Community Newsletter: Q&A forum: My laptop was stolen, what concerns should I have?

Marlene - Your computer system BIOS is configured to boot from CD instead of the primary hard drive. When you first turn the power on, it doesn't find a CD in the drive so it returns a "Disk Boot Error" and moves on to boot the hard drive. When you cold boot your computer (turn power on)the system BIOS performs a complete hardware check. When you shut down and restart from windows (soft boot) it does not perform the system bios hardware check. This is the difference between getting the error and not getting it.

Refer to your computer documentation to access the system bios settings or (call the manufacturer) to step you through changing the boot device options.

Cindy

I would have to say that loosing my laptop would be my worst nightmare and I definitely can sympathize with you Dave. My entire life is on my computer. I have word documents that have all my personal information. A thief would potentially have access to all my credit card numbers, account numbers, passwords, financial data, address books, phone numbers, email and even my lifes history on a resume. The data my laptop contains is far more valuable than the price of the laptop itself and I shutter at the thought of someone not having a backup of their data at home. I think for the most part all hotels claim that they are not responsible for lost or stolen items and that all valuables should be stored in the hotel safe. But, I would continue to pursue the hotel and I would make sure you have filed a police report. You could also check your homeowners insurance policy to see if you might be covered for the loss there. You always have the right to sue the hotel, but good luck with that. How do you prove you even had a laptop with you? In the end, it is pretty much your word against theirs.

So, how do you prevent this from happening in the future or at least reduce the devastating results of the loss.

AVOIDING THEFT The best course of action is to reduce the likelihood of having your laptop stolen in the first place. Nothing can stop a professional who is determined to steal your computer but the majority of thefts can be foiled with some simple steps.

1. Do not use a notebook bag. Storing you computer in a standard notebook bag is like hanging a steal me sign on your computer. Carry you computer in a standard briefcase or other less obvious bag or backpack.

2. Never leave your site Whenever possible, always keep your bag that has your computer with you. Do not give it to bellman. Do not check it with your luggage. Always carry it yourself.

3. Never leave your computer or computer case out in plain site when leaving your hotel room. Pack the computer away and place it in a drawer or inside another piece of luggage. A computer in clear site is just too tempting for some.

4. Notebook Locks and Alarms If you must leave your computer setup in your hotel room then use a notebook lock and alarm. There are some nice locks that have a built-in alarm that will sound when someone moves or tries to cut the cable. This will not guaranty the safety of your laptop but can definitely deter the casual thief from simply up and walking away with it.

LESSEN THE EFFECTS OF THE LOSS There are three categories of loss

1. Monetary Loss This is the loss of the actual dollar value of the laptop computer. I personally do not travel with my most expensive notebook. I keep that one at home and use one of my older models to travel with.

2. Data Loss Never leave home without BACKING UP your computer. If you always backup your data, at least you will never have to worry about not having your documents, emails or other data.

3. Losing your Data to someone else So that leaves the problem of now someone else has your data. Think about what you have on your computer. Would you want some stranger to have it all? Is there anything on your computer that could be used by someone else? Could they steal your identity? Your accounts? Your Passwords? The obvious way to prevent your most personal data from getting into the hands of someone else is to NOT store it on your computer in the first place. But for me that is not practical, the whole reason I have a computer is to have easy access to all my information. The other way to prevent or certainly make it more difficult for someone to get your data is to encrypt and password protect your whole computer and or a least the important files.

SECURE YOUR PC - Passwords There are many types of passwords and some are not very secure. Do not rely on your Windows logon password to protect you from much of anything. Someone can easily access your data by simply removing your hard drive and reading it on another computer. I many cases all a thief has to do is boot into safe mode and log in as the administrator, which most users forget and leave the password as blank, and then they can remove your account password.

1. Windows User Password This is your standard Windows logon password. This will prevent the casual walker by from looking at your computer while you are away from your desk. But as I mentioned above, it does not do much good if someone has stolen your computer.

2. System Password This password is set at the Bios level of the computer and would make it more difficult to get into your computer.

3. Hard Drive Password Some computers had the ability to set a password for the hard drive in the Bios and would make it much more difficult to read the data off the drive, even if it is removed from the computer.

4. Individual File Passwords You can assign a password to individual documents and spreadsheets to prevent someone from accessing those files. I would certainly password protect any sensitive files. Again if someone really wants your data and has the time, there is always a way to get in.

5. File Encryption There are many 3rd party programs that you can purchase that will encrypt your files. Or you can use the built-in encryption that comes with business versions of Windows such as Windows XP Pro and Vista Ultimate.

SO WHAT DO I DO
1. Always purchase computers with business class operating systems such as Windows XP PRO or Vista Ultimate and use the built-in file encryption.
2. Set a system password for the computer and make sure the Administrators password is set.
3. Password protect individual files that have critical data such as that word document that has all your credit card account numbers.
4. Backup your computer before you go on a trip.
5. Hardly ever let that computer out of your site.
6. Always hide your laptop away when you leave your hotel room.


NOTE: There is a down side to all this security. As you add various levels of security such as encryption and passwords, you also make it much more difficult or even impossible to recover data from your computer should something go wrong with it. It can also be a major problem if you lose or are not good at remembering password.


Good Luck and please update us as to the outcome with the hotel.

Dana
Wayland Computer

Dear Dave its all in the mind.

The European think a little different than Americans i think.

You should have been more carefull with your data. A laptop is something that could easily be replaced. But the Data is more than expencive, its a lifetime loss.
With the price of usb sticks and portable hard disks tha back up of your data has never been easier.
So next time byu a laptop and back up or your valuable data in a removable media that you coud take with you everywhere.

You say it was recent, and an "upscale" hotel? Their security office should say when the door was last locked and who came in between the time you left and returned. If you have already reported the theft to them, the next step is to report it to the police and see if they can still investigate.

First let me say that im sorry for your loss. I would be equally as devistated if it happened to me. About the only thing i would suggest is that when you replace your laptop make sure you encrypt all that it is on it. I understand they have strong encryption methods today that would deny immediate access to your hard drive contents. Of course if they are serious about stealing your ID then they would have the needed skills to break the code. I would raise as much hell as i could with the Hotel that failed to secure your room. Most Hotels will fall back on what a lot of them make policy - Put your valuables in their safe or the safe thats in most good Hotel rooms.
Once again i feel for your loss. Hindsight is 20/20 and its easy to give advise after the fact. Good luck on your recovery efforts
cal in california

There is a free program called LaptopLock that you can get at http://www.thelaptoplock.com/
when you report your computer as stolen on the web site, the LaptopLock program will securely delete any files you want and will encrypt anything you set it the next time your computer goes on the internet. If your computer isn't taken on the net for a long time (whether you report it stolen or not) it will prompt for a password and will not let anyone through. The program its self is very small and doesn't effect the performance of your computer very much. Just make sure you connect to the net every now and then. I have not had to deal with the password prompt even after my computer was used in an area with no internet for for more than a week.
Hopefully your crooks are too stupid to get any of your personal information. I'll pray for you.

Hi Dave,
I am so very sorry to hear of the theft of your laptops. The hotel should be held accountable for your demise, and the employees of the hotel should be questioned and probably given a lie detector test. The culprit(s) found and punished not only for the theft of your computer, but most importantly for crimes against the computers
Publicity would hightlight the poor security of the hotel and prevent any future occurrence.
I hope you will recover them soon.
Best regards
simiyah

<Is a concern justified for identity theft from the info available on the machine?
Yes, in fact it is likely. If you have your social security number, credit card number, finance information, or other personal information I would suggest you start protecting yourself by reporting the identity theft to all three credit bureaus.

<Is the hotel responsible for replacement?
I do not think so unless you can prove that they were negligent. It does sound like they were able to gain entry into your room without forcing the door, which suggests that an employee might have been involved. If they use a plastic card keys, then there may be a log of whose card was used to enter the room. Probably only the manager of the hotel would know that the log even exists.

Three tips for the future. First, before leaving your room, use a cable lock on the laptops, looping thru the handle of the bags, and around a piece of heavy furniture (long cable). Secondly, they make LoJack devices for laptops nowadays. Lastly, make backups of your valuable data regularly and before taking a trip (It would also save your butt if you drop your laptop).

When you replace your laptops purchase ones that have hardware Full Disk Encryption (FDE). When you turn on a laptop that is equipted this way you will have no access to the hard drive at all until you type a password or use a biometric device of some type (like a finger swipe).

This is better than adding encryption to the OS since that would drain computing power, hardware encryption is built into the drive hardware. And since you have no laptop this is the perfect opertunity.

Now this is all shutting the barn door after the horses have left, if you have not done so contact the three credit reporting agencies as well as your banks.

Equifax
P.O Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
1-800-525-6285

Experian
P.O Box 9532
Allen, TX 75013
1-888-397-3742

TransUnion
Fraud Victim Assistance Division
P.O Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834-6790
1-800-680-7289

I'm araid the answers to your questions are perfectly clear.

As for identity theft: I'm truly sorry to say this, but you're screwed. Immediately alert the law enforcement agencies, and any businesses or financial institutions whose personal data you had on that computer. And my sympathies.

As for future preventative measures:
(1) Set up your next laptop to require a password to log on, and set the screensaver to require the password to restore the display. Make the password secure, one that you can remember and no one else would guess.
(2) Encrypt your data. There are shareware and freeware utilities that will let you securely encrypt files, folders, even entire drive volumes.
(3) Make the computer physically secure -- don't EVER leave it where it can be stolen or tampered with. If you must, you can buy devices that will set off an alarm if the computer is physically disturbed.
(4) Maintain a secure backup of your critical information. (You do have a regular system backup, don't you?) It could help you determine what personal information is in the wind, so that you know what to keep an eye on, and change as needed.
(5) Use good anti-virus and anti-malware software -- again, this can be shareware or freeware. There are more ways to lose data than by having your computer stolen, and they're more insidious because they're seldom so easily recognized.

As for any responsibility on the part of the hotel...again, unless the hotel is feeling incredibly generous, you're screwed. Every hotel I've ever stayed in had a warning, in writing, against leaving valuables in your room, even when it's properly locked, and disclaimed any legal responsibility for lost or stolen property. They expect you either to take your valuables with you whenever you leave your room, or to deposit them in the hotel safe. They might make a gesture just to be nice -- but legally, they have NO obligation to make good your losses, unless you can make a case against them for negligence or criminal collusion.

Again, my sympathies -- and better luck in the future.

At home i have a central data storage that is not tempered with by anyone and which serves as a backup for the inexpendable information i have. and yes the hotel is resposible for the stolen laptops.

Hi Dave,

Sorry to hear about your losses; this is a rough one -- most hotels will at least try to claim non-liability for any possessions you leave in your room when you go out, but if your losses are great enough and you can document all the caution you took, perhaps you should consult an attorney, as I'm sure exceptions have been made and/or forced at times. Of course as always, if you choose to go this way, the sooner the better -- otherwise you'll have to deal with the question of hesitation.

As for your identity, now would be a good time to change all your passwords to anything that you might have had stored on that computer. Further, if you used the laptop to do things like online banking, this is pretty much the equivalent of having lost your ATM/credit card, so I would call up all your banks, credit cards, etc. and explain to them what happened -- they will probably handle it like a lost/stolen card. Also might be a good idea to change your email address as well, and actually close the old one -- so that if any tries to use it or have anything sent to it, they get an NDR (non-delivery receipt) back and know its an invalid email address.

It's a pain, I know. But the basic strategy here is to try to outdo anyone who might be trying to tap the compromised information before they do. Either way, good luck to you.

As a newbie to all this I was once advised to b/u my material. ya ya.
It wasn't until I had unwanted visitors at my house that I relized what my friend was talking about.This person got away with over 350GB's on my computor. When I b/u my files and docs.now I delete the files that I need to keep after I've copied them to disc. Keeping track of them I use Where Is It program.This way I have kept pictures,music etc...etc..in an organized fashion. It is not too much of time consumption when you figure out what you are saving & what you are preventing OTHER people from getting thier hands on.

Maybe you should get lojack.

http://embed.grandcentral.com/webcall/f176276825241099bf01bb01f571b89b

Call me and tell me something i don't know.

There is a good short answer for this problem: Use encrypted volumes. Windows XP has the ability to encrypt directories. I don't know how good the protection is, especially since it uses the same password system as the logon password, but it will be way better than nothing.

For better security, keep your sensitive data inside an encrypted volume that operates outside of Windows OS. I use TrueCrypt, a freeware program that is just great. You can choose your encryption algorithm, and create encrypted volumes that load as if though they were hard drives. You can also encrypt backups, and even data placed on a USB drive, or a DVD. Check it out, and then sleep better.