While this seems an unlikely topic for a security blog, a recent report from Security Focus shows that old or lost laptops continue to be a security risk. In that article, a major firm let out significant company-confidential material by not taking the necessary steps to wipe the hard disk clean before selling off the old equipment. This problem extends to lost or stolen laptops as well. There are a number of techniques to crack into a weakly protected laptop and gain access to significant sensitive data. It was interesting to learn that no attempt is made to remove sensitive data when laptops are auctioned off (from airports and even police stations).