Now that we've looked at some of the
methods of recovering a stolen laptop and preventing said laptop from going
walkies in the first place, let's turn our attention to some preventative
measures you can take to stop your data from being compromised if the worst does
happen.
If you've read our recent
guide on recovering forgotten passwords
from Windows XP (and you really should), you'll already know that it is
extremely hard, some would say impossible, to effectively secure a computer to
which an intruder has physical access. There are four steps you can take to make
it rather frustratingly hard and time consuming for the bad guys to get at your
vital data however. Let's take a look:
STEP 1: BIOS password
protection
Most modern computers can be password
protected by setting a password in the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) built
into the motherboard of the computer. This is a group of settings that govern
how the computer manages its hardware, regardless of what operating system it
may be using. Changes made to the BIOS are stored in a small area of built-in
memory called the CMOS, which is powered by a battery also built into the
motherboard.
Now on desktop computers, password
protecting the BIOS borders on the completely futile as a security measure. Any
intruder can simply open up the case and use a jumper to reset the CMOS, or even
just yank out the battery powering it for a few minutes to make sure it (along
with the password) is wiped. It's a different story with a laptop however.
Laptop computers are built on
proprietary designs, using motherboards created specifically for each model. It
is often not possible to get at the CMOS battery of a laptop without special
tools and know-how, or at least not without destroying the machine in the
process. Generally speaking, if you want to reset the BIOS password on a laptop,
you will need to ship it back to the manufacturer, something your average thief
is going to be understandably reluctant to do.
This makes BIOS password protection a
rather good option for users who are concerned about the possibility of data
theft, as a BIOS password makes it impossible to boot into any operating system
until it is answered. It's not foolproof, as many manufacturers have built
'backdoor' keystroke combinations into their systems which can bypass even BIOS
passwords, but it's a great start.
To set the BIOS password, press the
DEL key several times immediately after the POST screen comes up (some
manufacturers use a different key stroke, but this should be indicated on your
screen during boot-up, or in the manual) to enter the BIOS setup. You are
looking for 'set password' or something similar. Set it (write it down so you
don't forget it) and save and exit. The next time you boot, you will be
prompted for a password after POST.
Make sure you keep a record of the
password - but not in your laptop bag please!
STEP 2: Set Really Good user
passwords
This speaks for itself. After stealing
your laptop, the intruder has all the time he or she can afford in which to
crack the password for your administrator account and get full access to your
data. Chances are, at some point they will use the SAM and SYSTEM file password
hash extraction method (again, as covered in our password recovery article) in
combination with some sort of password cracking software to discover your
password.
Let's look at what might happen… Say
your password was 'rover;' It would take them about 5 minutes or less to crack
using a fast computer. Say it's 'rover35' add another 10 minutes maybe… But what
if your password was (r0V3r35) You've just extended the time it will take
them to crack your password to several hours, perhaps days.