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QUESTIONS ABOUT CRIME PREVENTION???
City of Madera Police Department Crime Prevention Officer, Durbin Lloren, wants to hear from you, as a Business Owner. Do you have a specific question, issue or concern relating to Crime Prevention that you’d like the answer to? Officer Lloren wants to answer your questions about what concerns you as a Business owner… email him today at dlloren@cityofmaderapd.org SECURITY ASSESSMENT PROGRAM
The Crime Prevention Division of the Madera Police Department wants to help make your business a safer place for you, your employees, and your customers. They offer a free Security Assessment of your business; this program is at no cost to you, and may give you valuable information to protect your business and have the potential of reducing your insurance premiums (please check with your policy holder). You may download the SECURITY ASSESSMENT REQUEST FORM or stop by the Chamber office for a hard copy. JULY 2010
Secure Your Laptop
By Officer Durbin Lloren
City of Madera Police Department Crime Prevention Unit
Just about every person nowadays owns a laptop. Laptops have become just as common as cell phones. If you look around, you can find them everywhere. In case you don’t know, they have also become one of the most sought after items to steal. I located some good advice from the internet, using my laptop of course, that will give you some good tips on preventing your laptop from being stolen, but also protecting the information you keep on it. Think about what you have on your laptop, would you want your information floating around out there for strangers to view and use...probably not. So if you follow a few simple precautions it might save you a headache down the road. Seven Steps to Prevent Laptop Theft Here are seven guidelines to help you avoid seeing your laptop (and your sensitive data) disappear. Airport Cards When using wireless technology to access the Internet from any public place, don't enter your credit card number or other personal data. It can be stolen by cyber thieves who are online in the same location. Storing Sensitive Data on a Portable Device Only bring the information that you absolutely need, when traveling with your laptop - and even then, use good judgment. For instance, a database full of user names, passwords and social security numbers should never be stored on a portable device such as a laptop. These things can be stored in a centrally accessible repository. For more details on classifying what is and what is not confidential data, click defining sensitive data. Encrypt Sensitive Data If you have sensitive information on your computer, consider encrypting it. Programs such as TrueCrypt make it easy. When a thief takes your machine, these extra steps will make it more difficult to access the laptop's data. Encryption won't return your laptop if stolen, but it will protect your sensitive information. Additionally, back up all your files and information to another computer or store them on a secure, centralized, accessible repository. A recent backup prevents loss of valuable time and intellectual property; it enables you to resume work after a loss. You can also use the backup to inform Instructional and Information Technology (I&IT) and law enforcement as to exactly what was stored on the laptop. Physical Security Never leave your laptop unattended. Often, laptops are stolen from airports, meeting rooms and conferences simply because the owner did not stay close by. After giving a speech, the CEO of a multibillion dollar mobile technology company stepped down to talk with the audience, and his laptop was stolen right from the podium! Traveling - When traveling with your laptop, carry it in a laptop backpack. There's lots of room and it's inconspicuous. Fashionable business people carrying laptops in expensive cases are asking for trouble. Those expensive cases say, "Laptop! Laptop! Steal me!" Additionally, don't let your laptop backpack out of your sight. Once on board your flight, put the computer under the seat in front of you. Try to avoid putting it in the overhead bin, where it is easily accessible to others. In your hotel room, do not leave your laptop visible. Hide it at the bottom of your suitcase, buried under your clothing. On campus - Faculty laptops will come equipped with a cable lock which will allow users to secure them to a large object such as a desk. They can either use the cable lock or secure the computer in a locked desk or cabinet when not in use. Laptops should not be left in cars for long periods of time as high temperatures may damage the computer or it may be stolen. If the laptops need to stay in a car for a short amount of time, it is advised they should be locked inside the automobile's trunk. Laptops are the property of the university. As with other equipment, faculty is expected to take reasonable care to avoid damage or theft. For more information, click here. Be careful at home - If you have a steady stream of people that go in and out of your house (i.e. if you're remodeling your home, etc.), take special care if you bring work projects home on your laptop. Never leave it in plain sight, and put it away in a secure place when you aren't using it. Can you trace a stolen laptop? If your laptop does get stolen, you should always contact the Department of Public Safety as well as the I&IT Help Desk for assistance at 909.869.6776. Put a tag with a phone number on your laptop so it's easy to return if lost or stolen. Some services sell mobile-device tags that list a toll-free number. If someone calls to turn in your registered device, they receive a reward. We can't recover your laptop, but there are programs that will report the location of a stolen laptop. They work when the laptop connects to the Internet. Some claim to report the laptop's exact physical location. Tracing programs include zTrace, CyberAngel, and ComputracePlus. Always set a system password - Portable laptops should be protected with a start-up password. A system password prompt will appear each time you start your computer before Windows even begins to load. It will prohibit any access to the computer at all. To create a system password, you'll need to access your computer's setup utility (also known as CMOS BIOS settings, which stands for "Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor Basic Input/Output System"). Doing this requires different actions for different computers. Typically, however, if you press Delete, Esc or F1 as soon as you turn on your system, and before it begins to load Windows, you'll get the setup menu. If in doubt, check your computer's manual or do a search on your system manufacturer's website. Once you're into the setup utility, scroll through the options until you find a setting for "Security," or it may even be labeled "Password." Enter your desired password and make sure you press "Save and Exit". |
