Laptops have become essential items, required for both business and personal use. What makes them so great is their portability, so that you can work from anywhere, be it across town, across the country, or even across the globe. However, this same feature can pose a danger sometimes.
Laptops are expensive equipment and tend to have extensive amounts of valuable data stored on them. With technology having advanced, it has also become easier and more common for hackers to be rather well-versed with software and bugs. Hackers don’t need to steal a laptop in order to gain access – with a simple slip of a thumb drive, they can collect your passwords, account details, and so much more.
This isn’t to say that thieves aren’t uncommon either, and it’s an unfortunate fact that a good lot of laptop buyers are purchasing replacements for their stolen ones. While you’ll have to take preventive measures so that it isn’t physically stolen, there are a few ‘hacks’ to secure the data on your laptop whatever way you can. Here are the top things you can do to keep your laptop safe and secure.
- Create a secure password
Though this might seem like an obvious step, many people overlook it. And no, don’t make your password ‘password’ or ‘admin’ or something common of the sort. You can keep it simple, but keep it personal. Pull out two digits from any two important, yet different events, and combine them to make a 4 digit password that’s easy to remember but difficult to guess.
- Encrypt your hard drive
In the event that your laptop is stolen, a password will not prevent them from accessing your data. But why not? This is because your data is stored on the hard drive of your laptop, and all they have to do is remove it to read the files by connecting it to another computer. Which is why you should ensure you encrypt your hard drive as well. Apple customers are lucky enough to have an in-built software called FileVault that encrypts the hard drive for the user. All you have to do is go to your security settings and toggle the button to ‘On’. To turn it off, you’ll need to enter your laptop’s password. At the same time, Macs can be expensive, unless you’re thinking of buying laptops on EMI, or during big sales.
- Update your laptop to the latest software
By doing so, you also download the latest security patches that the company has rolled out after identifying any bugs or risk for bugs. Keeping your auto-updates on will do the job for you so that you don’t have to worry about having to constantly check for these.
Following these three steps will automatically put you at less risk for data theft than half the laptop owning population. If you’re considering buying a new laptop, make sure you read up on the most secure features you can tap into for your specific laptop.
Keep in mind that higher-end laptops offer better security features, making them better options in the long run. However, they may fall outside the range of your monthly budget. With Zest Money, you can buy laptops on no-cost EMI to save more and get the best in the market.