10 Ways to Secure Your Laptop
Laptops are our mobile command centers. They carry our work, our memories, and sometimes even our deepest secrets (looking at you, 10-year-old folder named “Taxes”). If you lose one, or worse, if someone gets into it, it’s more than inconvenient. It’s a digital disaster.
Here are 10 simple ways to secure your laptop physically, digitally, and privately.
🔒 Physical Security
1. Use a Kensington Cable Lock
It’s old-school, but it works. Especially in coffee shops, coworking spaces, and conferences. Lock it or lose it.
2. Keep It Out of Sight
Leaving your laptop in a car? Lock it in the trunk. Use a cable lock there too if you can. Smash-and-grabs are still a thing.
💻 Digital Security
3. Encrypt Your Drive
Whether you’re using BitLocker (Windows) or FileVault (macOS), encryption ensures your data is unreadable if your laptop is stolen.
4. Set a Strong Password
Yes, you still need one, even with biometrics. Use a long, unique password and avoid reusing it across accounts.
5. Back Up Your Data
Cloud, external drive, or both. Backups protect you from ransomware, hardware failure, and accidental “whoops” moments. Check out this Between The Hacks blog for tips about backing up your system.
6. Keep Your Software Updated
That update you keep postponing? It probably includes security patches. Update your OS and apps regularly.
🕵️♂️ Privacy
7. Add a Privacy Screen
Prevent shoulder-surfers from reading your screen on planes, in cafes, or in open offices.
8. Use a VPN on Public Wi-Fi
Coffee shops and airport Wi-Fi are not your friends. A VPN encrypts your internet traffic and helps protect sensitive info from snoopers. Pro tip: using your mobile phone as a hotspot is even safer.
9. Cover Your Webcam
Cheap fix. Creepy problem. Use a slide cover or a piece of tape, just make sure it’s not the translucent logo sticker from your last conference.
🔟 Enable Device Tracking
Most operating systems offer tools to locate, lock, or wipe your laptop if it’s lost or stolen. Turn it on!
Laptops are expensive. Your data is priceless. Take a few minutes to lock things down, you’ll thank yourself later.