Bulletin Board
Business travelers aren't the only ones enamored of their
ever smaller, ever lighter laptop computers. Thieves love
them, too. Nearly 320,000 laptops were stolen in the United
States in 1999, up from 208,000 in 1995, according to
Safeware, an Ohio-based insurance company that specializes in
computer coverage. In 1999 alone, Safeware says, losses
exceeded $800 million. And that was just for the equipment
itself, not for data that might have been worth far more.
When it comes to preventing theft, nothing beats awareness.
Treat your machine as if it were your wallet. Don't flash it
around. Carry it yourself. Never leave it unattended in
public. Other options for protecting portables include:
Cable locks. One end wraps around a post or a piece
of furniture and the other fits into the notebook's built-in
security slot (standard on most models). Computer Security
Products Inc., among others, makes generic locks for many
computers.
Alarms. Motion-detectors like Port .com's DEFCON
alarm snap onto computers and shriek if the device is touched
or moved. Port.com also makes cases with built-in alarms. A
road-warrior variation: TrackIT's two-piece system includes a
key-chain remote for the owner and an alarm for the computer.
If a thief swipes the ma- chine, its alarm wails within
seconds.
Built-in security. Some new laptops come with smart
cards that lock computers or disk drives when they're not in
use. Acer's latest TravelMate model replaces passwords with
fingerprint recognition; if a would-be user's prints don't
match those in the TravelMate's memory, the computer won't
boot.
Tracking devices. Using methods similar to those of
the vehicle- retrieval system, several services now
help authorities recover stolen computers (including
CyberAngel and zTrace). Users install "stealth
software" on their hard drives. If somebody steals the machine
and goes online with it, the software automatically signals
the tracking service, which can pinpoint the user's location
by telephone number or address. Local police handle the rest.
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