Data hung out to dry as 9,000 USBs left in Laundrettes

A survey released today by data security experts Credant Technologies has found that in the last year, 9000 USB sticks have been forgotten in people's pockets as they take their clothes to be washed at the local dry cleaners.

Michael Callahan - senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Credant Technologies said "We conducted this survey to show people how easy it is to lose data, even in their local laundrette and that none of us are infallible. If the data is sensitive or valuable then people should protect this information with encryption so no-one can access the data at any point - as it could easily end up in the wrong hands."

A warning message to the business community and individuals to be vigilant when travelling with their mobile devices has never been more relevant, especially as many of these devices now have the capacity to store as much as 10,000 Word documents, 11,000 pictures, 500,000 contact details or an amazing 1.1 million emails, making them an obvious target for identity theft criminals and hackers who can steal this information and assume the identity of the user both in their personal or business life.