LAPTOP SECURITY*
Laptops have become thief magnets, attracting everything from
common thugs and dishonest housekeeping employees to sophisticated
con men, hi-tech crime rings, and industrial spies. In 1999 alone,
over 319,000 laptops were reported stolen. Thousands more were
simply misplaced or left in hotel rooms, restaurants, airports,
cabs or coffee shops. Protect
your capital investment by following
these guidelines to better laptop security.
Preventing Laptop Theft
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No
place is safe |
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Never
assume your laptop will be safe just sitting around. Treat
as if it were $1,000 in cash lying around, and lock it
down using a cable lock. Qualcomm's
CEO has his laptop stolen from him during a news conference
while he was standing no more than 30 feet from it. A State
department employee had his stolen from a conference room and
lost his job. Despite a $25,000 reward it was never returned.
Never assume that your laptop is safe. |
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Asset Tag or Engrave the laptop |
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Permanently
marking (or engraving) the outer case of the laptop with
your name, address, and phone number may greatly
increase your odds of getting it returned to you if you happen
to carelessly leave it behind. There are also a
number of metal tamper resistant commercial asset tags available
that could help the police return your hardware if it is
recovered. According to the FBI, 97% of unmarked computers
are never recovered. Clearly marking your laptops deters
casual thieves and may prevent it from simply being resold
over the internet via an online auction.
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Register the laptop with the manufacturer |
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We've become so
used to throwing away the registration cards for all of the
electronic items we buy every day, because
we've learned that it just leads to more junk mail. Registering
your laptop with the manufacturer will "flag" it
if a thief ever sends it in for maintenance, and increases
your odds of getting it back. It also pays to write down
your laptop's serial number and store it in a safe place.
In the event your laptop is stolen, it will be impossible
for the police to ever recover it if they can't trace it
back to you. |
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When
traveling by car... |
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Never
leave your laptop in a vehicle where a passing thief can
see it
through the window. If you do place your laptop
in the trunk, use your cable lock to secure it to the trunk
lid so that they still can't take it easily even if they manage
to open the trunk. If you store your laptop in the
vehicle for any period of time, keep in mind that the extreme
temperature ranges within the vehicle could wreck havoc with
your laptop. In the summer, the inside of a parked car can
reach temperatures that will melt your laptop's components.
In the winter, LCD screens can freeze solid and split. |
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Make
security a habit |
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People
are the weakest link in the security chain. If you care about
your laptop and your data, a healthy dose of paranoia
will help keep it safe.
Get into the habit of locking your laptop up when you're working
with it, or when storing it. (A cable lock takes less time
to install then it does for your PC to boot.) Use common sense
when traveling and try to stay in physical contact with your
laptop at all times. |
Physical Security
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Get
a cable lock and use it |
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Over
80% of the laptops on the market are equipped with a Universal
Security Slot (USS) that allows them to be attached to a
cable lock or laptop alarm. While this may not stop determined
hotel thieves with bolt cutters, it will effectively deter
casual thieves who may take advantage of you while you
leave to go the bathroom. Most of these devices
are between $30 - $50 and can
be found at office supply stores or online. In addition to
the quality of the cable, consider the quality of the lock.
(Tubular locks are preferable to the common tumbler lock
design) And remember: They only work if you use them properly.
Tether them to a strong immovable and unbreakable object. |
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Use
a personal firewall on your laptop |
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Personal firewalls
such as BlackIce and ZoneAlarm are an effective and inexpensive
layer of security that take
only a few minutes to install. Although Windows XP comes
with a personal firewall, it does not attempt to manage or
restrict outbound connections at all. We recommend using
a good third-party personal firewall to secure your Windows
XP workstations. If you want to test how much information
your personal firewall "leaks out" to the web,
try the online leak test at http://grc.com/lt/leaktest.htm |
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Use
tracking software to have your laptop call home |
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There are a number of vendors that offer stealthy software
solutions that enable your laptop to check in to a tracking
center periodically using a traceable signal. In the event
your laptop is lost or stolen, these agencies work with the
police, phone company, and internet service providers to track
and recover your laptop. CompuTrace, SecureIT, Stealth Signal,
and ZTrace provide tracking services for corporations and individuals. |
* - Tips courtesy of LabMice.net
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