How safe is your data? You can do all that you like to defend your home or business from being burgled, but it’s impossible to remove the risk entirely. As laptops, smartphones and tablets will be some of the first things that burglars look for, it’s imperative that you protect sensitive information stored or used on them.
You should, without a doubt, use basic access protection on the front end of your devices, since this may serve to deter the less tech-savvy burglar. This will most likely come in the form of a password on your laptop, but on your mobile device it could involve that (iOS) or a swipe pattern (Android).
Want to check the quality of the passwords that you use? Microsoft has a page dedicated to doing just that. It’s really important to have a password that is regarded as strong, as there are a number of methods that can be used to discover simple passwords (as Microsoft explains).
What if you have data that you really can’t afford to be seen? Computers with Windows 8.1 built-in or OS X Lion have encrypted hard drives, meaning that the data can’t be accessed by simply removing the hard drive and putting into another computer.
However, you need to ensure that there’s no benefit to the thief if your computer or phone was logged in when stolen. You should not, therefore, have automatic login set for any websites where you have any sensitive information stored.
Follow this by encrypting individual files and folders, as encrypting the hard-drive means nothing if you’re logged in. This can be done by using the Disk Utility on a Mac. On Windows it’s even simpler, as all you need to do is go to Properties > General > Advanced > Encrypt contents to secure Data.
Smartphone encryption is unlikely to appeal to most people due to a lack of sensitive data on them. However, you’ll find that Android phones can be encrypted, and that modern Apple devices have automatic encryption that can be activated by setting a passcode.
These methods of protecting your data are good, but what you’ll really want is to still hold copies of your data. You could upload data to the cloud, though you’ll want to look at the security policy of the chosen website first or to encrypt the data. You could also buy an external hard drive and an encryption enclosure for it.
As well as defending your data, you might also be able to delete it or actually track your device! iOS and Android (2.2 onwards) have remote wipe functionality inbuilt, and iOS has a feature you can activate called ‘Find my iPhone’. There are also several programs for PC that allow you to remotely track, lock or wipe computers.
If you’re able to track down your laptop or phone from a computer, then don’t try and physically find your device. You should report its location to the Police instead, rather than risk getting in a sticky situation.
Making sure that your data stays safe is simple, as much of the work is already done for you. If you take the simple steps that we’ve laid out, you might be able to defend yourself from having your data or even your identity stolen.
Further Reading
Student Home Security Advice – A valuable read for students, who often have multiple electronic devices
Does Social Media Put Your Home At Risk? – You can be putting your home security at risk with your posts
