How to Find a Stolen Laptop
Your laptop is missing, now what?
A missing laptop can expose personal data. That data can include:
- Pictures and videos
- Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and email
- Banking, tax, and health records
Company files may be on the machine too, including confidential or classified customer data. Don't panic. Stay calm and follow a plan.
If the laptop is yours, or if it connects to company systems, tell your manager and the IT department.
They can follow company policy, limit account access, and start remote security steps.
The laptop is worth less than the data on it. A thief will often sell or pawn the hardware. If the data is easy to open, they may use it too.
If DriveStrike is on the laptop, act right away:
- Send a remote wipe command
- Note the device location
- Contact the police
The laptop reports its location each time it connects to the internet. After the wipe arrives, the machine cannot be used and it stops reporting. You still get confirmation that the data is secure.
Then file a police report. The Device page in DriveStrike lists the serial number, make, and model. Tell the police the last place you remember having the laptop.
Change the password on every online account. Start with the account tied to the browser you used most on that PC. That is often Google, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, or Internet Explorer.
This will not remove all risk. It will reduce it.
If you did not have DriveStrike installed we are sorry to hear that your PC was stolen. Below are several things to consider as you move forward to protect your data.
1. Do you have user names and passwords saved in your internet browser on the PC?
If you answered yes, immediately go and change the passwords for all of your accounts and implement two factor authentication wherever possible.
Reset browser accounts first. Start with the account tied to the browser you used most on that PC. That is often Google, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, or Internet Explorer.
This will not remove all risk. It will reduce it.
2. Do you have any information regarding the PC; make, model, serial number, applications that were installed on the PC?
You should file a police report as soon as possible.
Note where the PC was taken and about what time.
If that place has cameras, take your police report and ask them to review the video. A clear image can help the police recover the PC.
The police usually will not do this search for you. If you bring them the footage, they are obligated to act on it.
Start checking local pawn shops near the location the PC was stolen.
Search craigslist and ebay for your make and model to see if the thief is selling your laptop online.
3. Is the PC password protected and how strong of a password did you use?
If this is a Windows machine and unless you enabled UEFI or BIOS preboot authentication security measures it is very easy for marginally tech savvy individuals to bypass standard user security on a PC.
4. Is there any confidential or sensitive information about customers, patients, or the company you work for on the PC?
If this is a company PC or if you access any company systems using this PC – immediately report the issue to your superior, the company IT and compliance teams.
If there is sensitive information about other people on the PC then you may have an obligation to report the stolen PC as a data breach depending on the security measures you implemented prior to the PC being stolen.
5. You should go to your Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter, and other accounts for applications you commonly used on that PC
Open Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter, and the other accounts you used on that PC.
Check whether the PC is still signed in. Also check whether the service saved a location for that session. You can give that location to the police.
Do not use it to confront a possible thief on your own.
Other steps depend on your answers above.
A remote wipe needs DriveStrike on the missing PC. That is very hard. It can still be possible if the PC is in an Active Directory group, or if the person who has it installs DriveStrike under another name.
Please let us know if we can help you further, you can contact our help and support team any time.
DriveStrike is available for less than $1.00 per device per month when protecting multiple devices. Start a free trial.
About Spearstone
Spearstone won the 2008 Digital IQ award for IT security. It builds software for enterprise customers, including Wells Fargo, Pearson Learning, Logitech, Spacelabs, Sony, and RemedyMD.
Spearstone's DriveStrike product protects data on computers and smartphones. That includes remote wipe and mobile device management.
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