How to Protect Your Laptop From Thieves or Hackers

Written by Elizabeth 
Laptops are small but expensive utility kit that is so very much a part of our daily life. They are compact in size and can be easily moved from one place to another for business and personal purposes. It is these very features that enable theft of laptops quite easily. The financial loss of equipment on theft could be compounded further if the information on it were to fall into the hands of the wrong people. Thus it is very important to protect laptops from theft and this can be done by ensuring physical security and software security.

Physical security involves keeping your laptop in such a manner that the possibility of theft or damage to it is the minimum. For instance, a locking cable alone considerably reduces the chances of theft. If an alarm is also attached to your laptop it also minimizes the theft opportunities when you are away from it. Many people also ensure that they carry their laptop in a different backpack or briefcase so as to not to make it so obvious!

Laptops should always be kept from a place where they are visible while you are commuting at airports or train stations as a large number of them are stolen while people are on the move. Even while traveling in buses it is a good idea to keep it in your hand rather than at the “back” of the bus with the other luggage. Do always remember that it only takes a few seconds to whisk away a laptop by a thief and a careful physical check over the machine will save you the bother from losing your laptop, loss of your valuable data and even a possible business disaster.

It is also important to ensure access to your laptop by using security software. This security software would allow only authorized users to access information on the laptop.

The most common software security method is the usage of a password by every user at the time of logging on to a machine. The software should also enable preparing an audit report which would list all logins, successful and failed ones as well. All unsuccessful logins would have to be examined carefully particularly to their source and timing of attempted login. It will be also useful if there were a screen lock so as to lock the computer when not in use and to beep if someone were to try to fiddle with it.

To summarize laptops being expensive items are prone to theft because of their mobility and quick resale value due to extremely common usage by all sections of the society. It is important to protect your laptop from theft by physical security and software security methods as discussed above. However, the instances cited above are not exclusive but are only indicative of what needs to be done. Laptop security is in truth an ongoing process where the more educated and aware you are the fewer chances of your losing your laptop and it falling into wrong hands. If you find this post helpful, check out Cheap Computer Desks - Guide To Get The Perfect

How do you protect your laptop? Let me know in the comment section.