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SCMP Reporter

THE thing that makes notebook computers so convenient is the same thing that makes them vulnerable - portability.

  The risk of losing or having your notebook computer stolen is high. While a desktop remains safely and firmly in place at the office or in the home, the notebook travels with the user, from the home to the office; to airports, on aircraft and in hotels; to business meetings, and even to lunch.

   A momentary lapse in concentration, a shade of forgetfulness, or a bit of carelessness, and there is a chance you and your notebook could part company.

   Sure, a notebook computer can be replaced, and the data lost along with it no doubt is stored safely on disk somewhere else.

  While the data inside the notebook may have been duplicated and stored by the owner, it is often the sort of stuff you would not like a thief, complete stranger or - even worse - a business competitor, to get his eyes on.

   Keeping what is inside your notebook away from others involves security.

   Although security software is nothing new to the computer industry, a lot of it is not foolproof, and does not always present too much of a problem to the determined hacker.

  And a lot of the security software does not always take into consideration the vulnerability of notebooks.

  United States-based Fifth Generation Systems claims it has developed a ''bulletproof access'' security utility for the extremely popular Macintosh PowerBook.

  ''The success of the PowerBook has left many users vulnerable to the numerous threats that accompany portable computing,'' said the managing director Asia/Pacfic, Robert Chen.

  So, Fifth Generation has come up with DiskLock PB 1.0, a security program for the PowerBook that the makers say cannot be breached.

  ''Even if a user's PowerBook is stolen, his data won't be,'' Mr Chen said.

    DiskLock features include:     An automatic hard disk locking at shutdown or when the PowerBook sleeps.

   Password-protected entry into a locked disk.

   Protection from floppy disk boot-up to bypass a locked disk.

   Automatic logging of disk locking, unlocking and entry attempts.

   Attempted entry warning. DiskLock will cause the PowerBook to buzz during and after an entry occurs. It also posts a warning next time the correct password is entered.

  The DiskLock carries an optional hard disk locking if the Macintosh crashes or a power outage occurs. The software has an automatic self-virus checker.

  ''DiskLock protects the PowerBook even when the user is not there,'' said Mr Chen. ''This gives the user peace of mind.''   The software will work on any SCSI hard disk and any Macintosh Plus or newer model, although it is specifically aimed at the PowerBook. It requires a System 7.0 or later, one megabyte of random access memory and a hard disk to operate.

  It costs about $500.

  DiskLock also comes in MacPak, an all-in-one utilities program from Fifth Generation aimed at PowerBook users.



Keeping prying eyes from your computer