MINNESOTA (STEP NUMBER 7 OF 8) IN HOW TO SECURE YOUR COMPUTER REVIEW Eight ways to secure your computer and online identity – Part 2:

Tip 7. Don’t forget physical security

The previous six tips cover ways that you can protect your computer from online threats. It is important to remember that the physical security of your computer is still critical. Computer theft, especially for laptops, is extremely common.
* Always lock your room or office when you are away.

* Don’t leave your computer where it can be seen from the doorway or window if possible.

* Lock up your laptop with a cable lock that is secured to a solid piece of furniture.

If you must store confidential or private information on your personal computer you should strongly consider using a disk encryption program that will prevent others from reading your data.

UST faculty and staff should never store private or confidential UST data on any local computer. UST private or confidential data should always be stored on UST’s central systems, and secured so that only those who need access to view the information.

Keep in mind that if thieves steal your laptop they will have all of the time they need to break into your operating system. They can use cracking tools that are readily available on the Internet. It may take them minutes, or it may take weeks, but once they have physical access you have to assume they can eventually gain access to everything on your laptop unless the drive is encrypted. If your computer is stolen or lost, you should consider all of the data on it to be compromised unless it was encrypted.