Wipe Up All Passwords:
According to the security professionals, if you lost the laptop, the first and foremost action needed is to delete all the logging passwords into your laptop. The robber is likely to access most of your online accounts. So, go through your email account first and then other accounts like bank accounts, Paypal, social websites-commerce sites, and immediately change existing passwords to be misused for any wrong purpose.
Protection Starts With Unified Endpoint Management
A unified endpoint management solution gives HR the autonomy to oversee laptop security for every employee, freeing up IT to focus on other strategic security measures. It also allows HR to immediately respond to security breaches in real time, shortening the window of opportunity thieves have to steal a laptops contents.
In addition to improving visibility into an employees device identity and compliance, endpoint management solutions give HR the ability to:
Passwords alone are not enough to safeguard sensitive corporate information, and installing security protocols after a laptop is stolen does little to mitigate the consequences. Despite their traditional role in their companies, HR teams play an important role in protecting employee identities and taking the precautionary steps to secure employee laptops before they go missing.
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Using Gmail Or Dropbox To Track Its Ip Address
If you didnt have any of the above features enabled then all is not lost. You can still track the IP address of your device if someone is using it. Again, this wont give you a precise location, but youll have an idea of which town or maybe even road where it might be found.
If you have a Gmail account then this is the best place to start. Log into the web version in your browser, then scroll down to the bottom of the messages until you find the Details option in the lower right corner.
You can also find similar information on the web version of Dropbox by clicking on your account icon in the upper right corner, then selecting Settings> Security.
Now scroll down to the web browsers section and hover the cursor over the information icon in the Most recent activity column for the device in question.
If none of these routes are successful in reuniting you with your laptop then you have our deepest sympathies.
All we can do is provide you with a guide to the best laptops currently available and recommend that you implement some of the measures above so that youll be ready for them should there be a next time.
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How To Locate A Stolen Laptop And Block It
Important: How to locate a stolen laptop and block it
Have you been the victim of a robbery or have you lost your computer? With this guide we teach you everything you need to know to locate a stolen laptop.
Losing a PC today is a real tragedy. Thats where we store all our company information, personal life, and other sensitive content. So the total loss of all those documents is a high risk to assume for the entrepreneur behind.
Too much time is invested in the creation and maintenance of all this content. And we must not take it for lost before time. There are still some solutions that are capable of rediscovering our old device or, at least, of formatting it so that it does not fall into the wrong hands.
Do you want to know the different methods to locate a stolen laptop and recover it? Read on
How To Protect Yourself
Password protect your laptop and be smart with passwords
You should set up your laptop so that you have to enter a password every time you boot up, or whenever you come back to it after it has switched to the screensaver. Skilled computer users may be able to bypass this feature, but it will protect your data from common thieves.
Its not just about picking difficult-to-guess passwords filled with capital letters, numbers and symbols . You should also enable two-step authentication on any site that holds personal data including Facebook, Twitter and Google.
If you cant remember the wealth of passwords youve created, dont stick them in a text file on your desktop. Instead, you could store a list on a cloud service like iCloud or Dropbox , or better still, try a password manager which allow you to log in with one universal password. Services like LastPass and 1Password store your passes in an online vault, while KeePass stores them on your machine. Both approaches have their strengths and weaknesses. Dashlane, meanwhile, allows users to store passwords and personal data on their computer, but also allows premium customers to have an encrypted version stored on the companys servers for backup and syncing.
Encrypt your hard drive
Limit the data on your machine – and back up regularly
Many thanks to security, technology and gaming consultant Josey Howarth who advised on this feature and makes YouTube videos on laptop and gaming security. She tweets from .
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Enable Find My Device And Track Your Laptop
Windows 10 comes with a useful feature called Find My Device that allows you to track your device at all times.
This feature isnt enabled by default, but if you want to protect your laptop in the future, we recommend you enable it. To do that, follow these steps:
After doing that, you should be able to track your laptop remotely. To do that, simply go to Microsofts website, log in with your Microsoft account and click on Find my device.
Now you should see the location of your laptop on the map. Even though this feature is useful, you need to keep in mind that this location on the map isnt always correct.
This is a useful feature, but if its not enabled you wont be able to use it to track your laptop.
If you manage to locate your laptop using this method, be sure to contact the authorities and forward them the IP address and the location of your laptop.
How To Prevent Future Theft
When you replace your laptop, it’s time to take precautions to prevent future theft:
It can be a terrible experience to have your laptop stolen. Someone else might potentially acquire access to your entire life, given everything we carry on our phones these days.
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Trying To Get It Back
Before getting your computer or laptop back, you need to have the serial number or model number so it can be identified. If you do not have records of this information, contact the manufacturer to see if they can provide you with this information.
Additional information
Laptop Theft Occurs More Often Than People Would Like To Think Here Is What You Should Do If You Lose Your Computer And All The Data On It
A laptop is stolen every 12 seconds, meaning one more will be taken by the time you finish reading this sentence. Here’s what to do if that stolen laptop is yours. And if you’re thinking you can rest easy and skip this article because you and your employees mostly keep your laptops at home, according to a December 2010 Ponemon Institute study, the majority of laptops go missing off-site in employee homes.
1. Change Your Passwords
First things first: Do not stop, do not pass go – go directly to change your network username and passwords. The account you use to login to your office network needs to be changed first. If you have an IT department, let them know so they can keep an eye out for repeated authorization failures in your username.
You’ll also want to change information for all personal accounts you may have accessed: email, credit cards, bank accounts, web sites, airlines – anything web based for which you have a username and password. Access to these accounts may be available through web browser cache and cookies, so changing the password should prevent this type of access.
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If You Set Up Find My For Your Missing Mac
Learn more about using the Find My app to locate a lost or stolen device.
Make Sure To Track Your Device
Laptops are trackable in the same way as desktops. However, the way to go about it is a bit different. Unlike smartphones and tabs, laptops can only be tracked using third-party commercial location software. You can also opt for engraving personalized markings or serial numbers on the body or use tamper-resistant tags.
This software can be a bit expensive but is a good investment if your laptop contains sensitive information and data. Some brands, most prominently Apple, also use proprietary built-in tracking technology on their devices which allows laptop users a wide range of actions to minimize the damage from the theft.
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A December 2010 Ponemon Institute survey found that two-thirds of companies don’t take advantage of even basic security practices for their laptops. “While organizations may be aware of the lost laptop problem, it became clear as we conducted our research that most organizations, including workers, IT and CFOs, do not fully understand the adverse affect it can have on their bottom line. If they did, they’d be much more diligent in protecting their laptop fleets,” said Larry Ponemon, the Ponemon Institute’s chairman and founder.
2. Check the Lost-and-Found
3. Make Clients Aware
Notify clients if they’re affected. If you were storing any access to their sites or personal information, you need to let them know so they, too, can change passwords.
4. Utilize Computer Tracking
If you don’t already have laptop tracking software, consider contacting MyLaptopGPS, which offers free help even for non-customers. For actual customers, the company claims a 99.6 percent success rate and a 300 percent guarantee, according to chief technology officer Dan Yost. Prices start at $9.95 per month for one computer $49.95 covers five laptops. There are several laptop tracking services you can try.
5. Invest in an Online Backup Service
Log Out Of All Your Sessions Remotely
To log out of all your sessions and accounts, use a different computer or phone. For your convenience, Google will keep you logged into many devices, but you can easily log out of all of them.
Go to Gmail, scroll to the bottom of your messages, and look for “Details” under your inbox in the bottom right corner. After clicking it, go to the top and select “sign out of all otheronline sessions.” Then go to this page to de-authorize apps that have access to your Google account. Remember that you can log out of Facebook and other social media accounts from anywhere!
You’ll need to go through all of your saved passwords and erase them. If you’re using a device that isn’t yours, you’ll need to first log into the browser. Go to the password manager after that. Go to Chrome’s Settings > Advanced Settings > Passwords and Forms > Manage Passwords to manage your passwords. Turn off auto-sign in first, then remove all of your passwords by clicking on the three dots next to the site where they’re saved and selecting “delete.” We also recommend that you delete autofill because it frequently saves personal information.
Then, to delete and uninstall any password manager that is synchronizing your data with the stolen device, we recommend signing up for LastPass or a similar tool. It will also assist you in the future with password management.
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Immediately Sold To The Highest Bidder
Once your laptop gets stolen, thieves will want to get rid of it as quickly as possible. They might sell it right out on the street to anybody willing to paymoney and the riskfor a suspiciously cheap laptop. Sometimes, they even do it around the corner from your own home, and you could even get a report with a picture of someone you know.
Turn On Find My Device
When you set up a new device, you can decide whether to turn on or turn off the Find my device setting. If you turned it off during setup and now want to turn it on, make sure your Windows device is connected to the internet, has enough battery power so it can send its location, and that you’re signed in to the device using your Microsoft account.
On the device that you want to change, select Start > Settings > Update & Security > Find my device.
Select Change for the device you want to change.
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Alert Those Connected To You
Hackers try to spread by breaching an individual and then targeting their network.. Intego also explains that the reason is simple: hackers use your email to send messages pretending to be you because your friends are more likely to open messages from you without thinking.
So before you spam a virus to your family, friends, and coworkers Give a heads up. Protect your core group and notify them immediately to avoid spreading the attack..
Your Laptop Has Been Stolen Now What
Oh man! Youve got to be kidding me! Its gone! My computer has been stolen! How could this have happened?! My mind is racing and all my thoughts are crashing into each other and I can feel myself beginning to PANIC!
Deep breath…
Now THINK!!! What was on that computer? How sensitive is the information? Did I have a password? How strong was the password? Was the hard drive encrypted? How important were the files on it? Can the computer be replaced? Can the data be replaced? What happens if someone gets my files? Did I have personal information on it? Did I have customers personal information on it?!! WHAT ABOUT MY PICTURES?! Do I have a backup? How old is my backup?! Who do I need to tell? WHAT DO I DO?!
Ever been in this situation? Believe me, you better hope you never are. But the very first thing you need to do should happen long before your computer is stolen. If your business depends on either that computer or the data on it, then you have no excuse for not taking the necessary steps beforehand to prevent a computer theft from becoming a disaster. You may not be able to prevent computer thefts, but you can prevent computer thefts from becoming a disaster. I have been involved in a number of mitigation efforts following laptop thefts. It is soooo much easier if just a few precautionary steps have been taken. But they may not all be what you expect.
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