A breech in the security of the data stored on your computer’s hard drive can lead to computer viruses, which are a leading cause of corrupt files, system crashes, and the need for emergency data recovery services. Follow these tips to avoid opening your sensitive computer files to unauthorized third parties and subjecting yourself to identity theft, computer viruses, crashes and more.

1. Don’t work on unsecured wireless networks. It’s tempting to log in at a public park, in a coffee house, or anyplace else that offers unsecured WiFi. But it’s also dangerous. If you use your computer on the road a lot, consider investing in a wireless aircard instead of tapping into unknown networks.

2. Be careful who you let on your own network. Even well-meaning friends and family can transmit viruses when you give them the codes to log in to your home wireless network. Whenever possible, keep your home wifi limited to users you can trust.

3. Don’t leave your laptop unattended. Don’t fall prey to things like keystroke loggers or savvy hackers who can do a lot of damage to your laptop while you go to refill your coffee. Always pack up your laptop and bring it with you or keep it in your line of sight. Treat it like a small child and don’t let it get more than an arm’s length away.

4. Protect your data with a new, self-encrypting hard drive. Today’s technology takes some of the burden of computer data security off the end user, with self-encrypting hard drives. These hard drives are more secure than other hard drives. But remember, no technology is foolproof (or hacker-proof.)

And don’t worry… here at 24 Hour Data, our data recovery experts have already developed the latest data recovery methods for Self-encrypting hard drives. It’s safe to upgrade — because we can recover lost data from SEDs and we’re just a phone call away.