Thanks for being our guest, now strip...

I've just about decided that the perfect outfit for travel while flying is a hospital gown andshower slides. The question is whether that flattering and oh, so practical garb will become arequirement for corporate on-site visits, as well. It seems that the British Ministry of Defencehas decided that Apple's iPod is a significant hazard to national security and will no longer beallowed into critical areas. It seems that people are beginning to notice that many modern productsare able to connect to a computer's USB port and transfer data, often withoutrequiring anynotification of or permission from system administrators.

So why stop at iPods? We've already seen companies banning certain models of cell phonebecause of industrial espionage concerns. Why should running shoes, watches, or Swiss Armyknives with USB dongles be exempted from the ban? As we build more and more intelligence intocommon items, the days of the gaping gown and flip-flops may not be far off.

The answer, of course, is for firms interested in security to do things like turning offplug and play functionality. Until they come to their senses, though, Lester Haines atThe Register has come up with a list of sensible precautions.