Does your laptop's Wi-Fi make it more vulnerable to thieves

This alarming scenario comes by way of a press release from security vendor Credant Technologies Inc.

Citing a news report from Jamaica, Credant's vice-president of marketing, Sean Glynn, notes that "low-cost key fob Wi-Fi detectors for under a fiver, and quite sophisticated directional detectors for around the 30 pounds mark ... [and could be] used by thieves to detect the presence of an out of sight laptop."

That's because newer laptops have a set time -- sometimes up to 30 minutes -- before they go into sleep mode when the laptop's lid is closed, Glynn asserts.

He said that window of opportunity aids thieves prowling offices or shopping mall parking lots looking for corporate laptops to steal immediately after work.

However, experts polled by Computerworld said that for most users, Wi-Fi doesn't increase their laptops' chances of being stolen.