By John Brandon on Monday, 01 September 2008
 Tap tap. That’s how long it takes for a hacker to steal data from your laptop computer. As you're reading this sentence, in fact, a snarly bearded guy in a “Linux is for Lovers” T-Shirt might be downloading every e-mail you’ve ever written, while instant messaging with a buddy in China about how much the freshly downloaded company secrets might be worth. £1,000? £10,000? Who knows?
While the black market trade for personal data is growing at a brisk rate, it’s unclear who is selling it – it’s not like they report the income on their tax return. We do know how they intercept the data though, and by extension, how to stop them.
You’ll find the advice here to be a mix of products and practical tips. In computing, we tend to throw software and hardware at a problem to fix it. Splat! Just download this malware protection tool and you are all set! In the real world, this approach is failure prone.
Any software program you use is only partially effective as a way to fend off hackers because many attacks exploit human behaviour. The most obvious example is that if you leave your laptop sitting on a table at a café and a hacker steals it, your data is toast, no matter which software you have installed. So, it’s always a good idea to correct your computing habits first, and then use software and other products to ensure security.
1. Travel incognito
One major tip: avoid advertising your geekiness. Carry your laptop around in a black leather bag embossed with the manufacturer’s logo and you might as well just carry a large sign that reads “steal my stuff”. Savvy mobile users go incognito.
 The best laptop bags look more like luggage, but conceal compartments that keep your gear safe. For example, the Kensington SP100 Classic Roller has a padded inner pouch for a 15in laptop and pouches for every gadget imaginable, yet it has rollers and looks more like an ordinary travel bag.
The Skooba Shuttle Laptop Backpack is another good option because it looks more like it’s more likely to be stuffed with books than a costly laptop.
The latest trend in laptop bags – making them airport ‘checkpoint friendly' – is a good idea that can save time, but be careful, since their striking design may make them would-be thief friendly, too.
2. Lock it when you leave it
 Unattended laptops are ripe for the plucking, but a simple lock such as the Kensington ComboSaver Laptop can save your mobile investment. The cable slips clips into the Kensington lock slot found on all laptops and then wraps around the leg of a table or other immoveable object. Combination locks are handy because you don’t have to bring a key with you, but some are easily picked – so a key may be a better option. CubeByte makes a security lock cable as well.
If your laptop is stolen, be sure to notify the proper authorities. In the UK, laptop crime is on the rise – news reports have revealed how hackers have stolen laptops out of cars, at coffee bars, at libraries, and when left behind in taxis. Lock them down or carry them; never leave them in the open.
3. Screen your screen
A screen guard serves multiple purposes: they make a laptop screen a little easier to see in bright light, can be easier on the eyes during long periods of laptop use and help ensure that your laptop’s screen stays free of scratches. Yet, for fending off hackers, a screen protector such as the 3M Privacy Filter for Laptops is actually a hacker prevention tool as well. Using the protector makes it impossible for someone to walk by and glance sideways at your screen and note a password or sensitive business information, such as the name of a new product. To see what’s on the screen, you have to be sitting directing in front of the laptop.
4. Don't mix cars and computers
Never, ever leave a laptop in the car, particularly if the data it contains is worth more than the laptop and car combined. If nothing else, a laptop left in a car in a hot day runs the risk of being damaged from the heat – and leaving it on the case seat is an invitation to any passing pilferer. We’d even recommend not locking a laptop in the boot – it may be out of sight, but it’s no less accessible to a skilled thief.
If you’re contemplating leaving your laptop in the car, then you probably shouldn’t be carrying it in the first place. In the US, the FBI estimates that stealing a laptop is the second most common method of capturing someone’s identity, just behind an Internet scam. As with any expensive device in an automobile, thieves know they have a very good chance of never getting caught – they get to sell the computer and gain access to the personal data.
5. Make your mark
 Asset tags and other unique laptop identification systems serve two purposes. First, a highly visible tag is a great deterrent against professional thieves. The best asset tags are all but indestructible and usually cannot be removed without damaging the part of the case they’re fixed to. Identification tags also help police trace a stolen laptop’s original owner, which comes in handy if a thief abandon’s yours after subsequently realising it can be easily traced.
6. Raise your password IQ
Security experts such as Monte Robertson from Software Security Solutions, security consultant Michael Angelo Vien, and Jon Fisher, a professor at the University of South Florida, encourage laptop users to create complex passwords that contact letters, numbers, and special characters. This keeps hackers from seeing you type in a password such as “john” that they can remember and duplicate.
It’s also important to use passwords for network drives, servers, wireless networks, and any other computer system that can be protected. One overlooked security measure is to use a BIOS password – hardly a foolproof measure, but it can be enough to prevent a casual thief from gaining access to your data.
It’s also a good idea to use the NTFS file system in Windows (an option that is available when you install Windows XP and Windows Vista) because it allows you to lock down files and folders and provide (or deny) group access based on files and folders. Of course, if a hacker knows his or her way around NTFS, it is still possible to gain administrator access to all files.
7. Lock down those bits
Encryption is a sure fire way to render your data inaccessible to anyone but you. Windows Vista includes the BitLocker tool for encrypting files and folders, and many new laptops now offer hardware-based disk encryption by default.
If yours doesn’t, then deploying software encryption is trivial and the free TrueCrypt program can encrypt anything from a few files to an entire hard disk.
8. Fire up your firewall
Although home and office networks usually have their own firewall protection, the same can’t be said of public hotspots. Both Windows XP and Vista have built-in firewall applications that are enabled by default (and should be left that way), but it’s advisable to use a second third-party firewall, too.
Sunbelt Software Personal Firewall and Check Point ZoneAlarm are two excellent firewall programs and are available free for certain users. And remember, don’t be tempted to disable your firewall if it seems to be blocking an application – all firewalls can be configured to allow desired network traffic through.
9. Mobilise your data… offline
Newbie laptop users see the extraordinary amount of space on a new laptop as an opportunity to start loading up the space with MP3s, videos, business documents, and just about anything else they can imagine. The problem is that while it’s obviously convenient to have every file you’ve ever accessed stored in on place, it’s also shockingly insecure – lose your laptop and your whole digital life goes with it.
At the very least, you should make a regular backup of your laptop hard drive and store the backup in a safe place. If you use your laptop when you’re away from home or the office, it’s also advisable to store sensitive files on an encrypted external storage device like a USB flash drive. It’s one more thing to remember to carry, but the advantage of being able to carry sensitive data in your pocket if you have to leave your laptop in one place should be obvious.
10. Check your Wi-Fi profile
Did you know that Windows XP (with Service Pack 2) and Windows Vista (all versions) use a profile manager for wireless networks? That’s right, you can easily connect to a wireless network, and then save the connection as part of a profile. Then, when you are near the network again, Windows will automatically attach to the network again without forcing you to type your password.
Most Wi-Fi service providers such as Boingo and DeviceScape also offer a profile utility. A profile protects you because it manages the connections and prevents a hacker from spoofing your laptop with a fake Wi-Fi network name that you attach to by sheer naivety.
Conclusion
Following this advice will go a long way toward making your laptop more secure and perhaps give you a better sense of peace when going mobile. Employing all of these tips says to a nefarious agent of laptop abuse: “get away from my Lenovo” in no uncertain terms. And, using a screen protector, configuring data encryption, buying a non-descript laptop bag are all helpful in the war against hacking because they are a multi-faceted defence, a blitzkrieg of Napoleonic proportions. As most security experts agree, more is better when it comes to protecting your data and your investment. In the end, common sense rules the day, and if an attack does come your way, you’ll be ready.
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