TheLaptopJunction

Is your data on your computer secure? - Quite a popular question these days. Specially when it's about laptops - stuffed with sensitive data waiting to be exploited. Apart from the laptop value, there is a lot of data to protect these days - because much of daily life is starting to get mixed with sensitive digital information stored on disks. Knowing what to do is not easy - specially when you're not an IT expert. The perfect ingredients for exploits.

By far the biggest security risk when traveling with a laptop is theft, loss and the risks related to excessive network roaming. The latter is about exposure to rogue networks with virus infected computers, eve droppers and security breaches at either Internet cafe's, or Internet providers. Simple measures can already reduce the risks to a great extend, however simple is not always easy. It's about having the right knowledge, skills and behavior - something that doesn't come out off a box.

Traveling about with a laptop also comes with a security dimension which is less obvious. It's about freedom of information - which is not taken for granted in many Middle-Eastern countries. Having a laptop examined by customs, police or even secret service can expose the weary traveler to personal risks. It's like having to unlock your suitcase with that illegal bottle of wine. Locking up a disk with encryption is not the solution, it only creates a growing suspicion. What's illegal in one country, can be innocent data in the next. How to deal with it requires common sense and a little more information. 

This section provides a few leads to better security for those traveling around with laptops. The intend here is not to pave the path to convert a laptop into a bunker - but just enough info to improve laptop data security. Topics covered here are:
 

1. Boot security : A lock on starting a laptop
2. Laptop Data security : Locks on the data on your laptop disk.
3. Key Chains : How to organize a collection of username's and passwords
4. Network security : Be safe while roaming rogue networks
5. Plausible Deniability : Make your data disappear
6. Secure backups : Lock on data on backup disks