Protect laptop in repair shop

sammyjammy

Call me paranoid but my laptop has to go to be repaired and I'm concerned for the security of my information, I've set up a master password in Firefox to protect my online passwords.

What else can I do?

[Deleted User]

Bugg*r all. I'd be moving / deleting all passwords / pictures / PINs etc onto a USB stick / removable HDD.

andy2004

what was wrong with the laptop ??
as davidmt83, should have removed all your passwords that where saved.
i use a little program called passwordfox.exe shows and saves all passwords in firefox. then you can delete them.
saying that it could also be used by people to find passwords in firefox, tells the person, name of site, username and password all in a row.
so good for a user to have, but bad if your giving someone your laptop to repair.
the passwords are stored in a file called signson3.txt for firefox.

tomsutton529

you cant stop them tbh.. if they want your data they will get it.. only way you can really stop them is to send the laptop without the hard drive in.

td_007

sammyjammy wrote: »

Call me paranoid but my laptop has to go to be repaired and I'm concerned for the security of my information, I've set up a master password in Firefox to protect my online passwords.

What else can I do?

I would not even have passwords saved in Firefox but use a dedicated password store such as KeyPass. Also it is important to remember that deleting a file does not really make it go away but it essentially "disappears" from sight. Try deleting a file and then using a deleted file retrieval program such as Recuva to find it. The only way to make sure that it is really non-recoverable is to overwrite the file several times - a file shredder program can do this.

In you case, I would remove all sensitive material to a an appropriate safe-store (files-TrueCrypt, passwords-KeyPass) and use a file shredder (Chaos Shredder) to remove all traces. I have given suggestion based on my experience and usage, there are number of other options available.

mr_fishbulb

tomsutton529 wrote: »

you cant stop them tbh.. if they want your data they will get it.. only way you can really stop them is to send the laptop without the hard drive in.

Yes a determined forensics geek will be able to pull out your info, but there are some simple and free things you can do to stop the people stumbling across it:

Keep your passwords in a password safe such as KeePass.

Keep your sensitive documents in a password-protected container such as TrueCrypt.

Use a master password on FireFox to protect your saved online usernames and passwords (without a master password, these are stored in a plain text file on your hard drive).

If you want to get more protective, you can user a product such as Eraser to fully remove and overwrite files when you delete them.

ihatebt_2

Just make sure there's no naughty photos of yourself on there!!!! I guarantee copies would be made.

I've worked in those places and know very well how untrustworthy the average workshop techie is (low-paid muppets who think a defrag fixes most problems). I would have dished out several P45's if I had been the boss.

SplanK

when ever i send a laptop in for repair to Tosh or Dell at workc- we always refit a spare HDD and install a fresh version of windows with all drivers and keep the customers HDD in a safe!

that is the only safe way of doing it!

ihatebt_2

I'd recommend everyone to watch the following video. I reckon this is the norm, not the exception, be it a well known company or your local high street computer repair shop. This is how Gary Glitter got caught.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Sky-News-Undercover-Laptop-Investigation-Repair-Shops-Caught-Hacking-Into-Personal-Files/Article/200907315343387?lpos=UK_News_News_Your_Way_Region_6&lid=NewsYourWay_ARTICLE_15343387_Sky_News_Undercover_Laptop_Investigation:_Repair_Shops_Caught_Hacking_Into_Personal_Files

ihatebt_2

Btw, I say it's the norm in terms of looking for naughty pics, not in the stealing of passwords.