Laptop Security: An Introduction

The safety of your laptop is Key. Thousands of laptop computers are stolen every year, in the office, outside the office, at airports, in cabs and even in your homes. In the year 2003 1000 companies in America were surveyed. The results from this survey showed that 41.3% stated that thefts occurred within the office. 31.9% occurred outside of the office. When asked separately where laptops were stolen outside of the office, 12.4% stated in cars or taxis, 8.4% said airports and 5.6% said theft occurred in hotels. From this information we can tell that businessmen take more precautions for laptop safety when traveling then when they are at work. This indicates that it is crucial to protect your laptop in an environment you may think is safe, when in reality it is not. It is not only the laptop itself that should be protected but also the contents in the laptops hard drive can also be tampered with. It is estimated that the Mydoom, a computer worm, infected a quarter-million computers in a single day in January 2004. It could easily happen to your computer if it is not protected with proper precautions and software available. The most common of mistakes is as simple as leaving your laptop behind. In a survey 3,170 Laptops have been left behind in London, England. 655 laptops have been left behind in Munich, Germany and 349 in Bombay India. There are many ways to prevent laptop theft. This blog will address issues of laptop security from how they are being mistreated to step-by-step suggestions on how to prevent your laptop from being stolen. It will also outline strategies to protect your personal documents and your laptop from being attacked by viruses.