorized access.

The Professional Series key from The Connectivity Center comprises an ergonomic, retractable housing with anti-static rubber grip, LED light for low visibility work areas, and dual-retractors – main and peripheral – for reaching port locks in confined spaces. The key patterns are strictly controlled, yet you can order duplicate keys to suit your own security authorization structure.

The Connectivity Center offers real protection for the vital flow of data on which your enterprise depends, and the locking USB connector and lockable USB key are just two of the hundreds of ways. Our experience, quality, variety, value, and versatility are at your service.

About The Connectivity Center

The Connectivity Center is a supplier of some of the leading physical cyber security and AV connection technologies. The company is especially known for its Smart Keeper series – a portfolio of physical data security products. The Connectivity Center brand prides itself in quality, value, variety, and versatility. We want to be a one stop shop for most of your connectivity needs and we love to serve our partners in this evolving industry.

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