Theft protection laptop

Best practices and tips for keeping personal and work devices secure

Every 53 seconds, a victim falls prey to laptop theft, becoming exposed to the reputational, individual, and financial losses that accompany a data breach.

Protecting all of the devices you use is important, since all devices personal and professional are at risk. Antivirus software doesnt stop identity theft when the hacker has physical access to your device, so effective hardware security measures are crucial for keeping your data secure. Here are some security steps you can take to protect your personal and company-owned laptops.

Ensure your computers have a TPM.

Most new machines have a hardware security measure called a Trusted Platform Module [TPM]. This is a physical, tamper-resistant component on a hard drive that prevents it from being accessed from an unfamiliar device. If a thief tries to take out your computers hard drive and use it with a different computer, the hard drive would remain inaccessible.

The TPM is highly effective, though not 100%. It is important to have multiple security measures, and this one is straightforward and cost effective since it typically comes with the machine. To check if your computer has a TPM, press Windows+R, type tpm.msc and press Enter. You should see information about your computers TPM. If you see a message saying that a compatible TPM cannot be found, then your computer does not have one.

Dont leave your laptop in an unattended vehicle.

An ASIS report found that 25% of laptops stolen from businesses are taken from the office or owners vehicle. Especially if you work with sensitive data that is stored on your laptop, leaving it in your car can result in a costly data breach. If you have no other option than to leave your laptop in your vehicle, keep it out of sight and double-check that your car is locked. Keep in mind that extreme temperatures can cause physical damage if a laptop is in a vehicle for too long.

Encrypt Hard Drives.

Data encryption, accompanied with the ability to remotely place a lock on the encrypted drive, is a basic tool to protect data on your laptop. Windows has an encryption option called BitLocker, which is available on Windows Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions. To see if BitLocker is enabled on your laptop, run Windows command prompt as administrator, and type manage-bde status. To turn BitLocker on, type manage-bde on C: [or whichever drive you want to encrypt].

Install DriveStrike to remotely wipe, lock, locate, and encrypt your laptop.

DriveStrike gives administrators data protection with remote device management. These features allow business owners and individuals to rest easy knowing that if one of their laptops is lost or stolen, their data can stay secure. Execute all of these essential security functions from one simple, secure control center that you can access anywhere at any time.

Wipe: Delete compromised data. This is the most effective way to keep data out of malicious hands. Wiping a device removes data, including from hard drives and [in some cases] external drives, rendering the device unusable until an operating system is installed. For lost or stolen devices, this combined with encryption is the best way to ensure absolute security. Learn more about DriveStrike Remote Wipe

Lock: Lock the thief out of your device. Depending on the operating system, this feature can vary from simply logging users out to changing the passcode and locking the device. Learn more about DriveStrike Remote Lock

Locate: Track lost or stolen laptops. DriveStrike uses the most accurate location data available to track devices. If GPS or Wifi Triangulation are unavailable, it will use the devices IP address location. Learn more about DriveStrike Device Tracking

Encrypt: Keep data on hard drives secure. Through DriveStrike, you can manage Windows BitLocker encryption on all compatible machines. Create new keys and delete old keys, rotate keys and lock to block access to encrypted data, and persist BitLocker to keep it active if the end user tries to disable it. Learn more about DriveStrike BitLocker integration

For anyone Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, and individuals to avoid becoming prey anti-theft solutions and mobile security are a necessity. Taking precautions can mean the difference between an inconvenience and a catastrophic data breach. Keeping your laptop safe is a vital yet simple process implement a security solution now, or enhance the one you have to safeguard your data more effectively.

Sign up for a free trial to start protecting your devices and data today. Contact us if you have any questions about DriveStrike or cybersecurity in general. Your security is our priority.