Surf, Sand, Security!

Get together with your peers and discuss security on the shores of Santa Monica, California.

January 27 — 28, 2014

Come join OWASP Chapters from Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and the Bay Area as we gather at the Annenberg Community Beach House to network and share information with the country's leaders in information security. 

https://appseccalifornia.org/

Quick Tips for Handling and Securing your Laptop

Treat your laptop like cash!     

 

If you had a wad of money sitting out in a public place, would you turn your back on it – even just for a minute?  Would you put it in checked luggage?  Leave it on the backseat of your car?  Keep a careful eye on your laptop just as you would a pile of cash. When outside the office, never leave it unattended.

Do not leave your laptop in your car.

Don’t allow your laptop or anything of value to be visible from outside of your car. If you have to leave a laptop in a vehicle, put it in the trunk before you depart, not when you arrive at your destination, thus avoiding anyone seeing a laptop in an unattended vehicle. Never store a laptop in the trunk over night or over the weekend.

Do not allow anyone else to use your laptop

Don’t allow your laptop or anything of value to be visible from outside of your car. If you have to leave a laptop in a vehicle, put it in the trunk before you depart, not when you arrive at your destination, thus avoiding anyone seeing a laptop in an unattended vehicle. Never store a laptop in the trunk over night or over the weekend.

Ensure that your laptop has been encrypted

All laptops should be encrypted, as they are too easy to loose or be stolen, and it is too easy to forget what you may have stored on them. Something could be confidential.

 Record identifying information and mark your equipment

Record the make, model and serial number of your laptop and keep it in a separate location. Have a luggage tag on your laptop case, labeled with your contact information.

Secure your laptop when in the office

Secure your laptop by locking it in a docking station, if available. You can also use a security cable, a locked office or locked cabinet.  Do not set the laptop on the desk and then walk away with it unsecured.

Keep it off the floor                                

No matter where you are in public – at a conference, a coffee shop, or a registration desk – avoid putting your laptop on the floor. If you must put it down, place it between your feet or at least up against your leg, so that you’re aware of it. Laptops on the floor can easily get stepped on, kicked, and stolen

Do not store your password with your laptop

 You should secure your laptop with a strong password, but don’t keep the password in the laptop case or on a piece of paper stuck to the laptop.

Be very careful while travelling with a laptop

You should secure your laptop with a strong password, but don’t keep the password in the laptop case or on a piece of paper stuck to the laptop.

Studies have shown approximately 12,000 laptops per week are lost or misplaced in US Airports!

Consider non-traditional bags for carrying your laptop

When you take your laptop on the road, carrying it in a computer case may advertise what’s inside. Consider using a suitcase, a padded briefcase or a backpack instead.

Do not store your laptop in checked luggage.

 Never store your laptop in checked luggage. Always carry it with you.

Be vigilant in hotels

If you stay in hotels, a security cable may not be enough. Try not to leave your laptop out in your room. Rather, use the safe in your room if there is one. If you’re using a security cable to lock down your laptop, consider hanging the “do not disturb” sign on your door.

Keep track of your laptop when you go through airport screening

Hold onto your laptop until the person in front of you has gone through the metal detector. Watch for your laptop to emerge from the TSA scanners.

Backup your files

 Don't forget to always ensure that the files on your laptop are copies of the originals that you  have on a server somewhere.