Keeping your laptop secure while travelling
Perhaps one of the areas most affected by technology and the internet, for better or for worse, is your vacation. This summer before embarking on your annual trek you could join a growing number and book your own flight, hotels or other accommodations, and arrange tours and excursions. But perhaps the biggest departure from the past is staying in touch with friends and relatives.
Gone are the days when your only means of letting people know about your travels was the occasional postcard. These days an indispensable travel accessory will probably be a smartphone or tablet or laptop. I travel with all three.
Besides keeping in touch, your device can help you check airline schedules, reservations, itineraries, and make changes online if the need arises.
Yet that same technology may be a potential nightmare if it’s lost or stolen. Without the proper security settings anyone coming into possession of your missing phone, tablet, or laptop could cause you grievous personal and financial damage that could take months from which to recover.
As an essential requirement you should make it necessary to enter a password or code to access the device. Many people I’ve met downplay the necessity of setting a secret login code on a mobile device or computer by insisting that there is nothing of value to be gleaned from the it. However, if a charlatan can get into your email it is fairly easy to visit numerous sites such as Paypal or Amazon, which use your email address as the login, and click or tap on the “forgot password” link. Password reset instructions will be sent to your email and in a few seconds the thief will be able to make account changes and run up numerous financial transactions.
A login code can actually be a word, number or pattern and there are instructions for setting one on an Android phone or tablet at the How-To Geek site (http:// tinyurl.com/mph2d79). An iPad or iPhone can be set to delete everything on the device after 10 incorrect login attempts, and even the FBI was unsuccessful at trying to break into an iPhone. You’ll find instructions for setting security at the WikiHow site (http://www. wikihow.com/Set-a-Passcode-onthe-iPad).
Windows 8.1 and 10 have made it virtually impossible to crack a login code, number, or pattern on a computer and it is fairly easy to set one up. When you return home you can disable the procedure if it becomes a nuisance. For Windows 8.1 there are instructions at the Dummies site (http://tinyurl. com/j6qmber) and in Win 10 click on the Start button, Settings, and you’ll find the sign-in options in the Accounts section. Needless to say, if you do this do not forget your code or pattern or you’ll be locked out of your own device or computer
Unfortunately, setting a login code on a Win 7 computer will only slow a thief down since there is free software available which will reveal the code. As a deterrent I would set my email program or webmail, such as Gmail or Hotmail, and Facebook to not remember my password which means you’ll have to enter it every time you check your email or Facebook. This may be inconvenient but will prevent someone from sending prank messages or accessing your accounts.
If you have Microsoft Office, Libre Office, or Open Office documents on your computer that contain sensitive information, such as passwords or account info, password protect them. The steps for doing this vary depending on the version but the Wikihow site has instructions for all Word versions (http://tinyurl.com/pfre27c) and the Bloglines site has instructions for Libre Office (http://tinyurl. com/pojd4hc).
An alternative for sensitive documents and other files is to upload them to the cloud, such as at Google Drive (www.google. ca/drive), Microsoft’s Onedrive (https://onedrive.live.com), or Dropbox (www.dropbox.com). They will be protected behind a password you create but still easily accessible on any device anywhere in the world.
Being security conscious can make travelling with a computer or mobile device practical and enjoyable, rather than a potential nightmare.