Hacked Info

Believe it or not, almost 12,000 laptops are lost by business travelers every week. This means that software, hardware and any kind of sensitive information that may be crucial for business could be in the hands of fraudsters.

To secure the user, there are alarms, laptop locks, stickers and labels that have been developed. Mere password locking is not sufficient to ensure data security. Full-disk encryption (FDE) is a widely used method to protect the laptop before the operating system starts up. FDE can be done by adopting a software-based approach or hardware-based approach or both.

Then there is the remote laptop security (RLS) with which access can be denied to a stolen laptop, thereby ensuring security of information. Also, there are programs that can be installed using which the owner of the stolen laptop can wipe financial or client-sensitive information from a remote location. There are also GPS tracking programs that can help to trace stolen laptops.

One of the smart things to do while traveling with laptops is to ensure that you have a back-up for everything you need and avoid accessing any financial information so that you do not leave a trail of your sensitive information.

However, there are doubts over the effectiveness of anti-theft measures that can prevent sensitive information from getting lost when a laptop is stolen. On both the Mac and PC, a laptop robber can get rid of many of the checks and balances that anti-theft and recovery software impose. The network connection can be turned off so you can never track the software’s location; the thief can even clear the hard disk.

If you are still keen to try out any recovery software, check out Undercover for the Mac (and iPhone). Nowadays it also comes with a WiFi-based positioning to help map where the stolen laptop may be possibly stored. Also, there’s the MacTrak software which transmits pictures and network with the help of e-mail or to a Flickr account.

For Windows, LoJack for laptops is popular. The software’s location can be traced via network connection daily. If the laptop is stolen, you can trace location changes every 15 minutes. You can also remotely wipe data.