If you are doing business on a laptop your laptop needs to be encrypted. Mac users have it easy, just turn on full disk encryption and use a strong password.
Windows 7 is not as easy. Only Windows 7 Ultimate Edition comes with Bitlocker full disk encryption. If you don’t have Ultimate Edition you will have to pay Microsoft to upgrade. You can try free Truecrypt but be aware that many laptops like HP and Dell will not work with Truecrypt. Does not hurt to try, just make sure to follow the instructions at truecrypt.org and create a rescue disc in case you run into a problem.
Likewise, only Windows 8 Pro or Enterprise edition come with Bitlocker. Cheap bastards.
You also need to know that only PCs with a TPM 1.2 chip on the board can utilize advanced features of Bitlocker like using a PIN at logon. If your laptop does not have TPM 1.2 you can still use Bitlocker but will need to use a special key stored on a USB drive to boot up. Because it costs a few bucks you will only see TPM 1.2 on pricey business laptops like the Dell M6600.
Something to consider if you have an older Windows laptop would be to forget about Windows and install free Ubuntu 12.04 LTS instead. You can enable full disk encryption when you install Ubuntu and also enjoy the security benefits of using linux. Here is a link to a guide to downloading the Ubuntu 12.04 alternate installer and configuration: http://www.rationallyparanoid.com/articles/ubuntu-12-lts-security.html (the alternate install, which Ubuntu makes hard to find, is required if you want to enable FDE.)
What about linux?… :/
What about linux?… :/
Which distro? Ubuntu 12.04 LTS has FDE built in as long as you use the alternate 32 bit or 64 bit installer which you can download here: http://www.ubuntu.com/download/alternative-downloads#mirrors
Don’t use the default Ubuntu installers at http://www.ubuntu.com/download, they will not let you enable full disk encryption and only provide the option of encrypting your home folder.
You don’t need to pay MS money to upgrade, they already have enough. You just need to contact the right person 😉
So, I am looking into a new laptop. How do I know if the mb has a TPM 1.2 chip? Do most modern systems come with this?
So, I am looking into a new laptop. How do I know if the mb has a TPM 1.2 chip? Do most modern systems come with this?
Ngls, consumer ‘home’ laptops don’t have the TPM chip, only some ‘business’ laptops. Look at the specs and search for a ‘security’ section and then mention of TPM 1.2.
Lowest price business laptop I can find with TPM 1.2 is the Dell M6600 mobile workstation or HP ProBook 4530s. Even Dell’s Alienware laptops do not have the TPM chip.
I recently sold a dell business latitude E6420 with the trusted platform module and finger scanner…
Some Latitudes have the chip, some don’t. Check the specs carefully or if you can tryout the laptop boot into bios and look for TPM 1.2 under security.
Mac’s don’t have a TPM chip but that is not a problem because the Apple OS has FDE built in.
You mean dell latitude?