by Richard Tausch

Welcome to November! Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, and now is the time to travel to Napa Valley! It is gorgeous in autumn, in full bloom with its myriad of colors.

Speaking of travels, for those of you who take your laptop on short and long trips (and for those who stay in the office as well) the following list will help you make sure your laptop is kept safe and sound.

On the road again……

If you are travelling with your laptop, here are a few suggestions:

• In the airport while waiting for a flight, watch for ‘shoulder surfers’ – and ‘wandering eyes’ striving to learn passwords, personal info or subject matter. Be aware of your surroundings at all times. It is better to sit where there are fewer people, especially if someone is sitting or could sit behind you. It is better to stray to an area where people haven’t gathered for a flight yet if you are working on sensitive documents. There are always a number of areas where no immediate flights are scheduled where you will also have more privacy.

• While traversing the airport, if you make a phone call or speak to someone behind a counter, or are waiting in line for a meal or beverage item, do not set your laptop on the ground next to you. Strap it over your shoulder if the shoulder strap is present. Otherwise, simply place it on the counter while conducting business.

• When boarding, pack your laptop in your carry-on luggage or place it below your feet under the seat in front of you. Never pack it in with the luggage you are sending through. Laptops are very sensitive to shock when being tossed around by baggage carriers, etc., and it may not come out of the other side in the same working condition, especially if you have any hard objects in your luggage.

• Never connect to an un-trusted wireless access point. This can open up your system to external access. In most cases, it is better to pay the resort fee and get wireless where available. Avoid connecting to a wireless access point that is un-trusted.

• When you are in your hotel room and getting ready to leave the room for a while, you have the choice of A) locking up your laptop in a safe if the safe is big enough to hold it, B) taking it with you, or C) sliding it under the bed. The safest place to keep the laptop is in a safe if you do not need it with you. The next safest is taking it with you, and the least safe way is sliding it under the bed. However, placing it under the bed is certainly better than leaving it out in the room.

In the office:

Always remain vigilant:

Never leave your laptop overnight in an unlocked location.

Do not leave non-public information exposed on your screen when you are away from your office for any length of time. You can lock your laptop screen when not in use by pressing control-alt-delete and then select “Lock Computer” or have your screensaver set with a password after 10 minutes of non-use.

Always lock your laptop in a secure location. For example, if you have a docking station, lock it with your docking station cable during the day. Keep your laptop in your locked file cabinet after hours.

Passwords and Backups……

Make sure that you set up an alpha-numeric password with at least 8 characters. An example would be JIM@work33. A password like this is harder to hack than a weak password like the name of a spouse or pet.

Always store a copy of your files in another location that is updated at least once a week such as a USB Flash Drive (see my article called “The Greatest Backup on Earth”).

Frequently copy or backup information from your laptop onto the network drives where applicable.

Ultimate Security…..

Truth be told, the ultimate security is you. However there are other tools and precautions you can take, and one of those is LoJack. You can buy LoJack online or at a number of retail locations and costs for about $59, or you can buy a laptop with LoJack installed. It is used for tracking purposes, and, in the case of new laptops, difficult if not impossible to be removed by thieves without physical consequences to the laptop.

You can place an identification tag such as one from Axcess International that can trigger alarms and even send emails if you have an activated account with them.

You can sign up for a subscription (1-3 years) to a software company that can track your laptop if it is ever stolen.

You can also engrave your name and other information on it.

You can even insure it with a company such as Safeware.

You can also buy a laptop with a fingerprint reader which will better secure it against unauthorized access in comparison to the usual password method.

Last but not least, register your computer with the manufacturer when you purchase it.

Lost or Stolen Laptops……

Report stolen or lost laptops immediately:

Immediately change passwords related to any system you may have used if your laptop connects to a network.

Alert your office manager if it is a company laptop, and ask whether a police report needs to be filed.

Take an inventory of related items, such as an RSA token, a USB drive, an external hard drive, or a CD with sensitive information on it.

Using your backed up data and your memory, create a list of sensitive information that may have been compromised by this loss and try to reassemble your data as best as possible based on the above items.

Be cognizant of all the above, and have a happy and long-lasting laptop experience,

Richard Tausch

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