[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-404216-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-404216-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","prepare-your-laptop-for-traveling","Prepare Your Laptop for Traveling","","Prepare a laptop for travel by removing confidential data, using hard drive encryption or a swap-out second drive with a secure home storage plan, and checking international encryption export controls. Disable file/printer sharing, block inbound firewall connections, and harden the wireless card by turning it off when idle, disabling auto-connect, and restricting to infrastructure networks. Remain vigilant on public Wi‑Fi, avoid ad hoc networks, use a VPN for sensitive work, and be cautious of replacement laptop purchases in certain countries.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/","Healthcare",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/prepare-your-laptop-for-traveling/404216/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/prepare-your-laptop-for-traveling/404216.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"moss~","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-09-27",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",8,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"How should sensitive or confidential information be handled before traveling with a laptop?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"Remove confidential information from the hard drive to reduce the risk of loss or theft. Use hard drive encryption if possible or use a second hard drive with a pre-installed system and apps, keeping the original drive secured at home.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"What steps should be taken to secure network access and sharing while traveling?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Turn off file and printer sharing and configure the firewall to block inbound connections. Avoid exposing the system on network shares, since file sharing protocols can advertise presence on the network.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What precautions are recommended for using Wi‑Fi in public places?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Don’t use public wireless unless you take precautions, and never connect to an ad hoc network, especially in a hot spot. Establish a VPN connection for sensitive information or on public/guest networks to encrypt traffic.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},404216,1790793826,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,106,110,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":102,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":107,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},7,40,"healthcare",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":111,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":107,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":30,"language":139,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":143,"read_time":55,"preview_page_count":4},962090895452,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_a8503ba1806abce46bf441b54a3ca4cd","Knowledgebase > Security > Physical Security > Prepare Your Laptop for Traveling  \nPrepare Your Laptop for Traveling  \nStephanie Obodda-2025-05-21-Comments (0) - Physical Security  \nWhether jetting to Japan, basking in Barbados or camping in the Catskills, your laptop will probably come along on the trip. If you do pack a computer, be sure to prep it for the trip. Think of the following precautions as the equivalent of bringing the sunscreen (you don't want to get \"burned\") .  \n1. Prepare Your Laptop for the Trip  \n Remove confidential information from the hard drive to prevent it from being lost or stolen.  \nIf the sensitive information is not yours you could be held liable and Brown’s reputation could be damaged.  \n Use hard drive encryption if possible or use a second hard drive.  \nA login prompt is not a deterrent. Hard drive encryption will make it far more difficult for someone to retrieve the information should they gain access to the hard drive. There are several commercial packages that will perform this function that are also“user friendly.” Alternatively, use a second hard drive with a pre-installed operating system and applications that you can swap out to your laptop’s original hard drive. Use the second hard drive for trips leaving your original drive in a secure place at home. Contact your DCC for recommendations and assistance.  \n If planning to travel internationally, be aware that some countries ban or severely regulate the use of encryption. You should therefore check countryspecific information before traveling with a laptop. More details are available in the Learn About BitLocker and Learn About FileVault articles.  \n You should also become familiar and comply with all export controls (see Brown's Export Control Policy).  \n Turn off file and printer sharing.  \nWireless or not, network shares expose your system to unnecessary risk while traveling. File sharing protocols often advertise your presence on the network. This applies to any other services you may be running or connecting to, such as FTP and Remote Desktop software (other examples include RDP, VNC, pcAnywhere) .  \nFilesharing services tend to advertise your existence on the network. In public areas like the airport, a café, or even a hotel you don’t want to draw attention to your computer on the network.  \n Configure your firewall to block inbound connections.  \nIn the Windows firewall this is accomplished by clicking the “No Exceptions” check  \nbox. Any open ports that you are unaware of will not be able to accept connections.  \n2. Prepare the Wireless Card  \n Keep the wireless card off when not being used.  \nWi-Fi cards scan the air looking for known and/or available networks. Hackers can listen for this traffic, detect your presence, and see what SSIDs you typically connect on. Keeping the wireless card off when not in use is a good idea whether traveling or not. Turning off an idle wireless card conserves battery power and stops your system from advertising what networks you have been using.  \n Disable auto-connect features.  \nYour computer may be set up to auto-connect you to a hacker, who can make their system look like a viable access point (AP) . Note that Windows client is designed to auto-connect to networks in your Preferred Network List (PNL) first. If it does not findone, it will then try to auto-connect you to any available open network.  \n Configure the card to use infrastructure networks only.  \nInfrastructure networks are client-to-network versus ad-hoc (“on-the-fly” type of) networks, which are client-to-client. Making an ad hoc pretend to be a legitimate APis an easy and sometimes accidental hack.  \n3. Be Vigilant  \n Don’t use public wireless, unless you take precautions.  \nPublic wireless is inherently insecure. Most hotels, airports, and “hot spots” have little to no security, meaning your connection can easily be sniffed – especially when using unsecured protocols such as many Instant Messaging applications and many email applications and sites","cbCaigjkzlPRu40a","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaigjkzlPRu40a","pdf",64411,"English","# Prepare Your Laptop for the Trip\n# Prepare the Wireless Card\n# Be Vigilant","[{\"question\":\"How should sensitive or confidential information be handled before traveling with a laptop?\",\"answer\":\"Remove confidential information from the hard drive to reduce the risk of loss or theft. Use hard drive encryption if possible or use a second hard drive with a pre-installed system and apps, keeping the original drive secured at home.\"},{\"question\":\"What steps should be taken to secure network access and sharing while traveling?\",\"answer\":\"Turn off file and printer sharing and configure the firewall to block inbound connections. Avoid exposing the system on network shares, since file sharing protocols can advertise presence on the network.\"},{\"question\":\"What precautions are recommended for using Wi‑Fi in public places?\",\"answer\":\"Don’t use public wireless unless you take precautions, and never connect to an ad hoc network, especially in a hot spot. Establish a VPN connection for sensitive information or on public/guest networks to encrypt traffic.\"}]","Prepare Your Laptop for Traveling | PDF",1790546359]