"Although hackers need physical access to a Windows or Linux computer to exploit the flaws, they could theoretically gain access to all data in about five minutes even if the laptop is locked, password protected, and has an encrypted hard drive. The entire process can reportedly be completed with a series of off-the-shelf components costing just a few hundred dollars."
yikes. this reminds me of when i used a thumb drive with my mac in college, plugged it into a windows computer, and discovered that all my deleted files were still there.