Hynix intensively upgrades internal security procedures

Following security breaches at smaller semiconductor companies, Hynix Semiconductor has, since May, been beefing up security at its headquarters offices in Gangnam, Seoul. The company said yesterday that beginning this week, employees will have to go through tighter security procedures when entering and exiting the building. Each floor has been equipped with metal detection scanners to search for objects such as USB memory sticks, digital cameras and MP3 players. Two closed circuit televisions are installed at each entrance to prevent theft. Specially trained security guards will also be posted on every floor. Until now, Hynix only had strict security measures at its production facilities and research center, but worries about data leakage led to expansions of security at its headquarters office as well. These actions were hastened after May, when data leakage was reported at several semiconductor companies. “Of course, we had certain regulations to protect our data, but we decided that they weren’t enough,” said public relations official Kim Ah-young. Ms. Kim said the company spent 200 million won ($173,400) to upgrade security equipment. Due to the enforced restrictions, workers may not carry any type of portable data-collection devices such as memory sticks or floppy disks. Digital cameras are banned, and those who have cellular phones with digital camera features must place a sticker over the lens of the camera or lock it in a security box before they enter. They are also forbidden to burn any information onto compact discs or send attached files through e-mail. Outgoing e-mails in the workers’ company accounts are regularly screened, and Internet access to Web-based mail services such as Yahoo Mail are blocked by a firewall. Uploading files to Web boards is prohibited as well. These measures are to prevent possible leakage of data such as semiconductor design blueprints, which tend to be large files. The firm has started an internal campaign for workers to come to the office empty-handed and leave empty-handed, since they are scrutinized on entry and exit. “The enhanced security may be a bit bothersome, but our workers understand why we are doing this. We gave prior notice, so none of this is a surprise,” Ms. Kim said. The company will employ similar security measures at its new production plant in China. The factory’s functions, however, will be purely manufacturing, since research and development, as well as all advanced technology, will not be handled there. by Wohn Dong-hee