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You only have to take a few easy steps to secure your laptop and keep it safe for as long as you use it.
The following steps are essential for security of your laptop, personal data and privacy.
10 Important steps to secure your laptop
1. Set up a password when logging in
This is the first and probably the most crucial step in enhancing the security of your laptop. It is always important to have a password on your laptop: it ensures that your files cannot be accessed by anyone else.
It’s also important to make sure that the password is not easy to guess, so do not use any of your personal information that anyone can guess easily.
2. Encrypt your hard drive
The methods that I’ve mentioned above are quite efficient, but sometimes a password might not be enough to prevent a hacker from getting your laptop by removing the hard drive to access it directly. However, you can prevent this by encrypting your laptop’s hard drive. To make it more secure, you can add a secondary layer to your hard disk encryption.
3. Backup your files
There are a lot of advantages to backing up your important files. Your laptop can get infected with a virus, or it can get stolen, however, backing up your files ensures that you have an extra copy that you can always bank on. There are two options: you can either do a local backup or a cloud backup.
If you are using an Apple laptop and you want to go for a local backup, your machine comes with a Time Machine feature that you can easily use. If you are using a Windows laptop, you can easily use the backup utility feature from Microsoft, alternatively, there are loads of user-friendly backup tools that you can download and use.
If you want to go for a cloud backup, all the major cloud services (Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon Drive, and some other ones) are equipped with their tools that you can easily use to store your important files.
What makes it more interesting than local backup is that you will be able to access your files from any computer or smartphone from anywhere in the world as long as there is an internet connection.
4. Ensure your system and apps are up to date
One of the most efficient ways of ensuring that your laptop is malware-free is to make sure that it is constantly updated. Do not download unnecessary files from the internet and make sure that your programs are up to date.
Ensure that you activate the auto-update feature for your operating system and apps so that the latest security updates will be automatically downloaded anytime that you are connected to the internet.
5. Add a Privacy Screen
Shoulder surfing attacks are becoming more rampant, and it’s normal for humans to try to know what you are doing on your device, whether you’re at a coffee shop, library, or on a plane. You can easily prevent this type of attack by using a privacy screen feature.
Most modern laptops are equipped with a privacy screen feature that limits your laptop’s viewing angle. This will make it difficult for the person sitting beside you to see what you are doing on your laptop.
If you are interested in buying a new laptop and want to enjoy this feature, you should ask for any laptop with 3M Gold Privacy Filter: it is widely considered one of the best.
6. Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN)
If you are always using public Wi-Fi, you will need to invest in a decent VPN because it is all you need it protect all your devices connected to internet. There are numerous advantages of using a VPN, which includes making sure that your internet provider is not monitoring your online activities, enhanced security and anonymity, unblocking websites & bypassing geo filters.
Another advantage of a good VPN is that it encrypts the traffic between you and the VPN server, making it very difficult for hackers to steal your personal information. There are a lot of VPN services, but the good ones are few. Two of the most popular ones are NordVPN and PIA.
There are many free and paid VPN services that will monitor your online activities and then sell the information to third parties, so make sure that you are picking the right one.
7. Set up a password-protected screensaver
To enhance your laptop’s security, create a password-protected screensaver, which will ensure that no one can see what you are doing on your laptop when you leave it for some minutes. A password will be activated as soon as the screensaver appears, and it will require a password before it will exit.
8. Invest in a Kensington cable
Maybe you are always using your laptop in public places, or perhaps you share an office with a colleague, you can get a Kensington cable to fasten your laptop. This will ensure that your laptop does not get stolen easily.
Even if you are always with your laptop, you may consider to buy one of these.
9. Set up location-finding feature
Using a location-finding service can be quite helpful in case you ever misplace your laptop or it gets stolen. However, if you are not comfortable sharing your location with a software service, you may need to consider other options.
10. Prevent damage by adding a cover
I’m sure everyone loves a laptop that is durable and efficient. You can effectively prevent unnecessary damage to your laptop by using a cover, especially if you will be using the laptop at home with your kids and other family members.
Also, if you are always traveling with your laptop, you can buy a cover to prevent damages if it falls or bumped. There are a lot of amazing covers online that you can buy, it will be more financially reasonable to invest in a cover than to buy a new screen or laptop.
Conclusion
I’m sure you will agree with me that adhering to a few instructions and taking a few steps can significantly increase the security of your laptop and enhance your productivity. It also ensures that you will be able to get the maximum value for your money.
