1. Pull the microphone cord
Zuckerberg also had tape over the MacBook's microphone jack in the photo, but I've heard of people going to much greater lengths. In a conference room, they pull any microphone cords connected to anything (particularly a laptop or a videoconferencing system). It's a radical move, but you never know--an audio connection might already be compromised and recording conversations.
2. Never use public Wi-Fi
I've heard of entrepreneurs who never use public wireless--ever. Even if the signal is password protected (which is not the case in places like Starbucks and most hotel lobbys), they don't trust the fact that hackers could be sniffing out a single and stealing data. My advice is to use a hotspot on your phone instead. Hotspots can be password protected easily, and the signal is much harder to sniff. Wireless carriers add extra security and the signal is constantly jumping between towers.
3. Avoid all online banking
It's so easy to check your account from a phone these days, and many of the apps require strong passwords. Yet, there is a danger. For one, even if you use a strong password, it might be something people can guess--your son's name followed by your anniversary date and a question mark, who knew? Hackers have shown an ability to run password generators in a few seconds. A better but much less convenient approach? Do all banking from a trusted connection or even at the bank itself.
4. Shield your screen
You can barely even find them for sale anymore, but a privacy screen is a good precaution, albeit a little annoying. 3M still makes them. You cover your screen so that no one can see what you're doing from a side angle. It's an interesting practice and one I've seen in San Francisco more than my local coffee-shop here in Minneapolis for sure. Instead of a privacy screen, you can also sit in an area where you know it's impossible for anyone to see your screen, like a back corner.
5. Take your laptop to the bathroom
OK, this one seems weird. Yet, when I work at coffee-shops, I never leave my laptop unattended even for a short time. There's a risk of theft, although I work in a sleepy town with low-crime. My bigger concern is someone jumping on my laptop and looking through my email. Anyone who works in a public place will always take their laptop with them everywhere, even for a few minutes.
6. Always power down your phone when not in use
A phone that is turned off is much more difficult to hack. It's also a good battery saving measure, although it's also really inconvenient. One reason it protects you is that it can be easy to disable wireless networks and Bluetooth, but a phone that's off is not emitting a signal--despite what you see in Jason Bourne movies. Also, it ensures that someone who wants to hack into your phone will have to type your passcode to gain access when it powers up. (You do use a passcode, right?)
7. Download then delete all email
It's excessive, I'll admit it. But one last step is to always download your email and delete the messages off the server. This means your messages will be stored locally and nowhere else, which means a crash can destroy your only archive. Yet, if you are concerned at all about someone stealing your email, it's the only way to go. From what I can tell from the photo, Zuckerberg uses the Mac version of Thunderbird, which is a desktop client. He probably doesn't use cloud email.
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