Stolen Laptop Recovery and Data Destruction

When a laptop is lost or stolen there are two things that most laptop owners want. They want their laptop back or they want a way to ensure that any sensitive data housed on the laptop cannot fall into the wrong hands. In this article we will discuss methods and technologies that can be used to recover a lost or stolen laptop and ways to secure sensitive data so that if it does fall into the wrong hands it cannot be used or compromised.

Laptop Recovery

Lost and Found Sticker

There are many things that laptop owners can do to assist in laptop recovery. One of the most simple, but often overlooked, things that can be done is to place a sticker on the laptop that lists a phone number to be called in case the laptop was lost and has been found somewhere. This gives honest people an easy way to return the laptop to it's rightful owner. It is important to not list the name of the laptop owner on this sticker, however, as it could potentially be used by hackers to gain information they may need to guess the owner's password or otherwise gain access to the computer. A name could also be used by identity thieves to tie all the information stored on the computer to a certain individual making their job easier. It could also help thieves determine if the laptop has sensitive data on it that they should spend time trying to recover.

Recovery Hardware and Software

There are a number of companies that provide hardware or software or a combination of both to help laptop owners get their laptops back. Many of the software solutions work by using any available internet connection on the laptop to periodically contact a central server on the internet which records the date, time, and IP address of the laptop. When you report your laptop is lost or stolen then the next time your computer connects to the central server it is told to go on high-alert mode and will contact the central server at shorter intervals so that it's location can be tracked accurately. Hardware solutions generally work the same but also have a GPS device that can pinpoint the physical location of the laptop as well as the IP address. LoJack for Laptops is a popular (and cheap) software solution.

Data Security And Destruction

Security

There are two methods you can use to ensure that your data cannot be compromised if your laptop is stolen. The first method is Data Security which usually involves storing sensitive data in an encrypted format. This will prevent an unauthorized user from accessing the data. Solutions exist that encrypt your whole hard drive, only specified data, or intrusion-based encryption. Solutions that encrypt all the data on the hard drive are arguably the most secure but encryption slows things down because of the CPU processing power required to encrypt and decrypt all the data. If the software allows you to choose only certain files or folders to encrypt this will take less CPU processing but you must remember to always put your sensitive information in the right folder or configure the encryption software to protect new files or folders you create. Intrusion-based encryption software works by encrypting your data after if has detected that your laptop has been stolen or compromised. If you are able to get your laptop back after the data has been encrypted you will most likely be able to recover the data using a password or other tool provided by the software.

Destruction

The second method to secure your data is by using Data Destruction Software. This software works by deleting files or folders once it has detected that your computer has been stolen. Once the data is gone you will not be able to get it back but neither will the person who stole your laptop. Other data destruction software allows you to remotely delete sensitive files by accessing the laptop remotely over the internet if the thief connects it to the internet.

Conclusion

Although there are many solutions out there for stolen laptop recovery and data destruction it is up to you to choose what's best for your laptop. If you store many sensitive or irreplaceable files on your laptop you should take the necessary steps to ensure that you will either get the data back or prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. This may mean forking out quite a bit of cash in order to protect your laptop and it's data. On the other hand, if you don't store sensitive data on your laptop you can go with a cheaper solution that will give you some protection without emptying your wallet.