Data theft from computers and laptops is a growing menace. The data stored in your laptop, more often than not contains some amount of confidential information. This could be classified information about your company's latest business strategy or even your bank account details - data that you certainly want to keep away from falling into the wrong hands. You can follow some simple measures to minimize the threat of a data theft from your laptop.
Data thefts often happen online and it is in your best interest to use a safe browser. For example, Mozilla Firefox is a robust browser that offers better protection against spyware than other browsers.
Whenever you are connected to a network of any kind, make sure you always keep the Firewall in active mode. If you've turned off the Firewall, open ports can allow some applications to connect to your laptop, exposing your data.
No matter how confident you are about your password strength, always encrypt your files and folders. This reduces the risk of someone accessing your confidential files by loading your hard disk into another computer. Nevertheless, always use complicated passwords that cannot be easily cracked.
Another way to protect your data is to lock your operating system against all unnecessary services. This would also mean putting a stop to all unneeded update installations. But, always keep the automatic updates option of your anti-virus enabled and make sure these are checked for and installed every 24 hours to protect your system from new threats.
If you work on a network in office, ensure that you have some wireless security measure in place. Lack of wireless encryption can expose you to data security threats. You can also consider installing Virtual PC and test all applications on it before you run them on your laptop. If you are not sure about the safety of a particular website, you can use Virtual PC to browse it.
You should try and use the latest operating system for better security. Using Ubuntu Linux is a good option if you are acquainted with this OS; it is available for free, installs easily and offers better protection than Windows.
Never leave your laptop unattended and if you do, make sure to lock it. If you are working on your laptop and you come across an unknown computer to computer network, do not connect to it. In addition, if convenient, you should also use a screen guard when you are working in a public place. This will prevent people from peeking into your screen.
Some users also have the habit of carrying password and Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) in their laptop bags; this is never a good practice. Even a casual check through your unattended bag can cause your valuable data to leak within minutes.
Listing your laptop with one of the various laptop recovery services is always a good idea. In case your laptop is stolen and the thief uses it to go online, the software will trace its location.
Follow these simple tips and work safely on your laptop, and you will be protected against most laptop and data security threats.
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