Panic Button: Find My Stolen Laptop!
The information on a stolen laptop can cripple a company and leave clients open to identity theft. Here's how to keep your data secure and, hopefully, get your laptop back.
The phone call comes in the middle of the night. Your employee is frantic. One of your company laptops, chock-full of business secrets, was stolen at the airport.
If your company’s security policies don’t cover mobile devices, you’re in serious trouble, especially if you run a smaller shop. Large, well-funded companies can absorb the damage caused by a data breach. In comparison, a small company may not survive the havoc of a serious information breach. So how do you prevent data breaches and recover your stolen devices?
Prevention and Paranoia
When it comes to laptop safety, a little paranoia goes a long way. Laptop theft can occur in any setting, but it is especially common in busy public places such as airports, coffee shops, and college campuses.
It may be tempting to leave your laptop on a table or by your luggage for a few seconds while you order another coffee or check flight departures, but it only takes a few seconds for your laptop to go missing. Take it everywhere with you in public, up to and including the washroom.
Password Policies
You can replace a laptop. The information it contains, however, is often invaluable, so a strong mobile security policy needs to minimize data loss.
All laptops should be password protected. A strong login password doesn’t provide impenetrable security – sophisticated hackers can use tools to bypass the password altogether—but it at least slows the thief down.
A BIOS, or boot password, provides more efficient security. Boot passwords allow only three password attempts, after which the thief has to restart the computer for three more tries.
Thieves can circumvent a BIOS password by physically removing part of the motherboard (which sometimes wipes BIOS information) or shorting out the system to reset the BIOS. Both options involve physically opening the computer and poking at its insides with a screwdriver. This requires time and skill the thief may not possess, and if you’re lucky, could also result in a nasty electric shock. (He stole your laptop. Let him fry his fingers.)
Another simple option is to restrict the amount of sensitive information on the hard drive. With cloud storage services readily available, you can travel with the bare minimum of data on your laptop and simply download any files you need to work with. Just make sure your employees know not to use automatic login settings for your cloud account.
Laptop Recovery Tools
Some antitheft devices for laptops include motion sensors. If the sensors determine the laptop is out of a predetermined work zone, the device prevents unauthorized users from booting up the laptop. Such devices also have the option of a loud alarm, drawing attention to the thief.
Tracking programs assist in laptop recovery and come with reasonable subscription rates. The laptop sends a location signal to the tracking company every time the device connects to the Internet. The laptop signal includes IP addresses, phone numbers used to connect to the Internet, service providers, and even GPS coordinates. The tracking company then turns the information over to the police. Some tracking systems also allow remote data removal.
A thief could wipe a hard drive to remove tracking software. Embedding a tracking device directly into a laptop’s motherboard eliminates the thief’s ability to simply delete security software.
Basic Recovery Strategies
With all the high-tech laptop solutions available today, you might neglect some effective, but down-to-earth, strategies. Record the serial numbers, model, and make of all company laptops and mobile devices. This gives you a way to confirm ownership, and gives the police much more to go on than, “My laptop went missing — it’s black with a silver trim.”
Laptop-recovery companies sometimes offer engraved plates that you affix to the laptop. The plate includes an identification number and an 800 number. If an honest soul finds your laptop, he or she can call the number and provide the recovery company with the identification code.