Laptop Security and Crime Prevention

Laptops and notebooks are certainly a target for thieves, more often the opportunist thief but organised teams stalk car parks watching for victims. If you drive into a car park and think that you are protecting yourself from thieves by removing your laptop and putting it in the boot, be advised, you are likely to be watched and as you as you are out of sight, your laptop will be stolen.

Think ahead and pull in before the car park, put your laptop in the boot and then complete your journey so that anyone watching you will not see you hide anything. Do not simply put it under the car mat or a jacket because that is what thieves look for.

Laptop thieves don't just strike at car parks although they are easy pickings; anywhere where you have your laptop or note book, you are at risk of theft. Airports, coffee shops, libraries, bars, trains ...the list goes on. Below is a list of laptop crime prevention products.

Laptop security cables
One of the best deterrents available to protect a laptop. Notebook Security Locks protect your valuable notebook computer/laptop as well as other valuable equipment from theft.
Most feature their own type of locking device that secures any laptop in seconds. Simply attach a pivot clamp to the security slot found on most laptops, notebook computers, docking stations, and flat-screen monitors and you have effective physical and visual theft deterrence.

Lockdown systems
These are good visual theft deterrents. Lockdown systems are generally plates, about the same size as a laptop or notebook computer and fixed to a base such as desk, table, counter or any work surface. A secondary section is fixed to the actual computer and when connected they are locked together and secure. Be mindful that the base unit (Plate) has to be fixed to non moveable furniture otherwise the thief will simply steal the actual furniture together with the computer. The plate may have a swivel option to allow the computer to be rotated at 360 degrees.

Lockdown systems can also be shoes, like wedges that are fixed to furniture and clamped to secure and lock.
Laptop Security Drawers

This laptop security product offers a method to store your laptop when left unattended or stored overnight. The laptop lockable drawers fit desks or other work surface and have a sliding mechanism to retrieve the laptop. Look for vented Security Drawers to avoid overheating.

Laptop Security Briefcase
Some security briefcases are stylish executive styles and provide practical protection for your laptop. Once your notebook or laptop is in the case, wrap the security cable around any convenient anchor point and feed the leading end into the security slot on the briefcase.

Closing and locking the laptop briefcase will secure the security cable into the case and therefore secure the case to the anchor point.

Laptop security briefcases are perfect for travelling. Standard laptop carry cases look exactly like they are - cases for laptops, so it doesn't take a genius to see that there is a laptop on the go.

Anti-Theft PCMCIA card.
The laptop itself is not physically secured to any anchor points. It is indeed 'free range' but the PCMCIA anti theft card will passively monitor the position of a laptop computer. Sensors are set within a zone, this could be a work area or room. When the system is armed, if the sensors detect that the laptop has been moved outside of the designated work zone, an alarm will sound (if it has been enabled), and the software will shut down and effectively lock the computer by preventing it from booting without a proper authentication action. It can also optionally secure the keys to your encrypted files. The PCMCIA Anti-Theft card contains motion sensors that monitor the angle and velocity of your laptop.

Using these extremely sensitive sensors, the owner can create a unique 'gesture' password that is used to arm and disarm the system. What is a 'gesture' password? - As an example, my "password" could be a tilt forward, left, back, and right. If those four movements were not performed in sequence, the system would not unlock and may even sound the alarm.

Non-Technical Solutions: Use Common Sense!!
The most important part of information security is to minimize human error. In this case human error could be complacency. The laptop owner could easily help to ensure the security of the laptop just by following a few common sense solutions, such as the ones listed below.

Keep Your Laptop Out of Sight
If thieves don't know where your laptop is, they can't steal it. When it is not being used, it should be safely secured in a locked desk drawer or using any of the laptop security items above..

Keep the Laptop Close at Hand
Leave it "just for a minute" and it likely to disappear. If possible, remain in physical contact with it at all times.
Security Mark, Label and Tag the Laptop and all Accessories.

Make sure that everything that can be tamper proof labelled is labelled with the name of the individual or company that owns it, and ensure that the tamper-proof labels are highly conspicuous. Don't worry about appearance, the potential theft value of a laptop or peripheral is reduced greatly when additional work is required to remove the identifying marks. Conspicuous identity labels also significantly increase the risk of a potential thief being caught in the act of theft.

Educate Employee Responsibility for security of the Laptop
Laptops are often used for presentations with clients or at conferences etc. If the laptop is actually owned by the user, it is likely to be treated with care and security. However, those laptops that are used and cared for by employees who do not own them and may not necessarily have to pay for their replacement, may be treated differently.

A clearly written policy that outlines the employee's responsibility and liability for the laptop can significantly reduce the risk of theft, if only by increasing the employee's risk awareness.

The scale of employee responsibility and liability will vary greatly from company to company and will be affected statute and liability law, all employers that lend out laptops should have a policy in place that underlines the risks of laptop theft, the responsibility of the user together with the liability of the user.

It is worth ensuring that all users sign the policy each time a laptop or notebook computer is taken out of the office, thus ensuring that the user is aware of the risk of theft and his or her responsibility in the protection and, potentially, replacement of the equipment.

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