Laptop Security Tips from The Laptop Authority.com

Laptop security these days is paramount. Are you a trusting person? You shouldn't be. If you've gone wireless, chances are good that you're unwittingly exposing your most personal data to theft - and possibly making yourself a pawn in an Internet attack.

Most people don't even realize that their Wi-Fi network is vulnerable to attack. But if you plug your access point or gateway in without setting its security options, you're wide open. At a minimum, make sure your Wi-Fi devices support 128-bit Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption. WEP lets you create a secure key that is difficult for would-be eavesdroppers to fake. For even better laptop security, look for Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), which uses dynamic encryption.

A still more bulletproof solution is to use a gateway or access point that lets you restrict network access to machines with specific MAC addresses. Since every machine's MAC address is unique, it's nearly impossible for interlopers to break in.

If you're running a small business network, you need more serious laptop security. To lockdown your precious customer database, install a hardware firewall on your Wi-Fi network or get a wireless router with a built-in firewall. These wireless sentinels constantly monitor your network for suspicious behavior while hiding your laptop computers from prying eyes. Seiko Astron.html

If you spend lots of time on cafe hotspots, get a security software suite that manages multiple location profiles and includes a software firewall. While its not as secure as a hardware solution, it will keep your laptop's data ports locked while your doing your work.

• 128-bit WEP Security (Minimum)
• MAC filtering
• WPA security support (Better)
• Network activity logging

Like hitting the hotspots? Chances are you're wide open while surfing from Starbucks or McDonalds. Get a solid software suite like Norton Internet Security for managing multiple wireless locations.

Business users need better security than home surfers. Protect your wireless small business network from interlopers with a secure Wi-Fi hardware firewall.

WEP is wimpy. Make your neighbors get their own broadband internet connection by locking them out of yours with high-strength WPA encryption.