The TSA collaborates with laptop bag manufacturers to create checkpoint-friendly bags that will allow you to save a few minutes and go through security without taking your notebook out and putting it in a separate bin.
Stow that wad of cash away in the fridge using the old “security through obscurity” model, with a DIY soda pop bottle “safe.” Hit the video clip and at least watch the first 20 seconds to see how it works. An apparently full Pepsi bottle gives way to a nifty space for stowing valuables. While it’s not locked in any way, it’s the last place thieves will think to look. You can also make a DIY “safe” from a wall outlet, soup can, or pen.
According to a new U.S. Department of Homeland Security policy, a Customs agent could seize your laptop for “an indefinite period” and even copy the data on your hard drive on your way to your European vacation destination. Whoah. CNET reports the DHS policy says that Customs agents can seize, make copies of and “analyze the information transported by any individual attempting to enter, reenter, depart, pass through, or reside in the United States.” CNET recommends encrypting your data before you leave the house, but we’re not so sure. Wouldn’t that make your laptop appear more suspect? Wouldn’t they just have you just unlock the drive by typing in your password anyway? We’re not lawyers, so we won’t even touch on the legality of this, but here’s our recommendation.
Do what you can to leave your laptop home. That’s what I wished I’d done after my trip to Thailand. Instead, load up a thumb drive with the apps and files you need—and encrypt it, if you’d like—and you’ll travel lighter, worry less about your notebook, and avoid the possibility of having your entire hard drive scanned by Customs. If it’s a business trip, make your files accessible remotely, and grab ‘em at your destination instead of bringing them with you through airport security. What’s your best workaround on this WTF DHS policy? Let us know in the comments.
Destroy your optical media like CDs and DVDs without the fuss or mess with the portable and lightweight Disc Eraser gadget. The Disc Eraser is a pocket-sized plastic apparatus that will make your CD or DVD unreadable in any disc drive or CD/DVD player after it is used. The Disc Eraser opens like a book—place the disc on the small ring, close the lid, and move the plastic slider up and down along the surface. The slider will destroy the surface of the CD so you no longer need to buy a shredder that will spit half of the optical media back into the air and create a mess that you wouldn’t want to clean. The best part? The Disc Eraser is completely safe—even around children, is extremely small, promotes recycling, and will only set you back $15.99.
If you’re constantly logging into a remote server using SSH and you’re sick of typing your password every time, tech site Webmonkey details how to save time without sacrificing security. Using SSH-Agent, a utility that acts as a broker between your local machine and remote machine, you can log in without typing your password every time (but also securing your private key from attackers). Hit up Webmonkey to get the rundown on using SSH-Agent on Linux, Mac, and Windows. This one could have done well on yesterday’s list of top 10 command line tools.
iPhone/iPod touch only: Free application 1Password makes logging into secure sites much easier on the iPhone’s mobile Safari browser by creating a double-protected mini-database of your passwords. The app won’t auto-fill login forms in Safari, but provides its own mini-browser that plugs in your credentials into any site’s login form. Great for checking your bank accounts or secure work data, but the big drawback is lack of a keyboard inside the mini-browser—so no further typing once you’re in. Of course, you can just use 1Password as a memory-booster for your user/password combos, for which it works just fine. Users of 1Password’s Mac version can sync their passwords between versions with the $35 upgrade. 1Password is a free download for iPhones and iPod touch devices only.
Windows/Mac/Linux (Firefox): Many sites that use Flash objects put Local Shared Objects, or “Flash Cookies,” on your computer in often out-of-the-way locations. Objection, a free Firefox add-on, automatically tracks down those cookies (most of the time) and provides an interface for learning more about what information they’re storing and deleting them. Why go through this effort? It’s a more complete way of covering your browsing tracks at work or home, for one thing, and Flash Cookies are not the most secure items to keep laying around. If Objection doesn’t find your LSO directory right off, hit the via link below for a list of common locations. Objection is a free download, works wherever Firefox does.
Tech site Webmonkey advises users not sure whether or not their DNS servers are patched against a recently discovered vulnerability to switch to the excellent, free DNS service, OpenDNS. Test your DNS server for the vulnerability here and get Webmonkey’s instructions for setting up OpenDNS . (We love OpenDNS so much it was one of our best apps of 2006.)
Windows and Mac OS X: Offered as a free download from the Insurance Information Institute, the Know Your Stuff Home Inventory software is a full-featured tool for cataloging your possessions in case disaster should strike. Wizards guide you through the basic setup of your inventory, then using Know Your Stuff’s simple interface you can add rooms and items to the inventory. For each item you enter you can assign photos, receipts or appraisals, make/model/serial number, quantity, and replacement cost.
There are guides to help you get started on the Know Your Stuff web site, very helpful if you’ve never done a home inventory before and aren’t sure where to start or what to include in it. Obviously if you invest the time and energy to create a home inventory you’ll want to make sure the it’s is secure. From the Know Your Stuff application you can export the file you’ve created and save it to external media or to a remote location, upload the file to Vault 24 (a remote backup solution integrated into the software, which unfortunately costs $15 a year) , or you can go the old fashioned route and print the inventory off and store it in a safe location. The Know Your Stuff Home Inventory software is a free download for Windows or Mac.
Windows only: Have you ever wanted to lock down a few files behind passwords, but don’t want to jump into a full-featured encryption system with multiple keys, virtual drives and whatnot? Free encryption utility EncryptOnClick is a dead-simple utility that gets the job done. Open the program, choose a file or folder to secure, and type in your password. The files or folder will get an encrypted icon, and you’ll be asked for the password to open them—and that’s it, at least with the freeware version. The app uses 256-bit AES encryption, so for hiding stuff from the average snooper, it’s a tight and light solution. EncryptOnClick is a free download for Windows systems only.