Businesses are being warned to once again ensure their smartphones, laptops and other electronic devices are protected by security codes and encryption after it was revealed yet another Apple iPhone prototype was lost by an employee in a San Francisco bar.
The revelation comes after the company became embroiled in a chaotic state of affairs last year when tech blog Gizmodo published detailed pictures, videos and descriptions of the iPhone 4 prototype.
CNET has reported that according to unnamed sources, an Apple employee visited a San Francisco bar and lost a prototype iPhone, possibly the next version of the iPhone 5, although the publication has said it is not clear what version of the device was lost and on what software it was running.
The report states that Apple traced the device to a home in San Francisco, where police visited a man who denied knowledge of the gadget.
The report is even more embarrassing given Apple has reportedly taken even more stringent measures to ensure prototypes are kept safe when they are brought out of labs for testing.
AVG security expert Lloyd Borrett says the incident highlights just how often smartphone and laptop users misplace their devices, which could have potentially damaging ramifications if it were to ever fall into the wrong hands.
“People leave stuff at airports all the time, in the seats of planes, and that sort of thing. The figures in the States are huge, and there are thousands of devices left in Heathrow. There is a huge propensity for people to lose their gadgets.”
AVG data shows the number of mobile phones reported lost or stolen has doubled in the past five years to over 200,000 a year – 4,000 every week. Up to 50 phones a month are lost and are never reclaimed at Sydney Airport alone.
Borrett says the potential for users – even Apple employees – to lose these devices despite using every type of security imaginable demonstrates the need for basic security measures, such as passcodes, which unfortunately many users overlook.
“In this particular instance, it’s a bit different from normal. Because you have people wanting to report on the device no matter what.”
“But it comes down to the basics, such as making sure all data is backed up, making sure everything is labelled, IMEI numbers are written down and so on.”
Borrett points to a number of methods to protect security, most of them simple, such as asking networks to block particular handsets, using passcodes, and making sure they don’t leave gadgets unattended.
“We enjoy using all of these mobile devices where we are, but the security implications travel with us.”
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
