Companies risk falling foul of the law if they fail to protect their clients' personal data from prying eyes, under newly enforced provisions of the Data Protection Act.

Electronically held data was exempt from the rules until recently - now, all organisations which keep personal records in a computer database must make sure that they take adequate steps to prevent the information falling into the wrong hands. Failure to do so can mean anything from heavy fines to imprisonment.

To help companies keep their computers under lock and key, data security specialist Open Seas has launched SpyKiller, an interlocking set of five modules which work together to offer maximum protection against malicious hacking, lost laptops and simple carelessness.

Using a physical device - such as a small plug-in token, a smart card or a biometric reader - SpyKiller identifies authorised users and decides what each individual can or cannot access. Without the device in place, the protected computer will not even boot up.

Important files can be encrypted automatically as they are created, and only unscrambled by using the security device.

"There are plenty horror stories about laptops with sensitive data being left in the back of taxis," says Jason Kent, Managing Director of Open Seas. "Now that the Data Protection Act has come into full force, this could be a real disaster for any organisation using those machines to store personal information about its clients. SpyKiller turns a lost laptop into an inert lump of metal."

The system also protects data against the greatest danger of all - an organisation's own employees. "Sadly, most 'cyberattacks' are internal. According to the FBI, 80% of security breaches are caused by insiders. SpyKiller allows companies to control exactly which files each employee can access, and the device, not the user, holds the password. No more easily-guessed names of pets and girlfriends unlocking an entire network for a criminally minded colleague."

For more information about SpyKiller and Open Seas' other data security products and services, including advice about the Data Protection Act, please contact us.