What do you do if your laptop gets stolen?

First, if you’ve properly encrypted your data, password-protected the access to your device, and shut down and logged off all key applications, you’ve got a bit more time to respond. But the first thing to do, whether or not you’ve taken those precautionary measures, is to notify your IT department (us) that you’ve lost your device. That will allow us to change passwords and lock access to applications and data a thief may gain access to via your unprotected laptop. We can also remotely wipe your device to make sure no one will be able to gain access to the data stored
on your computer. (Which is also why it’s CRITICAL to back up your data on a daily basis!)

Next, change ALL the passwords to every website you log in to, starting with any sites that contain financial data (your bank account) or company data. If your laptop contained medical records, financial information, or other sensitive data (like social security numbers, birthdays, etc.), then you need to contact a qualified attorney to understand what you may be required to do by law to notify individuals who may be affected. Quite simply, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure; so make sure you’re engaging us to encrypt and back up your data, as well as put remote monitoring software on all mobile devices. Set a pin-code lock or password requirement to access a device after 10 minutes of inactivity, and get into the habit of logging out of websites when you’re done using them.

If you would like to schedule us for a Cyber-Security Training for your staff, please call 573-499-6928 and ask for the solutions team.
Sincerely,

Midwest Computech