Laptop Security Is No Joke

Use these free tips and techniques to keep your laptop safe.

Is your laptop security lacking?
Do you know how to keep your laptop data safe from prying eyes?
Do you have bad password habits?
Did you know your laptop can find and join foreign wireless networks by itself?
Do you suffer from click-itus?

Laptops were (and continue to be) a fantastic addition to personal computing. They allow us the freedom to work anywhere - at home in the kitchen or living room, at the library or coffee house, or even on a plane. With a laptop you are longer tied to your desk - and with a wireless connection it's gets even better.

Now you can roam about the house or office and enjoy all the benefits of being connected to the local network and the internet. We can surf the web and read email out on the deck. We can take the laptop from the bedroom to the living room and never stop downloading music. We can print to the printer in the office from the den. Yes, laptops and wireless access are great, but they can also be dangerous...

Laptops are small, light, and easily concealed in a bag or case - all facts that make laptops one of the most targeted items of thieves. Default settings on most laptops are not secure and it's very easy for thieves to gain access once they have it in their possession. All your sensitive personal data could easily be compromised if your laptop is stolen or even forgotten in a taxi. Stolen laptops can easily be turned into cash - with or without your personal data still inside.

And now wireless connections in laptops make it possible for thieves to steal your data even if they don't manage to physically take it from you. Default wireless settings are often too lax, making it easy for hackers to gain access to your laptop while you are connected to public wireless networks - or even when you are just using it offline in a public place. Heck, your laptop may even be joining wireless networks without you even knowing!

Overview of Good Laptop Security Practices

Physical Laptop Security Practices

If you haven't invested in a nice case to store your laptop, get one.
If you travel on airplanes with your laptop, don't ever check it!
Take care not to leave your laptop or your laptop bag unattended.
You should invest in (and use!) a laptop security cable.
You may want to think about using a recovery service.

Software Security Practices for Laptops

Set up a password now for much improved laptop security!
You need to apply the patches for your laptop operating system on a regular basis!
Anti-virus software is absolutely necessary in today's online world.
You may want to consider encryption software.
You may want to consider a biometric protection device.

Network Security Practices for Laptops

Practice good password habits.
Exercise caution and use restraint when clicking on pop-ups or email attachments.
Learn and use a keyboard shortcut - Alt-F4 to close pop-up windows.
Make sure your built-in firewall is turned on and active.
You may want to use a stronger software based firewall to protect your data.
Examine your wireless connection settings and make them more secure.
Turn off your wireless connection when you are not using it.

Laptop Security Concepts

Laptop security can be broken down into three distinct concepts: Physical Security, Software Security and Network Security. Paying attention to all three is key to keeping your laptop and its contents safe.

Physical security is what you do with your laptop when you are not using it or when you walk away from it. Software security is about the hardening of the operating system, the default settings, and also hardware or software specifically aimed at securing your laptop. Network security refers to the default settings of your network adapters, your logon habits and settings, and also hardware or software specifically designed to protect your network connections.

Physical Security Practices

You probably already take pretty good care of your laptop; after all, it is a significant investment. You take care not to bang it or be rough with it. You don't leave it in the trunk or in direct sunlight (you don't, do you??). You are careful with your coffee and you bought a nice bag to keep it well-protected (you did, didn't you?). That's great but you can (and should) do more.

First things first, if you haven't invested in a nice case to store your laptop, get one. A well-designed case will have padded areas to protect the laptop from accidental bumps and drops. The case should also have a locking zipper you can secure with a light travel lock when you need to.

If you travel on airplanes with your laptop, don't ever check it - laptop security is an unkown concept to baggage handlers and they are simply too rough for delicate things like laptops and sometimes bags are even exposed to inclement weather.

Take care not to leave your laptop bag unattended - thieves are always on the lookout for a juicy laptop bag. Often, buying a larger case that can double as your briefcase or overnight bag is worthwhile. You don't have a separate bag to keep track of and you are less likely to leave it behind.

Secondly, you should invest in (and use!) a laptop security cable if you often use your laptop in public places. A laptop security cable is a high strength metal cable, often sheathed in plastic or vinyl, designed to attach to your laptop's security tab and then tether the device to a larger object.

Most modern laptops have a security tab built into the side of the laptop's plastic molding designed to accept a laptop security cable. The laptop security cable attaches tightly to the tab and is then run around a table leg or some other large object. Picking it up impossible without breaking the laptop or drawing a lot of attention. If you use your laptop in coffee houses or libraries, a security cable can make a trip to the bathroom a lot less scary.

Finally, you may want to think about using a recovery service if you use your laptop in many different places and you are the forgetful type. These services are available for purchase or through a subscription. After signing up with the service they provide you with labels to affix to your laptop containing a toll free number for the finder of your laptop to call and get information on how to return it to you (without having to boot it up up or otherwise break into it to find out who the owner is). Some services even provide the metal type labels which are very hard to remove and can make it hard for a thief to hide the fact that the laptop is stolen.

Now, you can make your own labels with your phone number or address on them (and that's a good laptop security idea) but some folks don't want their personal contact information to fall into the wrong hands. The recovery service labels don't contain any personally identifiable information and some of the services even offer rewards for the safe return of the item (just in case a less than good samaritan finds it).

Software Security Practices

Oftentimes, the software installed on a laptop is the weakest link in the chain. If you haven't applied any patches to your operating system, it probably contains dozens of vulnerabilities. If you don't have anti-virus software installed and up to date, besides being a great example of bad laptop security, your laptop may already be "own3ed" by a hacker. Shoot, most laptops out there don't even require a password to get it started up and ready for use. You can do a lot more to make your laptop more secure.

Again, let's look at the easy stuff first.

If you're laptop doesn't require a password to get started up, you are wrong!

Set up a password now! A simple logon password will greatly improve laptop security and thwart most casual intrusions - both from people getting too nosy with an unattended laptop or from unseen wireless intruders. Most honest people won't try to get past a password prompt and are much more likely to turn a found laptop in at the counter without taking a peek at your data first. Search in your operating system's help section for how to set up a logon password and get it done.

Try not to use a password that's too easy - not your name, or your spouse, or your birth date. Your children's names and birthrates aren't much better. Pet names are usually pretty safe and you can make any password stronger by ending it with a number or a special character like a # or &.

If your laptop contains any especially sensitive data and you travel a good deal with it, you may want to consider setting up a BIOS level password. This type of password is set in the computer's lowest level of operation before the operating system even gets a chance to load greatly increasing laptop security. They are more secure because they don't rely on the operating system (which may have holes) to keep the contents safe.

Now that you have some basic password security, we can move on to the operating system. I cannot stress this next requirement too strongly: You need to apply the patches for your operating system on a regular basis!

Software updates are released on a regular basis from software vendors to "patch" holes (or vulnerabilities) that are found on an alarmingly regular basis. An up to date operating system is much harder to exploit than an un-patched system. Windows computers are easily updated with Windows Update on the Start Menu but all operating systems have some mechanism for applying updates. Use it regularly (at least once a month)!

However, even a fully patched system can be infiltrated and exploited. How?

By the ever growing number of viruses, trojans, worms, and spyware, it's practically guaranteed if no precautions are taken. Anti-virus software is absolutely necessary in today's online world. Equally important to the your laptop security is keeping the anti-virus software up to date with the latest threats. The software can only identify threats if it knows about them in advance (heuristics notwithstanding, but that's another subject entirely).

A good approach is to purchase a subscription to one of the all-in-one laptop security suites available from commercial vendors. Free products are also available but they usually require more effort and attention and anti-virus updates are not something you want to forget about.

The commercial laptop security suites are made up of different modules for different threats: a module to scan for viruses, a module to scan email attachments for worms and trojans, a module for web site security threats (to prevent "phishing" attacks), and another module for spyware or malware (potentially unwanted programs). There are also separate products, both free and commercial, to counter all of these threats. Again, since they are separate products, they require more effort than a suite.

Finally, if your laptop contains especially sensitive data (like that novel you nearly have finished) or proprietary business information, you may want to consider encryption software. Encryption software "scrambles" or encodes data you label as private with a secret key thereby increasing laptop security. The encrypted data cannot be viewed unless unlocked with a special code that only you know. Advanced encryption software can even erase sensitive data if it's tampered with or after a specified period of time.

A new wrinkle in laptop security is biometric protection - these are hardware based devices that read your fingerprint, your eyeprint, your voiceprint or even your faceprint and deny access if you don't have the proper finger, eyeball, voice or face, respectively. Some higher end laptops have been shipping with built-in fingerprint readers for some time but these devices can be added to almost any laptop. These laptop security devices are gaining in popularity because it's pretty hard to forget your finger (or your eye, voice or face). With biometric devices, lost or compromised passwords are a thing of the past - you always have it with you and it's very hard to duplicate.

Network Security Practices

Unfortunately, all the best habits of physical and software security can be rendered utterly ineffective by bad network security practices. Weak password habits, like using your name or using the same password for everything, make it easy to break through the "laptop security" and into your personal data. Clicking on every pop-up window or an email attachment from an unknown source can very quickly land you in a security nightmare. Default configurations for wireless network adapters can cause your laptop to join wireless networks without your knowledge. Solid network security practices are paramount to your laptop's safety.

I spoke about the importance of using passwords already but I will mention it again because it continues to be a glaring weak point in most people's security habits. You need to practice good password habits until they are instinctive. That means always using a password when you have the choice - no "blank" passwords! Do not use the same password for everything - if a hacker gets a hold of it, he now has access to everything. If you choose not to use a different strong password for each application, at least try to use variations of the same password if you must.

Strong passwords are at least 6 characters long, use a mix of lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Special characters are the "shift" characters on the number keys like * (asterisk) and $ (dollar sign). Really strong passwords follow all those rules and also do not contain any "words" you could find in a dictionary. For example: "john" is a weak password, "hoBo6*" is a strong password, and "YHnmJK45#" is a really strong password.

You should keep a written list of the passwords you assign - but not on your computer! If you have trouble remembering all your passwords and need to keep them on your computer, use some type of password storage software designed for keeping passwords safe. I keep a list of passwords (but only with a hint of what they are for - not the exact place to use it) in my planner.

Another password habit I advise against is the habit of letting your web browser "remember" your password for you. Most of the time the password is stored in a "cookie" or a some other file on your computer in plain text. If a hacker gains access to your computer, all of these "remembered" passwords may be available for him to steal. Also, if your laptop is ever lost or stolen, you don't want the finder (or thief) to be able to log right in to your banking and credit card sites. Vulnerabilities in your browser may also expose these passwords to a properly crafted "phishing" site - a web site that poses as a legitimate site in order to steal your logon information (like your bank or credit card web site). If they are not stored or "remembered", they can't be exposed.

Another bad habit that can lead to a lot of trouble is a habit I call "click-itus". Click-itus (clik-eye-tus) is a condition where a person simply cannot resist the urge to click through the pop-up advertising windows and dialog boxes without reading them carefully and also the urge to open every email attachment they receive. The seemingly simple act of clicking on the wrong pop-up window or opening the wrong email attachment can do a lot of harm to your computer. You should exercise caution and use restraint when clicking on pop-ups or email attachments.

Pop-up windows usually appear when surfing the web and there a two different types. Advertising pop-ups are the most common, the most annoying, and USUALLY not harmful. The other type of pop-up is the smaller, usually grey-colored dialog box that sometimes appears after clicking a link or landing at a web site which asks you a question with Yes/No style buttons. Dealing with these pop-ups has become a necessary task in today's online world. You should take care and put some thought into how you are dealing with these pop-up windows.

The extremely common advertising pop-up is usually a large window with flashy colors and advertising slogans. They are pretty easy to spot. When clicked, most pop-up advertising simply takes you to the web site of the advertiser so they can pitch their product or service.

However, not every pop-up advertisement comes from a reputable commercial outfit and it is very hard to tell what happens "behind the scenes" when you click a pop-up window. Some unscrupulous outfits use pop-up advertisements to either direct you to a site that isn't what it claims to be or worse, directs you to a phishing site designed to steal information or otherwise bypass your laptop security.

Sometimes even the "X" in the upper right corner of the window that that normally closes the window is only a picture of the normal close window button - it may take you where they want just like clicking on the main body of the window!

The second type of pop-up window is the system style dialog box that typically asks the user a question requiring a click on a Yes/No or Continue button. These can be harmless notifications from your browser telling you need an updated viewer to properly see the website you are trying to view. They can also be from unscrupulous web sites who are trying to install some piece of malware onto your system. Even when you click "No" who's to say what really happens - they can make the button say anything they want - the No button may do the same thing the Yes button does! Is viewing that piece of titillating video really worth damaging your laptop on creating a laptop security risk?

In the case of both types of pop-ups, I would advise you to learn and use a keyboard shortcut - Alt-F4 to close any and all pop-up windows. This is a shortcut that closes the active window (the upper most one on top). Hold down the Alt key and then press F4 to close the top most window - pressing the F4 key repeatedly will close open windows until none are left (a good way to break out of a pop-up loop where the windows are popping faster than you can find and click on the X to close them).

This keyboard shortcut allows you to close advertising pop-ups without clicking on the ad inadvertently and also to close dialog boxes without clicking a button. If you are really interested in visiting an advertiser's site or installing an updated viewer - make a note of the site or software and visit the web site manually yourself. This ensures you are going where you think you are and not relying on some web site who may not have your best interests in mind.

You can also install either a free or commercial pop-up blocker (which I highly recommend) to cut down on the number of pop-ups you have to deal with. However, none of them will eliminate pop-ups entirely, so remember the Alt F4 trick and use it.

A final concept in good network security practice is understanding how and when you are connecting to other networks. Connecting your laptop to networks, either by connecting a network cable or using your wireless connection, can expose the data contained on your laptop to other computers on the network. A software firewall can protect your laptop from unwanted intrusions and greatly increase laptop security. Changing the default settings to a more secure posture and turning off your wireless card when not in use can also stop your laptop from joining insecure networks or secure networks without your knowledge.

Most laptop operating systems have a built-in software firewall designed to protect your computer from unwanted traffic coming in over your network connection. You need to make sure your built-in firewall is turned on and active. Search in your help file for "enabling firewall" and make sure yours is turned on and doesn't have any dangerous exceptions enabled.

If you connect to a lot of public networks such as in airports, libraries, and internet cafes, you may want to install and use a stronger software based firewall to protect your data. There are good free software firewalls available as well as many commercial offerings.

Many laptop wireless connections ship with very lax laptop security settings. Your laptop may be joining any and every network it sees - without your knowledge. Manufacturers do this to make it easier for the new owners to get connected quickly but it's generally a very bad idea to connect to any and every network out there. Examine your wireless connection settings and make them more secure.

Set up your wireless connection to prompt you before connecting to any network other than your own. Disable any "Automatically connect" features. Configure the connection to join only access point networks and never ad-hoc networks.

Also, learn how to turn off or disable your wireless connection. Turn off your wireless connection when you are not using it, especially in public areas. If you live in a densely populated area such as a multilevel apartment building, you may be exposed to a large number of wireless networks other than your own, many of which are not likely properly secured.