What Is Your Data Worth...To You?

Have you ever left your car unlocked and thought "my car isn't very valuable, who would want to take it?" Perhaps that is the wrong way to think about it. If it is your only car which you require to get to and from an important destination, like work, and you can't afford to replace it if it was stolen, then I submit that perhaps the vehicle is, in fact, priceless...to you. It may be correct that thieves would generally not be interested in taking your car, but the effort you put forth in protecting it should be a reflection of what the car is worth to you and how it would impact you *if* you got the one thief that would be interested in taking it. As Steve Riley points out on his blog, this is also the approach you should take to computer and information security. Many home users in particular feel like they have nothing worth stealing and don't need to bother with security. Your family photos and your music collection may not have much value to a thief- but can you replace them if they get deleted or corrupted by an attacker? Think about what your data is worth to you, as well as its potential value to an attacker, and invest your security resources in relation to the impact an attack would have on you.