Laptop Security That Clicks

With its universal security slot, Kensington decades ago set the standard for physical security and computer theft prevention. This month the company unveiled ClickSafe, its latest key lock system for office, school or other public places where sticky fingers might threaten to leach liable laptops.

Kensington sent the CRN Test Center a product sample ahead of the announcement, and testers were mostly impressed with what they found. The ClickSafe anchor attaches in seconds, and is secured firmly with a hex-shaped "Allen wrench," which is included along with two numbered keys for the lock. Without the lock in place, the unobtrusive anchor is about the size of a pencil eraser. The lock snaps into place without the key.

Also unobtrusive is the lock itself, which can swivel 360 degrees and protrudes from the laptop by just over an inch. It attaches to the high-carbon cable on a 180-degree swivel mount. This appeared to be its most vulnerable point, and testers were able to bend it slightly with their bare hands, but not enough to compromise security (or damage the test laptop). Testers tried the system on a number of laptops, and it worked well on all but one. Through no fault of ClickSafe, the lock would not affix to the anchor on one small Acer laptop because the unit's case protruded near the security slot. Cases must be flat within a half-inch of the slot.

NEXT: Key-Level Security

Key-Level Security

ClickSafe's security doesn't stop with locks and cables. Kensington offers three layers of key control to add to physical hardware security of an organization's security policies. The most secure plan also is the most simple. It involves a single set of master keys that operates all locks. Users are not issued their own keys, but instead must go through an administrator such as the company's IT or security department to check out equipment. Such a system might work well for securing A/V equipment to a cart, for example, or for use on CPUs, monitors and other equipment that's not intended to be moved around or to be left in the building.

For laptops and other mobile equipment, a better approach might be to implement administrator access with user keys. Kensington also offers this system, which issues to users individual keys that operate only their own equipment, while an administrator or IT department retains a master key that is also capable of operating any lock. This system extends the responsibility of securing the device to the end user (and gives them a means to do so), while ensuring that the company may still operate the security device. If the lock remains in the office, the user simply snaps the lock onto the anchor to resecure the laptop. If taking the lock on the road, it adds less than half a pound to overall travel weight.

The third option is to issue identical locks and keys, where every key operates every lock. Perhaps best utilized in the small office in which mutual trust is a given, this type of shared access is intended mainly to prevent theft by nonemployees.

Just announced on Oct. 11, ClickSafe is shipping now. The $49.99 retail package includes a single ClickSafe lock affixed to 5-foot-long, carbon-steel black insulated cable, two disk-style keys, an anchor with hex wrench tool and setup booklet. Thanks to the versatile swivel system, the rigid cable lays comfortably whether the computer rests on the desktop or laptop. It's a bit pricey though, considering similar competitive products sell for less than half the ClickSafe's $50 price tag. Still, the CRN Test Center recommends ClickSafe; security products from the company that invented laptop security would rightly fetch a bit more.

Headquartered in Redwood Shores, Calif., Kensington was founded in 1981. Its first product, the System Saver, provided surge-protected power and cooling to roughly 200,000 Apple II computers. It wasn't until the 1990s and the launch of MicroSaver that Kensington's name became synonymous with physical device security.

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