Security lock

Laptops act as magnets for thieves because of their portability, lightweight and high value. Thieves can easily run away with a laptop notebook and get good money in return compared with other objects that they can target. Common thugs, dishonest housekeeping employees, sophisticated conmen, hi-tech crime rings, industrial spies, all want other persons notebooks for their own individual reasons. Besides being stolen, thousands of notebook computers are simply carelessly left at hotel rooms, are misplaced at restaurants, airports, taxis, and coffee shops by busy employees rushing around to meet urgent deadlines. The monetary value of a laptop is attractive but the company secrets that it contains are hundred times more valuable to a competitor. A security lock to protect your capital investment and company secrets goes a long way to avoid sleepless nights and headaches. A software lock is a great notebook computer accessory. Security locks can be software locks or hardware locks.

Software security lock

The operating system has to be secure. Windows 95/98/Me are low on security. Windows 2000 Professional and Windows XP Professional offer secure logon, file level security, and the ability to encrypt data.
A strong BIOS password should be given. Some laptop manufacturers demand the laptops to be sent to their factory for resetting the BIOS password. In case, the laptop is stolen, then it is useless for the thief, unless the laptop is returned to the manufacturer where it will be recognized as a stolen good, and in all probability the thief will be caught. Certain laptops with a BIOS password locks the hard drive so that it cannot be simply removed and reinstalled into a similar machine.
Permanently mark (engrave) the outer case of the laptop with your or your company name, address, and phone number. In case the laptop is carelessly left behind, chances of it being returned to you are greatly increased.
Register the laptop when you purchase it. Once the laptop is registered with the manufacturer, it is caught if a thief sends it for maintenance. You should also write down the serial number of the laptop on a piece of paper and keep it somewhere else, so that in case of theft, the police can trace and recover it with the help of the serial number.
Using the NTFS file system protects your data better than FAT or FAT32 file systems.
The guest account may be disabled and additionally a highly complex password may be given to the account, restricting its logon 24x7.
The administrator account can be renamed. Hackers can use the SID to find the name of the account; however, amateur hackers will be left cold. Rename with something casual; try not to use "Admin" or any other word that may link to having rights over the account.
A dummy administrator account can also be created. A local account is named as "Administrator" and then no privileges are given to that account. A complex 10+ digit password is also given to give the impression that this is the real administrator account. Auditing should be enabled, so that records of tampering are kept.
Enable EFS (Encrypting File System). This will prevent hackers from physically mounting the hard drive on another PC and trying to access your files.
Display of the last logged-in user name should be prevented. By pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del, a login dialog box appears which displays the name of the last user. This makes it easier to discover a user name that can later be used in a password-guessing attack. This can be disabled by using the security templates provided on the installation CD or via the Group Policy snap in.
Disable the Infrared Port on your laptop. You can browse someone else's files from across a table without the person knowing it through the IR port. Hence, it is best to disable it. The IR port can be disabled via the BIOS or by putting a black electrical tape over it.
Backup the data. Data is harder to replace than the hardware, hence always backup your data while you are traveling. You can backup on zip drives, CDs etc, while traveling. When traveling you must keep these on your person and in the airport be careful when passing through the metal detectors at airport security checkpoints. Metal detectors harm the laptops. Request for a hand check instead. Backed up data can be sent to home by courier as an additional safety precaution.
Personal firewalls may be used. Corporate servers are protected by firewalls but from hotels or on the road, the laptop is vulnerable to attack. Hence, install any good firewall on the laptop.

Hardware security lock

Use a cable lock. Almost all laptops are equipped with a Universal Security Slot (USS) by which a laptop can be attached to a cable lock or a laptop alarm. Thieves with bolt cutters can easily cut the steel cable, however thieves in the airport who wish to run away with your laptop while you are sleeping, or going to the toilet, will be deterred.
A docking station can be used. About 40% of thefts occur in the office. Usual suspects are contractors,disgruntled employees, and poorly screened housekeeping staff. Since the docking station is permanently fixed on your table and the laptop is securely fixed with a lock to the docking station, there no chance of someone stealing it. When you plan to go for the weekend, lock it in a filing cabinet.
PCMCIA cards should be taken out when not in use. They can be easily stolen from the laptop and leaving them contributes to the overall heat level within your laptop.
Try other devices. There are motion detectors, alarms, hard drive locks, and biometric identification systems that open only on fingerprints rather than a password.
Use tracking services. Many agencies like SecureIT, ZTrace, Stealth Signal, Compu Trace, etc, provide tracking services. Stealthy software is installed on your laptop that has a traceable signal. In the event, your laptop is stolen or lost, these agencies work along with the police, internet service providers and the phone company to track and recover your laptop.