What Is a Laptop Lock and Why Do You Need One for Your Macbook?

A while ago, a friend shared how a colleague at work lost his Apple MacBook in broad daylight. It was a little late afternoon, most of the staff were out for lunch. Therefore, most tables were naturally left unattended, except for the lady at the front desk.

Unwittingly, a man walked in pretending to be a potential client and the lady took him in to wait for the other staff to come back and take care of him. She soon picked up a MacBook from one of the desks and has walked out without a trace to this day.

If you’ve ever lost your MacBook to a thief in any way, you know the heartbreak that comes with it. One of the simplest ways to prevent laptop thefts is to get a laptop lock.

What is Laptop Lock?

A laptop lock is a small gadget that helps protect your laptop from theft risk if you leave it in the office, home, cafe and more.

Just as you protect your data, files and personal information using the best antivirus available, a laptop lock also acts as an anti-theft deterrent, so ordinary thieves cannot delete it from your desk or table.

Unlike other laptops that come with a built-in security slot for the laptop lock, you won’t find it on your MacBook, so you’ll need an adapter to use it with the lock. If it has a lock slot, it works with a variety of T-bolt configurations, otherwise you will need a lock that connects to your computer in alternative ways.

Laptop locks aren’t perfect, so they’re a deterrent to potential theft as most casual thieves tend to choose easy and convenient things to grab and get away with.

With the laptop lock, you can stop thieves from getting cold by physically securing your MacBook to immovable objects like your desk or work desk. This may sound extreme, but it’s nothing compared to losing your MacBook with all your personal and sensitive data and files.

It’s an easy and inexpensive way to protect your laptop, especially at work or in public places, and you can buy them online or at a computer supply store.

Why Should You Use a Laptop Lock?

If you’re using your MacBook from home and you’re sure it has good security, you don’t need a laptop lock.

However, if you store your machine in a location accessible to many, or if you decide to use it in a public place once in a while, then you will benefit from a lock.

The rule of thumb here is that wherever you go or work from there, lots of people gather can be a risky place to leave your MacBook unlocked or unattended.

This includes school or college dorms and workplaces because of all open doors and people coming in or out.

Does Data on My MacBook Require a Laptop Lock?

If you store important personal or business data on your MacBook, a laptop lock will come in handy to complement your other security measures.

Unlike Chromebooks, which store everything in the cloud, your MacBook stores data both locally and on iCloud that identity thieves can use against you. This means that the cost of losing it is far greater than its physical value alone, as most hackers target the intellectual property here.

Bitglass, a cloud security company, stated in its 2014 security report that 68 percent of healthcare data breaches are caused by lost or stolen devices, not network intruders.

The same gadgets could be the source of data breaches as more companies allow their employees to come with their own devices to work through their BYOD policies. Some laptops can be stolen and data exposed to identity thieves.

For these and similar security reasons, employees are required to use a laptop lock at their office desks.

Some companies have lockers where employees can lock their laptops after work. During the day, they will need to take a temporary measure that will eliminate the need to reconnect and disconnect each time they remove or reattach cabinets.

What You Need to Use a Laptop Lock Effectively

A strong port

A good port, like your cabin wall in your dorm room or a desk in the office, will help, especially a place with a grommet for the lock cable to run through.

If the grommet isn’t the right size or in the right place on your desk, you can always get a attachable anchor that snaps between the joints of your work compartment or affixed to a desk.

Make sure the laptop lock is attached to a strong enough mount that a thief cannot break it and escape from the MacBook.

Lock Slot

If your laptop has a lock slot, you can easily attach the laptop lock to this opening, making it difficult for any thief to pull it out. MacBooks don’t have a lock slot, but you can purchase a lock that attaches to the laptop’s rubber feet or clamps tightly to the lid.

Compatible or Non-Compatible Lock

As mentioned earlier, MacBooks do not have security lock slots, so you may want to get one that attaches to the lid or rubber feet. Laptops with security slots are easier to work with because then you can choose between different brands or models of locks, from simple key and combination locks to units with master codes and keys. However, you can buy a slot on a plate that will stick to the lid of your MacBook and then use a laptop lock.

Protect Your Hardware and Data

All in all, it’s hard to stop a determined criminal from stealing your MacBook, but the laptop lock is a good deterrent. Not only does it physically protect your machine for a moment, it also provides a cheaper, convenient and more effective way to protect your hardware, software and most valuable sensitive data from thieves.

Next: Did you know that you can lock your Android apps with the volume button pattern? Read our next article to find out how.