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Stymie Thieves by Password-Protecting Your Laptop

by Jon Chase on November 5, 2009 at 06:30 AM

If you're the road-warrior type, or a student or freelancer who spends a lot of time at the local library or Starbucks, it's essential to lock down your laptop with a strong password. All it takes is a second for a thief to jack your laptop, gain access to your e-mail, photos, and contacts, and potentially even find the login info to all the sites that house your sensitive personal info.

At a minimum, you should have a non-guessable password -- one with a combination of words and numbers -- for logging in to your laptop. Disable auto-login for all accounts, and require a password to wake your laptop from sleep or standby. If you're on a Windows machine, go to Start/Control Panel/Power Options and make sure to check the box for "Prompt for password when computer resumes from standby." For a Mac, go to System Preferences/Security and check the box beside "Require password to wake this computer from sleep or screen saver." Then, get in the habit of closing the lid of your laptop every time you physically leave it, even if you think it will just be for a few seconds. That's time aplenty to have your stuff swiped.

Tags: laptop security, LaptopSecurity, password protect, PasswordProtect, techtip, top

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