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Subject: |
6 Steps to Avoid a Laptop Identity Crisis |
| Date: |
2009-04-20
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6 Steps to Avoid a
Laptop Identity Crisis
John Sileo
www.ThinkLikeaSpy.com
What an eye opener! I've recently switched from an HP to a
MacBook Pro. I couldn't be happier with the change - so much so that I
treat my laptop like a member of the family. It shows me movies,
organizes my pictures, my music, my life. But the switch has
highlighted a serious identity crisis. It's not what you think - not
that kind of identity crisis! It's the kind that leads to
identity theft. While migrating my data from one laptop to the other,
it struck me just how much vital personal and professional information
we keep on mobile computing devices:
- Auto-login information to
banks, brokerages and businesses
- Contact information on just
about everyone we care about
- Tax records, bank
statements, checking account numbers
- Work logins, company data,
employee records, competitive information
- Sensitive emails, photos and
documents
Do you realize that almost half of
workplace identity theft takes place because of mobile data? And the
average value of the data on your laptop is worth hundreds of thousands
of dollars to an experienced identity thief. At the higher end of the
scale, the value of the 26 million Veteran identities on a laptop lost
over a year ago was estimated to be worth more than $100 million on the
black market. But your laptop doesn't have to be worth that much to
make protection worthwhile.
6 Steps to Protect Your Laptop Identity
- Leave it at home. Okay, I know most
of us won't leave our laptops at home when travelling because we would
be leaving our digital identity behind. But theft is even higher when
travelling, so consider using your iPhone or BlackBerry to keep in
touch or use the computer in the business center at your hotel (but be
careful of what information you enter into it). If it is critical
that you keep your laptop with you, then…
- Carry less data. Stop carrying data
on your computer that you don't absolutely need. If you don't need to
have client information on the hard drive, don't put it there in the
first place. Don't keep your child's Social Security Numbers in your
contact manager or your investment account numbers in a spreadsheet. If
you have an encrypted VPN connection with your company, pull the files
off of your corporate network once you are at your destination (e.g.,
work, hotel, meeting).
- Use strong passwords. Passwords are
the primary locks on our computers. Make sure that you create an
alpha-numeric-symbol-upper-lower-case password, like P@55w0rd! (do you
see the hidden word that makes this easy to remember? By the way, don't
use this password). The longer the password, the better. I recommend
passwords greater than 8 characters.
- Use the hotel safe. Most hotels have
safes in the room that let you determine the combination. I feel that
these are relatively safe. Sometimes your laptop won't fit, so I
suggest that you pull the hard drive out of the laptop (which is where
all of the identity lives) and place that in the safe. In a pinch,
place the DO NOT DISTURB sign on your door when you leave for the day
to lower the chances of someone entering your room during the day.
True, your room won't get cleaned, but you are keeping potential
thieves not just from your computer, but from any client documents,
passports or intellectual capital that might be in the room. No matter
how clever we are, hiding valuables is a poor option. Can't you just
picture a person who appears to be a hotel employee leisurely searching
the few hiding places in your room? A thief will know every one
of those spots by heart.
- Encrypt your hard drive. The data on
your hard drive is no good if the thief can't make any sense of it. For
a very small investment, you can install software on your computer that
makes it exceptionally difficult for a thief to get to your private
information. Encryption turns your data into a puzzle that only your
password unlocks. If you are using a company computer, check with your
I.T. department before installing encryption. They may have already
done it for you.
- Lock it up. Even when you are not
travelling, the best policy is to physically lock up your laptop. More
laptops are stolen out of the back of cars while you are shopping, out
of your computer bag while buying coffee, out of your office while it
is unattended and out of homes while you are on vacation. Take an extra
minute to lock it up in a locking filing cabinet, a fire safe or behind
a locked door. Even if it only makes it less convenient for the thief,
it improves your chances that they will move on to a less prepared
victim.
Remember, your data has a whole
lot longer life than your laptop! When you are through with it, make
sure that you digitally shred the hard drive before you donate it, give
it back to the HR department or throw it away. Just because the
computer is out of date doesn’t mean that the data on it is too.
John Sileo is a two-time victim
of data theft. After losing his business to data breach and his
reputation to identity theft, John became America's leading identity
theft speaker. He uses his gripping story, first-hand experiences
and humorous interaction to inspire audiences around the world to
protect corporate data as if it were their own. His clients include the
Department of Defense, FDIC and Pfizer. Learn more at www.ThinkLikeaSpy.com and www.Sileo.com. Permission granted for use on
DrLaura.com.
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