The U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit

Buy an inexpensive laptop for travel purposes (if you really need to travel with one)

Install only the applications you will actually need during the trip

Place the documents and data files you will need during the trip into a separate, secure, encrypted flash drive that you can carry in your pocket at all times

Make sure the laptop itself has not been accidentally loaded with any documents or data files, stored passwords, authentication cookies, accessories with personal information, or other sensitive settings and data

Make sure the travel laptop has a personal firewall enabled, virus protection, and the latest security patches

Put commercially sold anti-tamper seals over the travel laptop’s hard drive cover and over some of its case screws

Disable all the laptop’s external communications: its wireless, infrared, Bluetooth, CD-ROM, USB port, etc.

Enable a password to use during booting

Disable booting from CDs, USB storage devices, or other external drives

Learn how to turn specific external connections back on when you need to use them, such as the USB connection for your secure flash drive

Make sure you disable an external connection each time you have finished using it

When you return home, transfer any material you need from your secure, encrypted flash drive to your other computers by sending it from an external computer

When you return home, have your cyber-security team examine the laptop for signs of hardware tampering and do a secure wipe and reload of the hard drive

Treat this laptop and flash drive in the future as outside devices that should not be directly connected to internal networks

US-CCU Laptop Travel Guidelines