What is at risk?

Only you can determine what is actually at risk. If a thief steals your laptop or PDA, the most obvious loss is the machine itself. However, if the thief is able to access the information on the computer or PDA, all of the information stored on the device is at risk, as well as any additional information that could be accessed as a result of the data stored on the device itself.

Sensitive corporate information or customer account information should not be accessed by unauthorized people. You’ve probably heard news stories about organizations panicking because laptops with confidential information on them have been lost or stolen. But even if there isn’t any sensitive corporate information on your laptop or PDA, think of the other information at risk: information about appointments, passwords, email addresses and other contact information, personal information for online accounts, etc.

How can you protect your laptop or PDA?

• Password-protect your computer – Make sure that you have to enter a password to log in to your computer or PDA (see Choosing and Protecting Passwords for more information).
• Keep your laptop or PDA with you at all times – When traveling, keep your laptop with you. Meal times are optimum times for thieves to check hotel rooms for unattended laptops. If you are attending a conference or trade show, be especially wary—these venues offer thieves a wider selection of devices that are likely to contain sensitive information, and the conference sessions offer more opportunities for thieves to access guest rooms.
• Downplay your laptop or PDA – There is no need to advertise to thieves that you have a laptop or PDA. Avoid using your portable device in public areas, and consider non-traditional bags for carrying your laptop.
• Be aware of your surroundings – If you do use your laptop or PDA in a public area, pay attention to people around you. Take precautions to shield yourself from “shoulder surfers”—make sure that no one can see you type your passwords or see any sensitive information on your screen.
• Consider an alarm or lock – Many companies sell alarms or locks that you can use to protect or secure your laptop. If you travel often or will be in a heavily populated area, you may want to consider investing in an alarm for your laptop bag or a lock to secure your laptop to a piece of furniture.
• Back up your files – If your portable device is stolen, it’s bad enough that someone else may be able to access your information. To avoid losing all of the information, make backups of important information and store the backups in a separate location (see Good Security Habits for more information). Not only will you still be able to access the information, but you’ll be able to identify and report exactly what information is at risk.

What can you do if your laptop or PDA is lost or stolen?

Report the loss or theft to the appropriate authorities. These parties may include representatives from law enforcement agencies, as well as hotel or conference staff. If your device contained sensitive corporate or customer account information, immediately report the loss or theft to your organization so that they can act quickly.

1. Protect your Social Security Number (SSN): minimize use of your SSN and don’t carry your Social Security card in your wallet.
2. Don’t be “hooked” by phishing email scams. Don’t respond to requests to verify your account number or password. Click here to learn more.
3. Shred often – shred or tear up documents with personally identifiable information before you throw them away, including convenience checks and credit card offers.
4. Shield your computer from viruses and spyware: follow our Getting Started Guide and use strong passwords.
5. Click with caution. Read a website’s privacy policy, look for opportunities to opt out of information sharing and only enter personal information on secure web pages with “https” in the address bar and a padlock symbol at the bottom of the browser window.
6. Check your bills and bank statements: for any unauthorized charges or withdrawals. Report unauthorized use immediately.
7. Stop pre-approved credit offers; they make a tempting target for identity thieves who steal your mail. Remove your name from credit bureau marketing lists by visiting https://www.optoutprescreen.com or calling 1-888-5OPTOUT.
8. Ask questions: whenever you are asked for personal information that seems inappropriate for the transaction, ask how the information will be used, if it will be shared and how it will be protected. Not satisfied with the answers? Do business elsewhere.
9. Monitor your credit report: you’re entitled to free credit reports at http://www.annualcreditreport.com.
10. Take this Quiz: see how you stack up in this Identity Theft IQ Quiz provided by the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.

1. Opening attachments from unknown senders is the riskiest thing you can do. Research shows that email attachments remain the number one means by which worms and viruses propagate.
2. Installing unauthorized applications such as file-sharing tools (Limewire, Azureus and other Bit Torrent clients) – Illegal downloads are against university policy and they, like email attachments, are simply another means by which “bad” files get on your computer.
3. Number three is disabling security tools. While trouble-shooting slow applications, many users will turn off their anti-virus and/or firewall. The problem is they forget to turn them back on!
4. While most people may know not to open email attachments, many don’t realize that dangers can lie in the body of an email too. HTML mail or mails that contain embedded photos are just as dangerous. Embedded images and PDFs can contain malicious code that is harmful. So be sure not to open any unsolicited/suspicious mail.
5. Surfing questionable sites is always dangerous. You will find, more times than not, that porn, gambling and sites that host illegal content are the same sites that install malicious software on your computer.
6. Giving/lending passwords – Don’t be too trusting of fellow students and colleagues. Keep your BroncoName and BroncoPassword to yourself. Exposing it means you’re exposing salary, banking, class registration information, etc.!
7. Browsers are quickly becoming some of the larger vulnerabilities in computing. Adware and spyware are written specifically to exploit Internet Explorer and Firefox. So avoid surfing sites that you don’t already know and stick with the ones you trust.
8. Wireless networks are a huge risk because they are shared. The guy sitting across from you could be a hacker, stealing your password. Make sure you leave the firewall turned on and avoid sending passwords through the air. Only use encrypted wireless networks as they offer higher levels of protection.
9. Filling in web forms and registration pages – There may be nobody behind you watching you as you type. But that doesn’t stop a keylogger (a program or device that logs all your key-strokes) from collecting your information. Try to keep all sensitive material on your own machine (the one that you maintain and protect), and keep it off those public computers.
10. Avoid social networking sites. Sites like MySpace and Facebook are a dream for thieves and stalkers. They allow anyone the ability to gather information about you that may aid them in stealing your identity. Think twice before you post any sensitive or damaging information on these sites.

1. Opening attachments from unknown senders is the riskiest thing you can do. Research shows that email attachments remain the number one means by which worms and viruses propagate.
2. Installing unauthorized applications such as file-sharing tools (Limewire, Azureus and other Bit Torrent clients) – Illegal downloads are against university policy and they, like email attachments, are simply another means by which “bad” files get on your computer.
3. Number three is disabling security tools. While trouble-shooting slow applications, many users will turn off their anti-virus and/or firewall. The problem is they forget to turn them back on!
4. While most people may know not to open email attachments, many don’t realize that dangers can lie in the body of an email too. HTML mail or mails that contain embedded photos are just as dangerous. Embedded images and PDFs can contain malicious code that is harmful. So be sure not to open any unsolicited/suspicious mail.
5. Surfing questionable sites is always dangerous. You will find, more times than not, that porn, gambling and sites that host illegal content are the same sites that install malicious software on your computer.
6. Giving/lending passwords – Don’t be too trusting of fellow students and colleagues. Keep your BroncoName and BroncoPassword to yourself. Exposing it means you’re exposing salary, banking, class registration information, etc.!
7. Browsers are quickly becoming some of the larger vulnerabilities in computing. Adware and spyware are written specifically to exploit Internet Explorer and Firefox. So avoid surfing sites that you don’t already know and stick with the ones you trust.
8. Wireless networks are a huge risk because they are shared. The guy sitting across from you could be a hacker, stealing your password. Make sure you leave the firewall turned on and avoid sending passwords through the air. Only use encrypted wireless networks as they offer higher levels of protection.
9. Filling in web forms and registration pages – There may be nobody behind you watching you as you type. But that doesn’t stop a keylogger (a program or device that logs all your key-strokes) from collecting your information. Try to keep all sensitive material on your own machine (the one that you maintain and protect), and keep it off those public computers.
10. Avoid social networking sites. Sites like MySpace and Facebook are a dream for thieves and stalkers. They allow anyone the ability to gather information about you that may aid them in stealing your identity. Think twice before you post any sensitive or damaging information on these sites.