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keeping your laptop safe and secure

Introduction

We live in a digital age, and that means you’re likely to have a laptop computer. When you use your laptop at home, work or school, it’s pretty easy to keep it safe and secure, right? You just make sure you don’t leave it somewhere, and when you do leave it somewhere temporarily, maybe while you get some coffee or whatever, you leave it with someone who can keep an eye on it. But how do you keep your laptop secure when you travel? That’s what we’ll be talking about today.

set up a password

  • Your password should be case sensitive.
  • Length matters: the longer, the better. Eight characters is a good minimum length for a password, but 12 characters or more is recommended—and if you’re going to use something like your birthday for a password, it’s best to make it 16 characters long.
  • Use both letters and numbers in your passwords, along with symbols (such as $ or !).
  • Make sure you change your passwords regularly—at least every 90 days is recommended, but some experts recommend changing them every 30 days or so for added security.
  • Don’t use the same username as your email address when setting up a new account on any site—this makes it easier for hackers to break into both accounts if they figure out one of them through brute force methods (see below).

update your operating system

Updating your operating system is one of the most important security measures you can take. Most of the time, malware and viruses attack your operating system and not individual programs. If you have an outdated version of Windows or MacOS, it’s more vulnerable to hackers than a fresh install would be.

To make sure that you’re up-to-date on all your software updates, head over to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update in Windows 10 or System Preferences > Software Update in macOS High Sierra. You can also schedule automatic updates so that they happen silently in the background without any effort on your part

Keeping all of your drivers updated has several benefits for your computer—not only does it keep them working smoothly with each other but also helps prevent crashes from occurring if something goes wrong with any given driver itself

back up your data

There are a lot of things to consider when you’re about to purchase a laptop. You’ll want to make sure it has a great screen and good battery life, but also that it’s lightweight enough for you to carry around.

However, before you start thinking about all this tech stuff, there’s something else that’s important: how safe your laptop will be when it isn’t in use.

The best way to keep your data secure while traveling with your laptop is by backing up all of its contents regularly—and then storing those backups online so they can be accessed from any computer. If anything happens while the computer is out of reach (like theft or damage), then at least the most recent version of everything will still be available through cloud storage services such as Dropbox or Google Drive (formerly known as Google Docs).

make sure you have the right firewall

There is a firewall on your laptop, but you might not be using it.

A firewall is a software or hardware device that protects your computer from unauthorized access by restricting the information that travels between your network and the Internet. It can be used to prevent outside users from accessing your data or vice versa, so make sure you have one enabled before connecting to public Wi-Fi networks.

use antivirus software

Use antivirus software. Make sure that you have the latest version of the software and update it regularly. A good firewall program is also important. Monitor your activity online, especially if you use public Wi-Fi or other open networks.

monitor your activity online

  • Be careful with public wifi.
  • Use a VPN. A virtual private network is an important tool for secure online activity, and it’s easy to use. It encrypts your internet traffic and masks your IP address by routing it through a different server, making it harder for hackers or surveillance agencies to track you online. Some VPNs are free; many charge a monthly fee of around $10-20 per month (or less). If you’re serious about security, look into purchasing one; they can be found at most electronics stores like Best Buy or Fry’s Electronics. You can also find them online at sites like Lifehacker’s list of the best VPN services based on their testing criteria as well as reviews from other users (this article will help guide you in finding one that works best for you).

Laptops contain a lot of your personal information, so you want to keep it safe.

Your laptop is a valuable tool. It contains your personal information, like your email and social media accounts. It could also have private photos or work documents on it. That’s why you want to keep your laptop safe from others who might want to steal it or destroy it.

There are lots of different ways you can make sure that people don’t get their hands on your laptop without permission:

  • Lock the screen when you aren’t using it (you can set this up in Settings). This will stop anyone else from secretly accessing information while they think you’re away from the computer — but remember that if someone has physical access to unlock the screen first, they may still be able to access personal information before locking again!
  • Use a password lock for opening programs like email and social media apps instead of just pressing enter when prompted for login info (this goes for any sensitive program). Passwords will prevent even more unauthorized accesses than just having a locked screen, because once installed these software programs are always running in the background through an invisible process called “daemonization” which allows them not only be accessed remotely but also by other users logged into those machines!

Conclusion

After reading this blog post, you should feel more confident that your laptop is safe and secure. Don’t worry if you haven’t done all of these things – there’s no need to panic! Just take some time today to make sure your laptop has a password, run an antivirus scan and make sure it’s not online without permission from someone else.